The hunt is on for an unknown number of vandals who defaced a police memorial with offensive slogans in an apparent act of prejudice.
Anti-police slogans such as "good cop = dead cop", "shame", "death to Australia" and the phrase "ACAB (all cops are bastards)" were sprayed onto the pillars of the memorial for fallen officers in Melbourne overnight, with red paint also smeared over the police emblem.
The act appears to be "prejudice-motivated", with authorities seizing a can of paint and a spray can, Victoria Police acting Commander Belinda Jones said.
"To think that someone would do this at a time when we've recently lost two of our own is disgusting and beyond belief," she told reporters on Friday.
"It's an insult to every Victorian police officer who wears the uniform and to the community they serve."
Council workers removed the graffiti within two hours of its discovery, but it isn't the first time the memorial has been defaced, with another incident occurring on December 13 last year.
The dateline 13/12, which was also spray-painted on the pillars overnight, corresponded to the letters of "ACAB".
That previous incident also remains under police investigation, but acting Cmdr Jones said the force would be looking to implement measures, such as cameras, to dissuade further behaviour on the date.
Premier Jacinta Allan described the vandalism as disgusting, saying it was occurring far too often.
"It's an incredible slur on the good work of the men and women of Victoria Police and of all times to do this when the police family and our community are grieving the murder of two police officers in the line of duty just a few short months ago," Ms Allan told ABC Radio on Friday.
Police Association secretary Wayne Gatt said the attack would not erase the contributions of the fallen officers.
"This demonstrates why you exist. It demonstrates how important your work is. It demonstrates what our society would be like if we didn't come to work every day," he said.
"These are the sentiments of a few insignificant people whose lives are punctuated by insignificant acts like this. They're nobodies going nowhere."
