The band is called Code One, and its members are all sworn officers of Victoria Police. 

Playing on stage in uniform, they belt out pop songs like 'Call Me Maybe' and 'Party Rock Anthem'. Many of the kids have seen the band before and know the songs off by heart.

But this particular show, in October, is the last time Code One is likely to play in Ballarat.

At the end of the year, Code One and two other police bands are due to be dissolved in what some claim to be a move towards a “tougher” image for the Victoria Police force.

The plan is to get rid of the musicians and boost the numbers of front-line police officers tackling crime instead of children.

The decision has been controversial, and there is debate about who is actually behind it – Victoria Police or the state government.

There are close to 50 musicians in the bands. They are sworn Victoria Police officers, but are not trained for work on the street.

The musicians have been given a choice – resign, apply for an unsworn public service role, or go to the police academy and try to start over again as constables regardless of their current rank.

For "David", a band member who spoke to The Courier on the condition of anonymity, it's not only the end of a job, but a musical passion.

David joined a police band more than a decade ago after struggling as a musician in Melbourne.

"I'd been a musician all my life, then somebody told me about the police bands. I was just keen on anything that paid to start off with," he said.

"But when I first performed I noticed there was a massive difference. The uniform actually draws the crowds and people want to hear you perform. That's the whole reason you perform."

David said he believed the decision was less about police numbers and more about a "tougher" new image for Victoria Police, as evidenced by a change in uniform 12 months ago.

"I think it has got to do with their tough new image and the bands don't really fit in with that image," he said.

"After this, there will be no proactive, friendly engagement with the force at all. It seems quite narrow-minded.

"(Recently) we played at the Dandenong mall, where 60 per cent of people don't speak English, but they can relate to the music.

"A lot of these people often come from countries where they don't trust police, they see us as a threat. It's amazing how positive these performances can be for people like that."

Victoria Police has three bands – Code One, the Showband and the Pipe Band. They are part of a tradition of police bands going back more than a century. The Pipe Band was formed in 1936.

Code One and the Showband are due to be dissolved on December 31. It is expected the Pipe Band will continue as a civilian band, with its members employed on a casual basis and no longer sworn members of the force.

The decision is currently before Fair Work Australia, but no new band bookings are being taken for 2014.

Victoria Police says getting rid of the bands will allow it to make 48 new positions on the front line, but has conceded the decision was a hard one to make and apologised for it.

"Clearly this is disappointing for many people, not least the band members themselves and their families who will be extremely upset by this news," a Victoria Police media spokesperson said.

"We are sorry this has been necessary. Our police bands have, for a long time now, played an important role in our community relations and in some of our most cherished rituals.

"We have offered a number of options to current band members including retraining as operational members of police or protective service officers, applying for civilianised positions within the Pipe Band, or electing to be transferred into public servant positions within Victoria Police." 

Community impact

Much of the outrage about the police bands decision has been sparked by the outspoken mayor of Banyule City Council in northeast Melbourne, which takes in the suburbs of Ivanhoe, Heidelburg and Greensborough.

Councillor Wayne Phillips is currently serving his sixth stint as mayor. He also spent 10 years in state parliament as the Liberal member for Eltham.

"As someone who has been involved in decision making processes for years, I think this is a bit short-sighted," he said.

"At times you want to make decisions that save money, but then it's easy to lose sight of the bigger picture."

Within weeks of the Victoria Police decision, announced in September, Banyule City Council passed a resolution to express its "total objection" to the move.

"I've written to every single mayor in Victoria asking them to support the stance our council is taking and I've written to local members across the state," Cr Phillips said.

"This is a decision that really hasn't been thought through in a long-term sense."

Cr Phillips said the bands created a positive image of police in the communities they performed for.

"They reassure people that police are not out there to book you for going 3km/h over in a 60km/h zone," he said.

"It helps people see police in a different light, and sometimes that makes all the difference." 

Retired police inspector Vic Dunn, who oversaw the police bands for years, believes that difference can actually be greater than the one made by more officers on the street.

"I wouldn't say they have more value, but those 50 band members certainly have more positive effect than 60 members on the street," he said.

Mr Dunn was in charge of Victoria Police public relations, which included the police bands, as well as the Central Goldfields police service area before his retirement in 2010.

He said police had been reviewing "non-operational" roles for years, and the bands decision was just the latest.

"We've already got rid of the open days at the police academy, our involvement at the Royal Melbourne Show and now the bands," he said.

"I understand all the other issues – the budget restraints and the competing interests for police resources – but I don't think (force command) realise the value these 50 members bring." 

Mr Dunn said Code One provided an opportunity to give children a positive interaction with police early in their life and said the Showband was enjoyed by older members of the community.

"I hope before a final decision is made, someone takes a look at the numbers, the positive impact the bands have, and considers what they're throwing away."

Political debate

Opposition police spokesperson Jacinta Allan has attacked the government for "forcing" Victoria Police to terminate the bands.

Ms Allan claims a lack of funding has left police with little option but to shuffle its members around and cut the bands in order to get more officers on the street.

"It's very disappointing that (Premier) Denis Napthine has chosen to get rid of the police bands," Ms Allan said.

"They've been really important for a long time now for all Victorian communities, especially the regional communities." 

Ms Allan, the member for Bendigo East, said she would fight to have the bands reinstated even if they were dissolved.

"Right now, it seems the door is firmly closed on the future, which is disappointing," she said.

"We hope it doesn't get to the point where we have to fight to have them reinstated, but it's looking a bit that way at the moment.

"Victoria Police is under huge pressure at the moment and this is obviously the move they felt they had to make."

Ballarat East member Geoff Howard also criticised the government over the decision in parliament in October.

"The axing of the police bands is a further example of staff sackings which will not result in any more police serving in front-line duties," he said.

"Present band members are not operational police officers, and they will either be forced out of the police force altogether or moved into administrative roles for which they have no training, and their musical talents will be lost."

However police minister Kim Wells has laid responsibility for the decision at the feet of police chief Ken Lay.

"I notice the chief commissioner's decision to reduce the size of the police bands, and am sure this would have been a difficult decision for him to take," Mr Wells said in a written statement.

"In a time of budget restraint, Victoria Police, like all other government agencies, is required to identify and utilise opportunities to maximise the efficiency of its workforce.

"The chief commissioner is best placed to determine state-wide policing needs and priorities as well as the use and allocation of police resources across Victoria." 

Despite the date being set for the musicians to hang up their instruments, Greg Davies of the Police Association Victoria said it was far from a done deal.

"Nowhere near it," he said.

"From the force's perspective, they've got about 45 sworn members that they want to redeploy to the front lines, but they can't do it the way they have proposed."

Mr Davies said the choices given to band members were unacceptable.

"They're been told they will be redeployed if they go to the academy and graduate as a constable," he said.

"Some of these members hold positions the equivalent of a sergeant so they'd be earning a lot less."

Mr Davies said the biggest problem with the force's plan to get rid of the bands was the fact that the musicians were sworn officers.

"The chief commissioner cannot retrench a sworn member – it can't be done," he said.

"Police officers can be dismissed because of misconduct, retire or can be moved aside for severe underperformance or ill health.

"There is no way sworn officers can be retrenched just because the chief commissioner doesn't want them to be there anymore."

Mr Davies said the plan to "do away" with Code One and the Showband was something Victoria Police had been thinking of for a while, but previous leaders had opted for a slower approach based on attrition.

"There have been a number of chief commissioners over time who have wanted to do this," he said.

"What has been happening is that when people retire, they are not replaced with sworn members.

"This process is about half way through, and with the average age of band members up around 49, we think this process would take another 10 to 15 years to complete." 

The show's over

At Black Hill Primary School, Code One performances have always been one of the highlights of the year.

The band has performed at the school for eight years and left a noticeably positive influence on the lives of pupils, according to assistant principal Penny Westlake.

"We were all devastated when we found out, we actually petitioned against it. It's a huge, huge loss," Ms Westlake said.

"Our pupils are going to lose some serious role models. We're going to lose that link with a respected group of citizens that teach our kids so much."

The school won an advertising competition this year for a campaign it created on cycle safety, with a Code One performance the award for winning.

For grade 6 pupil Alex Kirby, it was an amazing performance, the fourth he could remember in his time at the school.

"Everyone knew the songs and was singing, it was great," he said.

"It's a good inspiration for the little kids. It helps us get to know police."

Classmates Jemma Peart, Claudia Hardiman and Matthew Snibson all agreed.

"It gives kids a different aspect of police; they don't just protect us, they have a fun side too," Matthew said.

Claudia said it helped break down the barriers between police and children, while Jemma said the performances had helped teach students a lot about cyber-safety.

Ms Westlake said the school would now be forced to rely on parents, some of whom were police officers, to volunteer their time to come to the school.

"We've seen how effective it is to have police in schools and we don't want it to stop," she said.

"Whether that will work or not we will have to wait and see."