A troubling incident in Parkville has led a former police officer to air her concern over what will happen when public drunkenness laws change.

Victoria will decriminalise public drunkenness in November, stripping police of their powers to arrest drunks and increasing ambulance responses to such cases.

But Susan McLean says an experience she had after spotting a drunk man lying in a gutter in Parkville on Friday has her concerned about how paramedics will cope once the law changes.

Press PLAY below to hear the experience that has left her worried

She rang triple-zero and was asked if she could stay with the man until she received a call from paramedics, which could take up to an hour.

“They said ‘Well we can’t dispatch an ambulance to this, you’ll have to speak to a paramedic first’,” she told Neil Mitchell.

“Asking a general member of the public who has found a drunk on the street to engage with them is really stupid.

“It could have ended really badly if it was a violent drink and a member of the public that really had no experience in dealing with people.”

Police Association boss Wayne Gatt said this situation was the exact reason why the union opposed the upcoming law change.

“This is what really worries us,” he said.

Press PLAY below to hear Wayne Gatt explain