Home Australia Disturbing number of cops investigated for sex crimes and other abhorrent acts in Victoria

Disturbing number of cops investigated for sex crimes and other abhorrent acts in Victoria

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Hundreds of Victoria Police officers have been investigated in the last five years (file image)

An “alarming” number of police officers have been investigated for sexual offenses and family violence offences, with more than three per cent of the workforce facing investigations in less than six years.

A total of 683 Victorian police officers and public servants were investigated between January 2019 and June 2024, figures released by the force show.

Of those, 269 were investigated for predatory behavior or sexual harassment and 185 for sexual crimes, including rape, sexual assault and crimes against children.

In the seven months to June 30, 2024, 89 people faced family violence investigations.

The alleged crimes occurred while staff were on or off duty and have been examined by a specialist team focused on crimes of that nature among the workforce, but do not include investigations by local branches.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton described it as an abhorrent crime and a significant concern.

“It’s an alarming number, it’s a number we don’t want to talk about,” Patton told ABC Radio.

“But it also shows that we are prepared and we are investigating, and that we have taken a number of initiatives to really try to put an end to this behavior.”

Hundreds of Victoria Police officers have been investigated in the last five years (file image)

Around 22,000 people work for Victoria Police as officers or public servants and Patton confirmed that the majority of those investigated by the internal investigations team were uniformed officers.

“For me, a number like that is high,” he said.

‘Anything above one is high, but when you say there are between 130 and 140 employees who are investigated annually, yes, it is a major concern.

“Obviously it covers a range of offences, family violence, sexual offences, (and) predatory behavior due to contact with people they may have encountered on their duties.”

In 2021, a Sexual Crimes and Family Violence Unit was created within the force’s internal watchdog, the Professional Standards Command, replacing a 2014 taskforce examining cases of that nature.

A review by the Victorian Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission in 2015 found everyday sexism was embedded in the force’s culture, while there was also a high tolerance for sexual harassment.

The force urged anyone with concerns or allegations about a member of staff to report to local or specialist police, with perpetrators facing the possibility of dismissal even if no criminal offense can be proven.

Acting Victorian Premier Ben Carroll said family violence was “the number one law enforcement issue in this state” and women deserved to feel safe in their own homes.

“I need to point out that this is about gender, that it is men who are the perpetrators no matter what occupation they are in,” she said.

“We support the police doing everything they can to eradicate it and everything they can to support victim-survivors.”

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, more than one in five women and one in 16 men have experienced sexual violence since the age of 15.

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