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

An ‘alarming’ number of police officers have been investigated for sexual and violent crimes within the family, with more than three per cent of the workforce facing investigations in less than six years.

A total of 683 Victoria police and civil servants were investigated between January 2019 and June 2024, Force Show figures 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 domestic abuse investigations.

The alleged offenses occurred while staff were on or off duty and were investigated by a specialist team that focuses on these types of crimes in the workforce, but does not include investigations by local departments.

Victoria Police Chief Constable Shane Patton described it as a disgusting insult and a grave concern.

“It’s an alarming number, one 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 a series of initiatives in place to really try to stop this behavior.”

Hundreds of Victoria police officers have been investigated over the past five years (image)

About 22,000 people work for Victoria Police as officers or civil servants and Mr Patton confirmed the majority of those interviewed by the internal investigation team were uniformed officers.

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

“Anything more than one is high, but if you say you have between 130 and 140 employees that you survey annually, that’s a big concern.

“It obviously includes a range of crimes, domestic violence, sexual crimes (and) predatory behavior from dealing with people they may have encountered in their work.”

In 2021, a Sexual Offenses and Family Violence unit was established within the force’s internal watchdog, the Professional Standards Command, taking over from a 2014 taskforce that investigated such cases.

A 2015 review by the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission found that everyday sexism was entrenched in the culture of the force, while there was also a high tolerance for sexual harassment.

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

Acting Victorian Premier Ben Carroll said domestic violence is “the number one public order issue in this state” and women deserve to feel safe in their own homes.

“I must emphasize that this is gendered, that it is men who are the perpetrators, regardless of their profession,” he said.

‘We support the police who are doing everything they can to stamp it out and everything they can to support victims.’

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

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