Police pledge action on bullying
An independent review into police bullying has found a workplace culture that does not always match the public-facing behaviour of staff.
The review, by experienced consultant Debbie Francis, has made 30 recommendations.
Police Commissioner Mike Bush launched the review in October, after weeks of media reports in which current and former police employees alleged bullying.
Recommendations include better coaching of police leadership to bolster people skills, ensuring ‘‘personal attributes and behaviours’’ are considered in all recruitment processes, and replacing the ‘‘Speak
Up’’ phone line for bullying complaints with an external helpline.
Francis said the police had changed in the past 10 years, ‘‘from a prosecutorial focus and offender-centred mindset, to a prevention-focused, victim-centred mindset’’.
‘‘This has not always been matched by an internal shift in the same direction . . . Police need to bring their ‘prevention first’ operating model indoors and behave the same way inside their organisation that they do outside it,’’ she said. ‘‘Problems need to be resolved early, at the lowest level and with the central focus being the needs of the people harmed by bullying or other inappropriate behaviour.’’
Francis found that bullying complaints could quickly turn into protracted and adversarial formal disciplinary processes that resembled criminal investigations, led by senior officers who did not understand employment law.
‘‘Police are used to criminal investigations which require high standards of evidence . . . [an investigator] will either over complicate the investigation by ‘looking for the crime’ or make technical errors in executing it, given the lack of frequency with which they undertake such [employment] matters,’’ she said.
Francis found the ‘‘Speak Up’’ phone line was sometimes ‘‘treated with derision’’.
Calls would go through the police Crimestoppers phone line to the relevant managers in the chain of command.
Francis was impressed the organisation’s values were front of mind for many police staff.
‘‘Some managers appear nervous about the discoverability of such data and the risk of adverse media coverage,’’ she said.
Francis was confident police could make the recommended changes.
Bush yesterday released the report and a statement, which said all 30 recommendations would be accepted.
‘‘Work is now under way to implement the report’s recommendations . . . I expect all 30 recommendations to be actioned within 12 months,’’ he said.
Francis also conducted the 2018 review into bullying at Parliament.