One in four police staff bullied, report shows
One in four police staff reported they had experienced incidents of abuse, bullying or harassment, according to a survey commissioned by the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA).
The survey was commissioned to support an IPCA investigation into allegations of workplace bullying within the police.
Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said the insights put a renewed focus on strengthening police’s internal culture.
Results showed 81 per cent of staff were comfortable with the workplace culture and felt it was improving.
However, one in four staff reported they had experienced incidents of abuse, bullying behaviour or harassment, which Coster said was ‘‘not good enough’’.
The survey was conducted online by an independent research company over two weeks and had a response rate of 40 per cent, or 5790 staff.
It found most officers felt comfortable with the workplace culture and confident declining to participate in activities they don’t feel comfortable with.
But one in three disagreed that the police force had no tolerance for workplace bullying or harassment, and two-thirds said issues were caused by more senior staff.
The low likelihood of a positive outcome was the reason why many staff chose not to report bullying, with only a third of employees reporting issues.
‘‘We are working to prevent bullying by creating and sustaining a healthy organisational culture, and to manage incidents where they occur, through safe and secure channels for disclosures and effective resolution of complaints,’’ Coster said.
A new secure channel for disclosing bullying and harassment would be launched in the new year, Coster said.
‘‘Harassment and discrimination policies are being updated and there will be clearer guidance on how to make a protected disclosure.
‘‘We are currently piloting a new disciplinary process that is more people-centric and takes a restorative justice approach to resolving issues.’’
Chair of the IPCA, Judge Colin Doherty, said police were on the right track to improve its culture. ‘‘We acknowledge police’s active engagement with the authority and the direction being set by police leadership in continuing to promote a positive culture within the organisation,’’ Doherty said.
More detailed results would be available when the IPCA issued its report in February, 2021.