Indictment of police culture

Editorial

At the heart of a bleak report into bullying within the police there is a conundrum. By its very nature the organisation that deals with life and death emergencies, upholds the laws of the land and catches those who break them needs strong command and control.

But dealing with the management of a 14,000strong police workforce, about a third of whom are civilian staff, requires different skills – skills that have been found sorely lacking.

After a year-long inquiry the Independent Police Conduct Authority found that, while strong operational leadership was needed, an unduly authoritarian management style had become pervasive and was inappropriate for routine staff management.

The authority’s report paints a picture of a culture that has made improvements in the last decade, but where there are pockets that cling stubbornly to outdated, autocratic behaviour with harmful results.

Some of the 200 current and former staff interviewed still spoke of ‘‘alphamale’’ personalities who encouraged a toxic environment.

Swearing, ridiculing and undermining staff and even some petty physical acts, such as ‘‘accidental’’ shouldering by managers were reported.

Some senior leaders had developed a sense of entitlement that empowered them to treat people poorly, which filtered down, creating a punitive culture, and ‘‘an atmosphere of fear and acquiescence’’.

A ‘‘boys club’’ still existed in some parts of the police workforce, the authority found, fuelled by cliques, nepotism and cronyism which influenced who got appointed or promoted.

Those who complained or did not fit in were bullied or less overtly ostracised or marginalised, leaving some with serious health issues, including post-traumatic stress disorder. A survey held alongside the report found that, while 60 per cent were comfortable with the police workplace culture and felt it was improving, 26 per cent had experienced an isolated incident of abuse, bullying or harassment in the past year, and 9 per cent had suffered sustained bullying.

If it all sounds familiar, it’s because there have been similar revelations and recommendations to change poor police culture, including the wideranging inquiry into police conduct in 2007.

Police are not alone in facing difficulties improving their workplace, with law firms, hospitals, the Defence Force and Parliament among those grappling with bullying in their ranks.

But it seems that pockets of entrenched poor behaviour along the thin blue line are hard to shift, perhaps exacerbated by the personalities attracted to a hierarchical command structure.

The problems are further aggravated by complaint systems in which those interviewed by the authority, almost without exception, had no confidence. In fact, many said the organisation’s response to their grievance or complaint was worse than the impact of the behaviour itself. It’s an indictment on a force that is dedicated to justice.

The IPCA does offer signs of hope that police have ‘‘turned a corner’’ with an action plan developed by Police Commissioner Andrew Coster last year which committed to a fundamental change in culture following another independent review in 2019.

There have been similar assurances from commissioners in the past, so Coster’s effectiveness remains to be seen.

National Mpsimon Bridges’ ‘‘wokester’’ criticism of Coster was aimed at the police approach to crime. That’s another argument – but if Coster can bring amore enlightened approach to managing his own workforce it can only be positive.

If it all sounds familiar, it’s because there have been similar revelations and recommendations.