NSW Police’s culture of bullying, discrimination laid bare as scathing review exposes toxic workplace
A damning internal report into NSW Police has found a rampant culture of bullying and discrimination still exists, with one in 10 women sexually harassed.
A scathing review of the largest police force in Australia has found troubling incidents of a toxic workplace culture, but experts say the problem is not unique.
Bullying, sexual harassment and discrimination within the police force are rampant and going largely unreported, a wide-ranging review of NSW Police revealed on Thursday.
Failures of leadership and culture were blamed for allowing these “unacceptable behaviours” to flourish.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.The review of thousands of current and former employees found 30 per cent directly experienced bullying in the past five years, leaving many feeling “scared, belittled or humiliated.”
Deakin University criminologist Michael Cain said a “boys club is still well and truly endemic, within not just Australia but in policing internationally”.
“You can put a million band aids on these issues to address it, but without having a robust independent investigative body to handle these complaints both the public and officers within the police force are never going to feel comfortable reporting the conduct of other police,” he told AAP.
Former detective turned academic Vincent Hurley said policing was a stressful job with heavy exposure to violence and gruesome deaths.
He explained that violence bleeds into the organisational culture overall and festers without strong safeguards and conscientious middle managers.
“Policing exists in an environment of violence,” the Macquarie University criminologist who worked in NSW Police for three decades told AAP.
“Along with the mental stress and poor rostering, these things can play into or can wear down the organisational culture where people can make poor decisions.”
Direct managers and supervisors were found to be responsible for the bulk - or 44 per cent - of the alleged bullying, the review found.
He argued inconsistencies in how complaints were handled sent “a really bad message” to officers at large in a 16,000-strong force.
The review was commissioned in 2024 by then NSW Police commissioner Karen Webb following reports of a toxic culture across the force and was led by former Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commissioner Kristen Hilton.
Ms Webb’s successor Mal Lanyon said the behaviours identified in the review were unacceptable and would not be tolerated, promising to implement all 29 recommendations.
