An “alarming” number of police have been investigated for sex crimes and family violence offences, with more than three per cent of the workforce facing probes in less than six years.
A total of 683 Victoria Police officers and public servants were investigated between January 2019 and June 2024, figures released by the force show.
Of those, 269 were probed for predatory behaviour or sexual harassment and 185 for sexual offences including rape, sexual assault and crimes against children.
In the seven months to June 30, 2024, 89 individuals faced family violence investigations.
The alleged offences occurred while staff were on or off duty and have been looked at by a specialist squad focused on crimes of that nature among the workforce, but do not include probes by local branches.
Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton described it as abhorrent offending and a significant concern.
“It’s an alarming number, it’s a number we don’t want to be talking about,” Mr Patton told ABC Radio.
“But it also goes to show that we are prepared and do investigate, and we have taken a range of initiatives to really try and put a stop to this behaviour.”
About 22,000 people work for Victoria Police as officers or public servants and Mr Patton confirmed the majority of those probed by the internal investigations team were uniformed officers.
“To me, a number like that is high,” he said.
“Anything more than one is high but when you say you’ve got between 130 or 140 employees you’re investigating on a yearly basis, yes that’s a significant concern.
“Obviously, it spans a range of offences, family violence, sexual offending (and) predatory behaviour from engagement with people that they may have encountered in their duties.”
In 2021, a Sexual Offences and Family Violence Unit was set up within the force’s internal watchdog, the Professional Standards Command, which took over from a 2014 taskforce that examined cases of that nature.
A Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission review in 2015 found everyday sexism was entrenched in the force’s culture, while there was also a high tolerance for sexual harassment.
The force urged anyone with concerns or allegations about a staff member to come forward to local or specialist police, with perpetrators facing the possibility of dismissal even if no criminal offence could be proven.
Acting Victorian Premier Ben Carroll said family violence was the “number one law and order issue in this state” and women deserved to feel safe in their own homes.
“I need to call out that this is gendered, that it is men who are the perpetrators no matter what occupation they’re in,” he said.
“We support police doing everything they can to eradicate it and everything they can to support victim-survivors.”
More than one in five women and one in 16 men have experienced sexual violence since the age of 15, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
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