As Victoria's anti-corruption agency IBAC's responsibilities include preventing
and exposing police misconduct and corruption. How do we do this? Our police
oversight role includes complaint management and investigations, as well as
research and strategic projects. In the 2014-15 year, two-thirds of the
allegations we assessed we're about suspected corrupt conduct or misconduct
by Victoria police personnel. This is due in part to mandatory reporting. The chief
commissioner of Victoria Police must notify IBAC of all complaints about
police misconduct. We assess these complaints and notifications to
determine which will be referred to Victoria Police for action, which will be
dismissed and which we will investigate. For matters referred to Victoria Police
we may review their internal investigations to ensure they were
handled appropriately and fairly. In 2014- 15, 36 percent of our investigations
related to Victoria Police. Some of these were own motion investigations into
matters we determined to be particularly serious or systemic in nature, or in the
public interest. To help prevent misconduct and corruption we make
recommendations for improvement out of our investigations and reviews. So, why do
we need independent oversight of police? Police officers hold significant powers
that can be exercised over their fellow citizens. The exercise of these and other
powers can be vulnerable to misuse, adversely impacting on both individuals
and the broader community. By providing independent external oversight of
Victoria Police, IBAC helps ensure police officers act fairly, impartially
and in accordance with the law. Our actions also give assurance to the
community, helping improve confidence in police integrity and accountability.
In early 2015 we asked Victorians how police corruption impacts them
individually and Victoria in general. 85 percent of respondents feel it had some
impact, but only 19 percent felt this was substantial. People felt similarly when
thinking about Victoria as a whole. The largest proportion of respondents, 43
percent, felt that police corruption only impacted Victoria slightly. When asked
what types of behaviors and actions they thought of when they heard the term
police corruption and police misconduct, the most popular response was, accepting
or offering bribes, followed by excessive use of force, turning a blind eye and
involvement in drug-related crimes, behaving inappropriately on the job,
abuse of power or position. When we talk about police misconduct it's important
to know what falls into IBAC's jurisdiction. Police misconduct covers
offences punishable by imprisonment, disgraceful or improper conduct whether
on or off duty, conduct that is likely to bring Victoria police into disrepute or
diminish public confidence in it. The examples provided here cover a range of
behaviors that could be police misconduct. IBAC
only investigates the most serious matters relating to police personnel
conduct or corrupt conduct. The majority of police complaints are
referred to Victoria police for action. This is because many complaints we
receive about police relate to lower-level misconduct or behavior
related issues, such as rudeness or poor communication best addressed by police
managers. As part of our prevention efforts IBAC analysed six months of
allegations involving police. More than half or 55% related to duty failure and
inappropriate behavior. So how do we ensure these complaints are handled
appropriately by Victoria police? IBAC often reviews misconduct investigations
carried out by Victoria police to ensure matters have been thoroughly
investigated and appropriately dealt with. In the 2014-15 financial year we
increased the number of reviews we conducted by 44%. In reviewing 114
matters we were satisfied with the way the Victoria police dealt with 95 cases
identifying deficiencies in the remaining 19. We provided feedback on a
further 44 cases. This is consistent with outcomes in other Australian
jurisdictions. Evidence shows that internal police investigations can and
do result in effective outcomes, including dismissals. In 2014-15, 20
Victoria Police officers were dismissed following internal investigations. if
your complaint relates to police personnel conduct or misconduct of a
police officer or protective services officer you can contact Victoria
Police's Professional Standards Command. For more information visit the Victoria
Police website or phone 1300 363 101, or you can make a
complaint directly to IBAC. The complaint must be made in writing and
can be made online at www.ibac.vic.gov.au. If you need help to make a
complaint, have difficulty accessing the form, or need the services of an
interpreter, please call us on 1300 735 135
Want to know more about what we've been doing in our police jurisdiction? Our
special report concerning police oversight provides a detailed account of
our work in oversighting Victoria Police, including case studies of
IBAC investigations and reviews, and research into key trends and issues in
the police sector. You can download this report at www.ibac.vic.gov.au
You can also stay connected by following us on Twitter, subscribing to our
quarterly newsletter and watching more of our videos and presentations on
YouTube.
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