Do Police in Australia Have a Women Problem?

The New South Wales police force is under renewed scrutiny after the state's Police Integrity Commission announced on April 14 that it would launch an investigation into police misconduct. The investigation was sparked by revelations that serving NSW police officers targeted Greens MP Jenny Leong with sexist and racist comments online. MP Leong has been an outspoken critic of the police's drug sniffer dog program, calling for an end to police dogs at music festivals.

The Sydney Morning Herald is reporting that one detective posted a photoshopped version of MP Leong's profile picture, adding the words: "One condom could have prevented this from happening." The post was liked by four other police employees including Detective Inspector Denby-Lea Eardley who is a high-ranking human resources manager in the force.

Previous investigations into police bullying suggest what happened to MP Leong wasn't an isolated incident. Instead, they point to a systemic problem that extends far beyond NSW. A report released last year by the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission revealed that sex discrimination, sexual harassment, and predatory behaviour was commonplace within Victoria Police. The commission surveyed all 17,000 police employees, and also interviewed senior officers and victims of abuse extensively. The results, once compiled, were not flattering.

The report found an "entrenched culture of 'everyday sexism', coupled with a high tolerance for sexual harassment." To quote one of the respondents, "Men run this organisation, and they run it to suit other men. Women get intimidated, stood over, spoken over, excluded and overlooked—all day, every day." And not only is the abuse widespread, but it's also chronically underreported. Only 11 percent of victims made formal complaints.

The spectrum of abuse ranges from groping and lewd comments to rape. For many young female officers abuse and harassment begins at the police academy. "When I joined I was still a virgin. My initiation into sex was an attempted rape under a tree," one officer told the commission. "He told all the males. Then there was queue."

When the commission dug into why this is happening, they found a wide range of drivers for sexual harassment within the police force. A double-standard for female officers plays a role. "They were regarded as less competent, felt the need to 'prove themselves' and were perceived as less committed to their careers because of caring responsibilities and requests for flexible work arrangements," the report reads. The belief that "policing is a lifelong career" also plays a role—creating an insular workplace where unacceptable behaviour is normalised and justified. As one respondent said when asked about male officers openly watching porn in the communal station areas, "it's what Victoria Police blokes do."

But while the commission's investigation unearthed serious issues within Victoria Police, it largely ignored the fact that police are interacting with women outside the force every day in their work. According to a recently released report from the Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence, officers can spend up to a third of their days handling family violence and domestic abuse calls.

Both Victoria Police and the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission declined to answer VICE's questions about the police response to the report, and refused to state whether any officers have been disciplined or charged since it was released.

It should be noted that the report was instigated by the Victorian Police command, who have been unequivocal in their support for the review. The organisation has agreed to adopt all of the report's 20 recommendations, which called for broad cultural reform within the force—particularly allowing for more work flexibility to retain female officers.

High ranking officers have also expressed their disgust at the report's findings. "When you read the report you'll be left in no doubt there have been some terrible behaviours exhibited and some terrible experiences and ordeals have been endured by our staff," police chief commissioner Graham Ashton has admitted.

Whether such sentiment translates to reform is yet to be seen.