Cops and dobbers: Dissident police social media group prompted complaint to IBAC

A police officer behind a Facebook group that was rife with dissent against a controversial wage deal was anonymously dobbed in to Victoria’s corruption watchdog for “misconduct”.

The senior constable was investigated but cleared of any serious misconduct late last year after a complaint to the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) that was referred to Victoria Police’s internal discipline unit, Professional Standards Command.

The Facebook group created in 2024 to discuss the police union and pay deal.

The two-year struggle to negotiate a new enterprise agreement with Victoria Police deeply divided the more than 17,000 members of the state’s most powerful union, The Police Association of Victoria (TPAV).

During the public industrial campaign, rank-and-file police wrote anti-government and anti-police command slogans on their work vehicles, staged walkouts and slowdowns, and at one stage used a police helicopter to disrupt a state government press conference.

Behind the scenes, fractures inside the 98 per cent unionised workforce often erupted in a bitter war of words that played out at meetings in police stations and inside the union’s private Facebook group.

Two weeks ago, a new enterprise agreement was finally reached with police command and the government that passed with a vote of 76 per cent in favour.

The dissident Facebook group that became the subject of an IBAC complaint was created in mid-2024 as police were preparing to vote on a highly controversial earlier version of the EBA that the union had vocally backed.

In June 2024, the senior constable used the pseudonym “Sam Wiseman” to set up a Facebook page called the “EBA23 Unofficial Member Forum”.

It is common for police officers to use fake names for their social media profiles to protect their anonymity. The Age has chosen not to name the officer because he was cleared by the police standards investigation of serious misconduct and only “spoken to” about what happened.

A post on Wiseman’s group when it was founded said: “Just a safe place, for open discussion … This group is an unofficial spot for members to chat and should not be confused with the official TPAV [Facebook] group.

Police officers stage a walkout in November 2024, during the police union’s pay deal campaign.Credit: AAP

“I want the pressure on them [TPAV] to be open about everything and to not shut down respectful questioning of the process and information. They say they will do better, but they have to earn that trust.”

In July 2024, Wiseman hosted a Facebook Live event to discuss the agreement offer and the union’s management, which attracted hundreds of participants.

Wiseman also conducted polls on the page about the EBA and the union, including one in which more than two-thirds of respondents backed the union’s leadership.

Three police sources familiar with the inner workings of the Facebook group said debate in the group was often heated and sometimes included claims and counter-claims of members being union or police command informers or provocateurs.

A message pushing for better pay written on a police vehicle in 2024.Credit: Eddie Jim

“The page was created because TPAV wouldn’t allow a voice and tried to railroad everyone into the [union secretary Wayne] Gatt grand plan,” said an officer, who was a member of both pages but not associated with running either.

A union spokesperson said “thousands” of comments were posted and managed on the union’s Facebook page during the EBA negotiation period.

“There have been limited times, however, where posts generating questions that require active moderation, had comments switched off temporarily. This was only due to the availability of moderators,” the spokesperson said.

“Every member that joins the page is asked to confirm they will abide by the page rules. Rules ensure comments do not violate relevant laws, obligations or standards set by the organisation. People are only blocked if they continuously breach rules of the page that they had agreed to abide by on entering it.”

Wiseman’s dissident page eventually attracted 4700 members, comprising officers with ranks up to commander, one step below assistant commissioner.

The first version of the EBA was voted down in July 2024 by 57 per cent of members, which forced a protracted and at times bitter second round of negotiations.

Within a month of that vote, an anonymous complaint was filed with IBAC, alleging “Sam Wiseman” had misused police information systems and engaged in professional misconduct by setting up the dissident page.

IBAC referred the complaint back to Victoria Police’s internal disciplinary division, Professional Standards Command, for investigation.

Officers outside Victoria Police HQ in Docklands last year during their push for better pay and conditions.Credit: Joe Armao

The substance of the complaint was that Wiseman had inappropriately accessed the force’s internal email program to confirm that people seeking access to the page were serving officers.

It was also alleged that Wiseman had engaged in “unprofessional behaviour” by creating the group on social media.

After an investigation lasting almost four months, Wiseman received a verbal “conduct conversation” from disciplinary authorities for his use of the email program, according to a copy of a letter from Professional Standards Command, that was posted inside the group. Wiseman was cleared on the claim of unprofessional behaviour.

Wiseman did not respond to a request for comment.

A spokesperson for Victoria Police said the force investigated an anonymous complaint about “a social media post”, and “the member was formally spoken to in relation to their conduct”.

Wiseman posted to the Facebook group: “Thanks to the fellow brother/sister/group in blue who reported me to IBAC, nothing like a full rectal exam to know you are in tip-top shape.”

The union said none of its staff were responsible for making the report to IBAC.

IBAC did not respond to a request for comment.

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