Shocking case studies show rampant extent of sexism and misogyny in QPS
Appalling examples of police behaving badly towards colleagues have been revealed as part of a Commission of Inquiry, including sexual harassment, comments about genitalia and threats of rape.
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The Commission of Inquiry into Queensland Police Service Responses to Domestic and Family Violence heard about a series of appalling examples of police behaving badly towards their colleagues - including cases sexual assault and harassment - where little or no punishment was dealt out.
Counsel assisting the inquiry, Ruth O’Gorman KC, said the examples showed a culture where sexism and misogyny were allowed to flourish, arguing such a culture affected the way police regarded victims of domestic violence.
It comes after a leaked recording of Brisbane Watchhouse staff laughing as they make racist slurs about “black fellas” was described as “sickening” by Acting Deputy Commissioner Mark Wheeler.
CASE STUDY 1
In 2019, a male senior constable was dealt with by local managerial resolution for calling his female officer-in-charge a “c…” when she did not award him a position relieving in a higher role.
The Commission of Inquiry heard the man had already been managed over his aggressive behaviour, negative attitude and poor performance.
When the man found out he had been unsuccessful in applying for the relieving position, he told a group of colleagues: “She is nothing but a c… and if she doesn’t give me a relieving role, I am going to punch her in the c…”
The man later denied making the comment but an Ethical Standards Command investigation found he had.
He was made to apologise to the officer-in-charge in writing and had to complete some online learning courses.
The inquiry heard it was not the first time the man had been disciplined via local managerial resolution - a process Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll has admitted has been misused.
In 2016, the same officer attended a domestic violence call for help and recorded the job as “no DV”, despite the offender admitting to having threatened to punch his partner in the face and kick her children “in the guts”, as well as refusing to leave their house.
The man was given “guidance” and asked to complete online learning programs.
In 2018, the man was investigated by ESC after being named as the respondent in a temporary protection order.
His partner alleged he’d punched a hole in a door during an argument with her in front of their son. She also detailed previous arguments.
The matter was dealt with by local managerial resolution.
In 2019, the officer was investigated for kneeing a handcuffed man in the head several times while arresting him. The man did not turn on his body worn camera but other officers had.
The arrest was captured by his colleagues and used as evidence in the investigation.
The matter was again dealt with by local managerial resolution.
CASE STUDY 2
The “creepy” behaviour of the officer-in-charge of a unit within the Queensland Police Service was only identified after thirteen staff members were “directed” to participate in interviews.
The Commission of Inquiry heard that in 2021, an investigation found a Detective Senior Sergeant had been bullying and sexually harassing colleagues over a two-year period.
His conduct involved “repeated”, “continuous” and “frequent” sexualised comments in the presence of female members, including discussions about his penis.
The inquiry heard the detective would invite female colleagues into his office where his desk had a rounded end, saying “come and have a seat on my knob”.
It heard he recruited a female detective sergeant because he had a sexual interest in her, making comments about her genitalia to young colleagues, adding: “trust me, I know”.
He also showed pornographic videos to junior staff members, downloaded an image of a colleague in activewear and sent it around - along with sexualised comments - and made “repeated comments about his d…”.
“One female member told investigators that the Detective Senior Sergeant’s sexualised comments were so disgusting that she would put headphones in when he was in the room so she did not have to hear him,” the inquiry heard.
The officer was also the subject of multiple bullying allegations, with one male officer saying he’d be told to “just f… off and figure it out yourself” if he sought advice.
At the time of the inquiry, the man’s case had been referred to a decision maker and a hearing had not yet occurred.
CASE STUDY 3
In 2020, a Taskforce Juniper investigation involving interviews with 72 people found a group of six had been bullying 15 police officers over a long period of time.
The investigation found the worst conduct was carried out by the officer-in-charge (a Senior Sergeant) and included yelling, making threats, swearing, making inappropriate comments, referring to people by inappropriate names and displaying inappropriate material in the office.
The Commission of Inquiry heard the investigation began after a female senior constable came forward and made a complaint.
“Her career trajectory has been damaged by having made the complaint,” the inquiry heard.
The inquiry heard the officer-in-charge allowed an image of a woman in swimwear to be displayed in the office with the words “tap and go”, as well as five fridge magnets of women in lingerie.
He sent pornographic images to officers in the station and said “these lickers will never get a job in this office” in relation to two women who’d applied for positions.
He referred to a colleague as “Osama” and “towel head” and allowed fake certificates to be displayed on the noticeboard for “Al Qaeda Car Bombing Course”, “Covert Al Qaeda Operative Course” and “Suicide Jacket Making Course”.
“Many of the affected officers sought transfers from the (unit) to escape the behaviour,” the inquiry heard.
“A number suffered adverse psychological conditions as a result of their time in the squad.”
The office-in-charge was dealt with by local managerial resolution and has since been promoted, the inquiry heard.
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CASE STUDY 4
A male senior constable made unwanted advances to a female constable in 2018 over a four-month period in which he regularly harassed her, sent her suggestive text messages in which he called her “baby” and “detective sexy” and squeezed her leg in a surveillance car.
After she left a Christmas party to go home to her baby, he sent her a series of text messages, including: “what no invite for drinks on the balcony”, “what’s your address”, “don’t leave me hanging” and that he was coming over.
She replied that she was going to sleep and that she did not want him there but the senior constable continued to text that he was on his way, called her twice and then messaged that he was downstairs.
The inquiry heard the man’s behaviour got worse as the female officer continued to reject his advances.
“He would harass or get angry with her if she did not respond to his messages. He would talk down to her, belittle her about her rank, disagree with her or be rude to her at work,” the inquiry heard.
After confronting the officer she told an inspector who told a superintendent. She was told the officer would be moved elsewhere for a period of time.
She later had to work with the officer again and made a formal complaint about the sexual harassment after she was told she should move desks.
The senior constable was dealt with via local managerial guidance, with the superintendent who conducted the process telling him, “mate I’m sorry to have to do this to you” during the conversation, adding he didn’t want to blame the officer.
Two years later the female constable resigned from the police service and in her exit interview said the main reason was harassment from staff and being victimised and bullied by another staff member and ostracised in the workplace.
The superintendent who signed off on the managerial guidance for the senior constable was himself the subject of a complaint six months later when he made a derogatory statement about a female senior constable during a panel interview.
CASE STUDY 5
An Ethical Standards Command took a female officer, working under his direct supervision, to a beach and to his house two times.
He took his clothes off in front of her, swam naked in his pool and asked if she could take photos of his penis, both soft and erect.
On another occasion in response to a radio promotion labelled “Pants Off Friday” he walked up to the female officer’s desk with his penis sticking out from his jeans. He also placed his penis on her desk.
He took the female officer to a nudist beach and swam naked in front of her and also asked her to take photos of his penis.
The matter went to a disciplinary hearing and the officer, a Sergeant, had his rank reduced to senior constable for 12 months.
The female officer self-reported the 2016 incidents to Ethical Standards Command in 2017.
The female officer was also disciplined by the QPS after investigators found she failed to report the conduct, which amounted to “misconduct”.
CASE STUDY 6
Withheld
CASE STUDY 7
An officer in charge, responsible for supervising thirteen police liaison officers, was subject to 10 allegations relating to bullying of his own staff and unprofessional conduct towards community members.
They said he swore generally at and around his staff, he threatened a liaison officer inappropriately and swore and yelled at her in front of other officers.
He also threatened three liaison officers and said he would fire them, telling one officer “I got you your job” and “if it wasn’t for me, you’d still be driving a taxi”.
Ethical Standards investigated the matter and the Chief Superintendent of a district referred the matter to the Office of State Discipline.
They declined to commence a disciplinary proceeding and matter was then referred back to the district for local managerial resolution.
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CASE STUDY 8
Former Detective Senior Sergeant Scott Furlong was found to have harassed or bullied 26 staff members.
The inquiry heard that 80 of 84 allegations made against him were substantiated by an investigation by the now-defunct Task Force Juniper.
His behaviour first came to light when a female senior constable made a complaint about him in 2019.
The majority of the behaviour involved sexual harassment, sexual assault or predatory behaviour directed at junior female members, according to the inquiry.
The inquiry found the the detective senior sergeant’s actions included nine sexual assaults, one attempted sexual assault, sexualised communications over messaging platforms, and sexualised comments being made by him within the workplace. He has not been charged with any criminal wrongdoing.
The inquiry found his actions involved unwanted shoulder massages, playing with women’s hair, hugging and kissing them and putting his hands on their shoulders, arms or waists.
“All very creepy behaviour to be engaged in by a detective senior sergeant preying on young women in his unit,” Counsel assisting the inquiry Ruth O’Gorman KC said.
The inquiry heard that in one case, he followed a young female officer into the bathroom and when she confronted him, he winked at her, laughed and said: “Don’t be like that, I thought you told me to come in here for a blow job.”
In another case, he walked past a female senior constable who was there to be interviewed by him for a position and slid his hand over her bottom, up her back and onto the bottom of her bra, the inquiry was told.
“On another occasion, this particular police officer walked up behind a female police officer under his supervision, hugged her from behind and cupped her breast,” Ms O’Gorman said.
In another case, the inquiry heard he told a female officer: “F... you look so hot right now, I’d love to slam you into those cabinets, what I could do to you.”
Ms O’Gorman said many people did not report his conduct because he had implied connections with commissioned officers, creating a culture of fear among those he worked with.
The inquiry heard the detective did not face any consequences as a result of the investigation because he medically retired in 2019 after a period of sick leave.
Ms O’Gorman said the matter was finalised last year with the detective receiving a post-separation disciplinary declaration of dismissal.
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CASE STUDY 9
In 2020, a male senior constable from the South Brisbane District resigned from the service after 24 allegations were made about his sexual and predatory behaviour towards young female officers.
The inquiry heard the man’s behaviour continued for around two years.
In relation to one victim, he sent messages to her across various platforms, including unsolicited photos of his penis and repeatedly sent the same video of himself masturbating.
When she did not respond the way he wanted, the inquiry heard he “threatened her on numerous occasions, including threatening to break into her house and rape her or share an intimate photo of her to other persons if she tried to ‘bring him down’ and to sabotage any future relationships”.
The inquiry heard he touched her inappropriately on multiple occasions, including by rubbing her vagina over her clothes without her consent.
The man also sent unsolicited photographs of his penis to two other female officers and did the same to women on dating sites, the inquiry was told.
An investigation began when one of the women came forward and made a complaint to Taskforce Juniper.
“The investigation identified that there had been a significant failure to report misconduct within the district,” the inquiry heard.
“The Senior Constable’s behaviour was well-known by other officers and management.”
The inquiry heard the 24 allegations were substantiated but the man resigned before his disciplinary hearing took place.
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