NSW Police officer Troy Robbs demoted for making inappropriate comments to colleagues
A senior police officer who remarked ‘Nice pussy’ to a junior female colleague and also mentioned her ‘vulva’ has had his case heard in the Industrial Relations Commission.
NSW
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Veteran police officer Troy Robbs took his work “banter” a little too far with two junior female colleagues, the Industrial Relations Commission has heard — including telling one of them who was wearing a shirt emblazoned with a tiger: “Nice pussy”.
On September 4, 2018, Troy Robbs, 54, was demoted from a ninth-year sergeant to a senior constable level six and took an $18,000 pay cut.
He was subject to a disciplinary transfer from his role as supervisor in the radio studio at the Newcastle Radio Operations Centre to the Brisbane Waters Police District.
The matter went to the NSW IRC this week for a review of the disciplinary order, where the findings from an internal police probe against the 29-year-police veteran were aired.
The police investigation found that Robbs “engaged in inappropriate, unprofessional and disrespectful behaviour” in respect to two female colleagues.
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Robbs told the investigators his “nice pussy” comment was said “in the context of a broader conversation” with a person with whom he had a “friendly, jovial relationship”, the IRC heard.
The commission heard Robbs also asked the woman if she was concerned about the top she was wearing covering her “vulva”.
Robbs told the investigators “vulva is more of a medical term”, which “doesn't have the connotation of other words”, the IRC heard.
In relation to a second woman, there was a complaint of Robbs walking past the woman’s “desk and leaving a folded post-it note on the desk containing comments about her breasts and body”, the commission heard.
Robbs told the investigators it was possible he made the comment “in the context of the friendship and mutual conversations (they) had”.
Robbs applied for a review of the disciplinary order, which was heard Friday.
IRC Commissioner John Murphy revoked the disciplinary orders made by the police.
Instead, he ordered Robbs be incrementally reduced to third-year sergeant.
This came after finding that there were several mitigating factors that supported his case, such as his lengthy service and the need to care for his elderly mother, which would have been impacted by the travel time following his transfer .