Victoria Police set to be rocked by horrific brutality claims

VICTORIA Police is set to be rocked by claims a victim of horrific police brutality in the Ballarat cells was one of its own members.

Victoria Police is set to be rocked by horrific police brutality claims.

VICTORIA Police is set to be rocked by claims a victim of horrific police brutality in the Ballarat cells was one of its own members.

The woman was on leave at the time and was allegedly subjected to Abu-Ghraib-style degradation in the cells after being taken in to custody for being drunk and unwell.

The explosive development is set to embarrass force command, which allowed officers being investigated for excessive force to return to work despite allegations one of its own officers was an alleged victim.

IBAC will on Monday begin Operation Ross public hearings in to claims made against Ballarat officers that excessive force was used against women held in custody.

The Herald Sun has confirmed that one complainant was a police officer who was on leave and living in Ballarat to deal with some personal issues and a drinking problem.

The officer is believed to have been arrested drunk and was pepper-sprayed and allegedly given a hot shower — which exacerbates the effect of the spray.

The arresting officers did not know the officer was in the force.

Some of officers are accused to taking trophy pictures of the naked and distressed woman on their phones.

Sources say Victoria Police command is under significant pressure after apparently siding against the alleged victim and allowing accused officers to return to work.

IBAC says it will not to comment of operational issues.

According to documents released by IBAC, Operation Ross will investigate misconduct by police and whether the force has dealt with complaints appropriately.

The Police Association has backed at least two of the officers under investigation, and fought IBAC all the way to the High Court in a failed bid to stop them being called before today’s hearing.

But the High Court challenge significantly delayed IBAC investigation and forced public hearings to be postponed for a year.

The two officers, a man and a woman whose names are suppressed, allegedly kicked and stomped on a woman as she lay handcuffed and half naked on the floor.

Court documents allege the intoxicated woman also drank toilet water after complaining the tap in her cell didn’t work during the incident at Ballarat police station in January last year.

It’s also claimed she was held for 16 hours, four times the normal length.

The officers were accused of being involved in a number of other incidents concerning possible human rights violations of other women.

They were cleared by an internal police investigation last December and returned to work.

Operation Ross, was looking into allegations of serious police misconduct; whether any human rights were violated; the sufficiency and appropriateness of internal reporting by police involved in the conduct; and the handling of complaints regarding the conduct by Victoria Police.

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