A woman claims she was abused by her cop husband. What happened when police probed their colleague left her more traumatised

A top detective wrote a scathing report into Victoria Police’s handling of domestic violence cases involving officers. At the same time, he was accused of abusing his own wife. She says his colleagues should never have been the ones to investigate him.

The state’s anti-corruption watchdog is investigating Victoria Police’s handling of family violence allegations made against a top detective from its own professional standards unit.

The officer resigned from the force under a cloud, several months after being accused of abusing his wife and being handed a diversion for breaching an intervention order in 2022.

He now works for an anti-corruption body.

Sources not authorised to speak publicly told the Herald Sun that the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) is investigating why Victoria Police handballed complaints from the officer’s former wife to several different units on the basis his then high-ranking position at Professional Standards represented “a conflict of interest”.

The man’s wife, also a former police officer, reported her husband for alleged physical and mental abuse, but says she was left “deeply traumatised” by how colleagues handled the investigation.

The woman says Victoria Police is incapable of objectively investigating wrongdoing by its own members.

The Herald Sun can reveal that the officer authored a damning report into Victoria Police’s handling of a separate domestic violence case while he was serving in professional standards, just months before he faced court for family violence charges.

The former detective inspector was scathing of the efforts to investigate violence allegations against a fellow officer, claiming his wife was put at risk when her plans to leave the man were revealed to him by investigating officers.

Speaking to the Herald Sun, the detective’s wife said her case was a prime example of Victoria Police being incapable of objectively investigating wrongdoing by its own members.

“He always made sure that the bruises were under my uniform,” she said.

The controversy over the force’s handling of the complaint made by the man’s former wife – in addition to his earlier criticism of the response to a separate domestic violence case – has raised questions about Victoria Police’s capacity to investigate its own officers accused of sexual and family violence allegations.

Freedom of Information data requested by the Herald Sun revealed at least 680 members of the force were questioned over family violence matters in the past five years. Picture: iStock

“Victoria Police cannot investigate their own. There is too much of a conflict of interest,” the woman said.

“My major concern even with my reporting was that “is this going to be handled properly?” because of where he works and I’m reporting to exactly the same unit that he works for.

“(A) senior sergeant there also said to me: “Are you sure you want to do this? Are you sure you want to report this?”

The woman initially reported her claims to the force’s Professional Standards Command, where the officer worked and which probes criminal and misconduct allegations against members.

Her allegations were not referred to the force’s former Taskforce Salus, now called the Sexual Offences and Family Violence Unit (SOFVU), because the unit’s scope at the time did not include family violence perpetrated by Victoria Police employees.

Her matter had to be appointed to a superintendent who out-ranked the officer because his role at Professional Standards would have created a “conflict of interest”.

The woman said that as a result, her complaints were handballed between departments.

She said that Professional Standards also referred her complaints to a member of the force’s Transit division before sending them to Crime Command with oversight from officers in Sex Crimes.

It comes after Freedom of Information data requested by the Herald Sun revealed that SOFVU questioned at least 680 members of the force in the past five years.

The body scrutinises the most severe allegations levelled against members.

That figure does not include allegations investigated at local branches.

“There needs to be a completely independent and stand-alone investigation into Victoria Police’s actions during my investigations which I believe has resulted in police misconduct and what seems to be special treatment for a person who holds the rank of an Officer of Victoria Police,” the woman said in a statement to police.

A Victoria Police spokesman said the force rejected claims the woman’s case was mishandled or dismissed.

A Victoria Police spokesman said the force rejected claims the woman’s case had been mishandled or dismissed. Photo: istock

“Victoria Police does not shy away from investigating police accused of perpetrating family violence regardless of their rank, position, or tenure,” he said.

“An independent investigator was appointed to oversee the matter given the accused officer worked at Professional Standards Command.”

The man was also facing two internal disciplinary investigations over two senior roles he took on at other organisations without clearance from Victoria Police.

The Victoria Police spokesman said the man’s additional roles had not been approved but he resigned before the investigations were completed.

During his time in the police, the male officer was heavily involved in major investigations involving gangland figures.

The officer has denied the allegations made by his ex-wife.

“(They) are false and were intended to end my career and cause me harm,” he said.

“Last year I instructed lawyers to pursue a civil claim against Victoria Police as a result of the treatment I received and therefore I cannot comment any further at this stage.”