AFP Commissioner: Internal investigations into whistleblowers a ‘necessary evil’

AN internal investigation into an AFP officer who blew the whistle on bullying and mental health was “a necessary evil”, the Senate has heard.

THE launch of an internal investigation into an AFP officer who blew the whistle on bullying and mental health was “a necessary evil” but the commissioner “hope(s) (the organisation) will not go down that path again”.

AFP commissioner Andrew Colvin today fronted the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee at Senate Estimates to, in part, answer questions about the organisation’s treatment of officers who broke ranks to publicly raise the concerns.

It comes after news.com.au exclusively revealed that an AFP Professional Standards investigation had been launched into the conduct of NSW-based crash investigator Kylie Walls after she spoke out about her husband’s experience with PTSD and bullying during his time as an officer.

In documents obtained by news.com.au, the AFP warned the senior constable that she risked six months to two years’ jail time if she didn’t fully comply with investigators’ requests and demands as per a “direction to furnish information”.

It claimed she had “seriously breached” several sections of the AFP Code and Conduct by not submitting an “Integrity Report” or “Security Incident Report ... in relation to her declarable association with a media representative”.

The AFP also accused Ms Walls of “seriously breach(ing)” the Australian Federal Police Commissioner’s Order on Professional Standards — a sackable offence — “when she divulged information to (news.com.au journalist) Megan Palin”.

But in a stunning kneejerk response issued just hours after being contacted by news.com.au last month, an AFP spokesman said the probe would now be “discontinued”.

Almost 100 past and present agents contacted news.com.au to expose the AFP’s disturbing bullying culture and its mismanagement of the issue following the suicide death of colleague Sue Jones at the Melbourne Headquarters in February this year.

Mr Colvin today told Senate Estimates it was “not (his) intention” to reprimand any of the other members who have come forward to media regarding the issue.

“My absolute commitment is to protect the welfare of AFP officers including their mental health,” he said.

“Officers, both current and former, who have gone to the media to disclose their experiences with the organisation on mental health, I have no intention or desire to have any adverse reaction to them.

“My entire intention is to improve the organisation and the only way we can do that is to bring these matters into light which is what I’ve done.”

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Senator Nick Xenophon put it to the commissioner that welfare protection “didn’t happen on this occasion” — in relation to the case of Ms Walls.

“There are allegations that the person was warned and that compounded the distress,” Mr Xenophon said.

“What assurances can you give us going forward that there won’t be a repeat of this unfortunate set of circumstances?”

Senator Nick Xenophon put questions about internal investigations into whistleblowers to AFP Commissioner Andrew Colvin in Senate Estimates.

AFP Commissioner Andrew Colvin told Senate Estimates it’s his intention not to investigate whistleblowers who went to the media about internal bullying and mental health issues.

Mr Colvin said he couldn’t “give blanket assurances” because of the nature of the issue but that new measures were being put in place to ensure “the mental health of our officers is a factor in determining how we go about our own professional standards investigations”.

“I’m very conscious of the impact of Professional Standards investigations on our members,” Mr Colvin said.

“It is unfortunately a necessary evil that we do this to maintain the integrity but in circumstances that you just described I would hope that we do not go down that path again.

“It’s my intention that we should not.”

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AFP assistant commissioner of reformed culture and standards Ray Johnson told the hearing that “the process we followed before might go much more smoothly than it did” because of internal reforms.

“We’ve started a program improving training for our Professional Standards investigators — accepting they come and go from the team from time to time — so that will be an ongoing body of work,” he said.

“So if they find themselves in a situation dealing with mental health ... they are better prepared to understand it and deal with it.

“And our linkage with organisation health is going to be improved, making sure we have the right people behind us when we have those interactions.”

Scott and Kelly Walls have spoken out against the alleged bullying capture in the AFP.

Additionally, he said everyone involved in a Professional Standards investigation would be “provided information about their own welfare and how they might get support”.

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Mr Xenophon said hindsight was “a wonderful thing”.

“There is a lesson to be learned from this particular incident for the AFP,” he said.

The AFP did not respond to questions from news.com.au last month about whether or not any other whistleblowers were under investigation or if legal action had been taken against them.

“The AFP does not comment on individual Professional Standards investigations or cases,” a statement from the organisation read.