Rough handling of women ‘not good look’ Ballarat officer admits

A policeman who roughly carried a woman complainant and put two others in chokeholds agreed it was ‘not a good look’.

A Victorian police sergeant who roughly picked up and carried a woman wanting to make a complaint and placed two other women in chokeholds has agreed his behaviour is “not a good look” but denied being angry.

The Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission yesterday saw confronting video footage of Sergeant Chris Taylor and another officer manhandling a woman in December 2010 at the Ballarat police ­station.

IBAC heard that Sergeant Taylor had 18 formal complaints against him during his 26-year career, which is far higher than the average.

The woman, known as Person B, came to the station to make a complaint about police threatening her son and alleging he was driving unlicensed.

Sergeant Taylor told the hearing Person B was unco-­operative, irrational, aggressive and abusive, and he asked her to leave at least five times.

It was suggested to Sergeant Taylor that he became ­aggressive.

“I wouldn’t say I was calm,” Sergeant Taylor said. “I believe I had been calm and considered all the way through but she didn’t want to listen or take direction.”

The hearing was shown footage of Sergeant Taylor and a ­female officer picking Person B up and carrying her to another part of the station.

Person B was charged with assaulting Sergeant Taylor but the inquiry heard the charges were not proceeded with after advice from the police prosecutor and the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Sergeant Taylor was referred to the now defunct Office of Police Integrity.

The incident involving Person B followed Sergeant Taylor placing two women in chokeholds in April 2009.

One of the women, known as Person C, went to the Ballarat station to inquire about her son being in custody.

Video footage played to the hearing showed Person C with two other women at the station and Person C being removed in a chokehold by Sergeant Taylor.

One of the women with her was then taken back into the station, also in a chokehold, by Sergeant Taylor.

Sergeant Taylor told the commission that it was believed the woman had an outstanding warrant.

He denied he came from a position of anger but agreed it was “not a good look” for junior officers. “I don’t keep count,” he told the inquiry in reference to complaints against him.

An internal police letter from December 2013 stated: “It should be noted that four of Sergeant Taylor’s recent complaints involved aggression involving women and this needs to be ­addressed.”

Sergeant Taylor said he took part in an informal discussion in his senior sergeant’s office but was never spoken to in relation to a risk management plan.

The commission heard the average active male police officer had 2.84 complaints against him.

Sergeant Taylor said he ­admitted his figures were high but he worked a lot of afternoons, night shifts and weekends, which were busier and this could be a contributing factor.

The hearing into the Ballarat uniformed police force ­continues.