‘Blind eye to insidious behaviour’: Former top cop demands change to ‘unacceptable’ culture

Former police commissioner Karen Webb has broken her silence to warn NSW Police turned a blind eye to insidious behaviour in its ranks for years, as a review found bullying and discrimination had run rampant in the force.

The review concluded that despite significant cultural reform, toxic personalities and behaviours persisted. It also described a high-conflict workforce with authoritarian leadership styles, in which speaking up was discouraged.

The review was commissioned by Webb – and commenced weeks before she announced her controversial exit in May last year – after a series of reports outlined how a “boys’ club” protected abusers and silenced victims.

“This review was critical. A blind eye had been turned toward this insidious behaviour for far too long,” said Webb, the first female commissioner. She controversially departed three years into her five-year tenure amid internal division over her leadership and claims she was white-anted.

Led by former Victorian equal opportunity human rights commissioner Kristen Hilton, the review made 29 recommendations, many aimed at addressing perceived favouritism, a lack of diversity, and accountability for poor behaviour. NSW Police accepted all recommendations.

Around a quarter of the 20,000-strong workforce responded to the survey, which Hilton said showed high trust in the confidentiality of the independent process.

One person detailed ongoing racial slurs; another said bullying caused them to sit in their car vomiting before work; others detailed sexual assault, and multiple staff said they were more traumatised by the internal bullying than the actual job.

Commissioner Mal Lanyon told the Herald the harmful behaviour revealed by the review would not be tolerated.

“It was very hard to read some of the personal accounts … they are human, they are my officers. I expect them to have a safe and respectful workplace,” he said.

There are currently no women on the Commissioner’s Executive Team, which Lanyon said he was committed to addressing.

Hilton wrote in the report that “without exception, every woman that came forward to speak with us described experiences or observations of overt or covert harassment, undermining and belittlement”. Few had made formal reports.

“People join the organisation because they want to serve the community; there’s purpose and pride and collegiality, but they also spoke to us of feeling fatigued, stressed, and more stressed about their internal environment than their external environment, and a real desire for some things to change,” she said.

One person said trainees wer