SYDNEY, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Bullying, discrimination and harassment occur at "unacceptable" levels within the police force in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW), an independent review has found.
The cultural review, which was commissioned in 2024, handed down its final report on Thursday, revealing that 30 percent of the more than 5,100 current and former staff members who participated in the review had been bullied while working at the police force in the past five years.
"It is clear that bullying, incivility, discrimination and victimization are occurring at unacceptable levels within NSW Police Force and present systemic risk," the report said.
One quarter of respondents said they had experienced discrimination while working at the police force in the past five years, and nine percent reported experiencing sexual harassment.
The review made 29 recommendations for cultural change within the force, all of which have been accepted by NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon, who told reporters in Sydney that harmful behaviors would not be tolerated.
"The review also found that there was a culture where people feared speaking up against those behaviors," he said.
"I have made it clear to our workforce that that is not the culture we'll have in the New South Wales Police Force."
Yasmin Catley, NSW's Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism, thanked everyone who participated in the review and said in a statement that it would be an opportunity to strengthen police culture. ■
