Annie* was in a relationship with a police officer for more than a decade. During that time, she says, he was manipulative and assaulted her.
When she finally got the courage to report her allegations of domestic violence to the police, a different command to where her partner worked investigated it. But then she realised that some of the officers in that command knew him.
“I assumed then that I wouldn’t be taken very seriously,” she says.
Annie, who lives in New South Wales, says she was pressured by police not to pursue the allegations further. He was arrested, but charges were never laid.
When she reported to police that he would repeatedly call her and hang up – an action she felt breached the apprehended domestic violence order she had taken out against him – she says an officer told her she was being a “vexatious ex-spouse” who was trying to cause trouble.
“It was awful,” she says. “You go to the police in hopes the police are going to protect you and it was very clear they were wanting to protect their own.”
In 2024, so far 10 officers have been charged with 62 domestic violence offences, according to data obtained under freedom of information laws by Guardian Australia. Last year, 21 officers were charged. Since 2017, 120 officers have been charged.
The data did not show the number of convictions. But in August the NSW police commissioner, Karen Webb, told parliament during budget estimates that of the nine police officers charged by that time in 2024, one had been convicted, one had received a non-conviction and seven remained before the courts.
She also said 54 officers currently serving in NSW police have, at some time, been charged with a total of 91 DV offences, including stalking, contravening an ADVO and assault occasioning bodily harm. Two of those 54 officers have been convicted.
Access to guns and police database
Sam Lee, a solicitor at Redfern Legal Centre in Sydney’s inner-west, says she thinks the rate of domestic violence within police forces is likely even higher. This is because, she says, victim-survivors are even more reluctant to report abuse when the alleged perpetrator is a police officer. She says victim-survivors often seek support from the legal centre.
“I deal a fair bit with women who tried to report DV in relation to their ex or current partner who’s a police officer … and (they) are often dismissed, or they’re just too scared to go in and report it,” Lee says.
“They’re very scared of the repercussions.”
It is a “unique” situation, Lee says, because police officers “have firearms” and the many women have “a lot of concerns about the partner accessing their information via the cops’ database about where they live”.
That was the case for Annie.
“Given the ranking structure and position of my [ex-partner], I was concerned he would ask a junior or very new probationary constable to try find information out about me so it wasn’t recorded under his login.”
A NSW police spokesperson said if an officer is charged with a domestic violence offence and remains in the workplace then their access to the police database is decided on a case by case basis. The decision takes into account the alleged offences and duties of the officer. The officer’s gun is also secured and double padlocked, according to a recent report by the NSW police watchdog.
During budget estimates, Webb told parliament that a risk assessment of the officer is also conducted by their commander.
“That often results in suspension or some other form of action, sometimes pending the court outcome,” Webb said, adding that as commissioner she can also consider officer’s employment outside a court outcome.
Possible to be impartial?
Last year, a police watchdog report into NSW police’s response to domestic and family violence recommended police not investigate potential offenders inside their command when domestic violence allegations are made.
“No matter how impartial an investigator may be when investigating another officer who is known to them or works in close proximity to them, victims and others may perceive that such investigations will not be impartial,” the report stated.
The police did not support this recommendation, citing operational impracticalities. Police also said the Professional Standards Command can conduct an investigation if they determine any conflicts can’t be appropriately managed.
The report, though it was not a final recommendation, also raised the unit Victoria police launched in 2021, an Australian-first to investigate domestic violence within its ranks to eliminate conflicts of interest.
The report also flagged that officers convicted on DV charges or the subject of an ADVO could create a “conflict of interest”, given they could likely attend domestic and family violence incidents.
For the majority of domestic violence incidents, police are the first responders. Domestic violence calls make up an estimated 40% of all police work in NSW. There is no policy or procedure for the close supervision of an officer who remains in the force after they’re convicted of a DV offence, the report said.
Webb told parliament in August that about 75% of investigations into police officers alleged to have committed domestic violence were conducted by a different command. She said 25%, totalling six, were conducted by the command where the officer worked.
Several months after Annie reported her partner, the investigation was dropped by police without an explanation. Charges were never laid. Her ex-partner has since been promoted, she says.
She believes police shouldn’t investigate police, even when they are in a different command.
“There is that mentality of ‘brothers in blue, protect our own’,” she says.
Investigations should at the very least be undertaken by an independent taskforce, like in Victoria, she says. But Annie would prefer it was conducted by the police watchdog.
Lee, from Redfern Legal, agrees. Katrina Ironside, from Women’s Legal Service NSW, also wants to see alternate independent reporting and investigation mechanisms.
“Victim survivors of family and domestic violence routinely report feeling unsafe reporting to the police. Women’s Legal often hear that police don’t take reports seriously and don’t take any action,” she says.
A spokesperson for NSW police said the force was committed to continually improving the way it responds to and prevents domestic and family violence.
They pointed to the domestic and family violence reform project, which “was established in 2022 with a focus of prioritising the health and well-being of victims by targeting those who perpetuate violence”.
The spokesperson said “a specialist policing team” - the NSW police force’s Domestic and Family Violence Registry – was established after the report.
“[It] is driving strategies for the prevention, disruption, and investigation into domestic and family violence in NSW.”
* Names have been changed to protect this person’s identity.
• In Australia, the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. In the UK, call the national domestic abuse helpline on 0808 2000 247, or visit Women’s Aid. In the US, the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Other international helplines may be found via www.befrienders.org.
