Media Release - Operation Shorewood

A review of the way the NSW Police Force manages and investigates workplace equity matters.

Media Release

21.07.2020

LECC Review of NSWPF management of workplace bullying and harassment

The Law Enforcement Conduct Commission furnished its report entitled Operation Shorewood - Review of how the NSW Police Force manages and investigates workplace equity matters to Parliament today. In the NSW Police Force all forms of bullying, discrimination, harassment (including sexual harassment), vilification and victimisation are collectively known as ‘workplace equity matters’.

Operation Shorewood involved a review of workplace equity matters that were investigated between 2017 and 2018.  Some important issues identified in the review include:

• recidivist behaviour among some officers;
• low levels of complainant confidence in the way the NSW Police Force manages and investigates workplace equity matters;
• some complainants feared reprisal if it became known that they had lodged a workplace equity complaint against another officer;
• records indicating that some complainants experienced physical and/or psychological harm as a result of the bullying, discrimination, harassment; and
• some investigations were not completed in a timely manner.

The Commission has made six recommendations that focus on preventing and responding to workplace equity matters. In particular the Commission emphasised that improving the timeliness of investigations and record keeping practices are key to improved responses to such matters.

The NSW Police Force has proposed significant changes to the way it manages workplace equity matters and timeliness standards for investigations and anticipates that these proposed changes will address the intent of the Commission’s recommendations.

The Operation Shorewood - Review of how the NSW Police Force manages and investigates workplace equity matters report can be found on the Commission’s website.