In recent times, a number of incidents have raised the question of whether policing in Victoria is losing, or has lost, its ethics and its moral compass.
Today, 13th of November 2026, the Herald Sun reported that yet another incident occurred in which a lower-ranked police member was bullied and had their social media accounts illegally accessed using a generic warrant that lacked authority.
Rather than charging the bullies and holding them to account for their behaviour, the victim was charged and her career terminated.
Could you imagine the ‘hue and cry ’ if that approach of charging the victim, not the perpetrator, was taken with the public?
Thankfully, the dismissal was overturned by the Police Service Board, but surely that cannot be the end of the matter because it sounds suspiciously like it is, and the perpetrators walk away scot-free; unaccountability reigns supreme.
This incident comes hot on the heels of the Four Corners exposé on the demise of Police Sergeant Shona O’Connor.
Shona was mercilessly picked on and bullied to the point she took her own life, leaving her two children without a mother and her partner to battle on, and her extended family distraught. Something they may never recover from.
What is particularly galling about this sad incident is that the issues were well known to the Force executive, but no effective action was taken, and when a diligent Detective was asked to investigate the matter, his good work was obstructed.
He identified several higher-ranking police officers who were not only aware of the incident but tried to bury it. Allegedly to protect the Force, but we strongly suggest it may be more about protecting themselves and their culpability, a lack of ability to deal with the issue, or sympathy for the perpetrators’ cause.
A major cover-up developed, in which police at various ranks were directly involved in ensuring that the adverse evidence identified and collected by the detective was obstructed and not presented to the Coroner.
The evidence related to systemic corruption and bad management at a suburban station, where the Station Commander (OIC) was directly involved in the adverse management of O’Conner.
Although he was the only one ultimately charged with Misconduct in Public Office and multiple charges of obtaining a financial advantage by deception, most were withdrawn, and the DPP entered into a deal in which the Station OIC would receive a diversion on one of the charges.
He has retired with his full pension and other benefits, leaving behind a trail of destruction that can only be described as horrific.
The reality of this terrible situation is that it is reasonably arguable that it wasn’t only Shana’s finger on the trigger that ended her torment, but several other police officers at various ranks who perpetrated the torment or facilitated the obstruction of evidence have either retired or quietly hidden under the radar, escaping any accountability.
There seems not to be a day that passes when arguably criminal behaviour by police members of all ranks, over the last three decades, including Chief Commissioners, finds them allowed to retire and avoid the consequences of accountability.
There seems to be an incongruity in that the members of an organisation that stands between society and lawlessness are treated differently from the criminals they pursue. They are not above the Law and must be held to a higher account.
There would be community outrage if criminals were allowed to fade into retirement with their involvement in transgressions against the law effectively waived.
This is aggravated by police members being allowed to access their superannuation, an advantage they have over your everyday crook, and that must be reviewed. The deterrent value would be substantial.
The Chief Commissioner, who was interviewed on the most recent edition of Four Corners on the 9th of November 2026, which featured the story of the Death of Police Sergeant Shona O’Connor, was impressive. In that interview, he said many positive things; however, there were notable omissions that we would not have expected from a leader of his ability.
Whilst he emphasised the need for policing accountability, he failed to explain how that might be achieved or whether a plan to achieve it existed.
He also emphasised the need for policing to be open and transparent, a concept we applaud; however, we have grave doubts that the entrenched cultural mindset of police managers will allow this to happen to any substantial degree. This would rapidly change if they started to be held to account and performance-based sanctions were applied.
One of the greatest failures of Victoria Police has been the inability to weed out incapable, criminal, incompetent or just bone-lazy supervisors of all ranks. This failure is the greatest contributor to the Force failure that contributes to the demise of people like Sergeant O’Connor.
Whilst many victims of this failure do not take the extreme actions of this particular Sergeant, many simply succumb to PTSI and are forced out of their careers by their health. Effectively left on the police scrap heap, with the Force extracting itself from any further interaction or responsibility to the PTSI victim, although the injury could well have been caused by the ineptitude of the Force.
Looking at the issue objectively, one of the cornerstones of effective law enforcement is the presence of deterrents involving consequences.
We do not advocate that this process should be applied arbitrarily; however, there is a desperate need for severe consequences for members who break the law and escape accountability; the escape hatch of retirement or resignation must be closed.
That a member has allegedly offended whilst in the Force should be pursued whether they are retired for a substantial period or not.
This process must be based on empirical evidence, not just a witch hunt.
Whether a prosecution fails, particularly where the Director of Prosecutions (DPP) intervenes and fails to present the charges, is not a matter for VicPol; that is on the DPP. As long as the police investigation is supported by evidence to the standard of Beyond Reasonable Doubt, the Force has done its job, and the deterrent effect has been reinforced.
Moreover, the Force must not accept resignations or applications for retirement from members under suspicion. Their superannuation must be withheld until the Force is satisfied that the applicant has no outstanding criminal or disciplinary matters.
As part of the deterrent, there needs to be a review of the superannuation process so that members convicted of a crime while serving in the Force can access only their contributions, if any, not the employer’s 12% Superannuation Guarantee contribution.
In other words, the Chief Commissioner needs to show leadership to establish meaningful deterrents to reduce the frequency and seriousness of criminality within the Force. Bullying is Misconduct in Public Office, as is conspiracy to commit that offence; The sooner perpetrators realise the risk of that behaviour, the sooner the bad behaviour will dissipate.
It won’t be an easy challenge for the Chief Commissioner, but the introduction of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and other accountability measures, rigorously enforced, would be the mechanism that would not harm good members but expose incompetent or criminal individuals for removal. Arbitrary movement of such members based on poor performance will reap almost immediate positive results.
There is a strong argument for a Force Reserve, where incompetent members can be transferred to demonstrate their improved performance and regain the Force’s confidence in their ability to return to active duty.
Those who do not reach an acceptable standard should be dismissed.
The community would strongly support this process, improving the Force’s effectiveness.
The suggestion of establishing yet another entity to investigate Police in a State that is broke should be discouraged as a waste of money and resources when the Force has the capacity and the responsibility to manage its own affairs.
We are not convinced that IBAC has done such an outstanding job.
It would be more sensible and cost-effective to apply resources to rehabilitating police who have suffered PTSI to manage the policing numbers shortfall by experienced police rather than recruiting new members with skill sets starting from scratch.
When the likes of former Detective Sergeant Jacob Laidlaw, and we are confident there are many more police with the same skill sets and moral compass, are able to effectively prosecute those police of lesser moral values who act in a criminal or incompetent manner irrespective of rank, the Force is well capable of managing its own affairs.
The Chief Commissioner has the opportunity to make a defining change to the organisation’s culture for the better; he is encouraged to adopt these initiatives.
The Chief was very vocal, and we applaud his staunch support for former Detective Sergeant Laidlaw, who effectively uncovered much of the evidence surrounding Sergeant O’Conner’s death. He was doing his job very well, but under pressure from within the Force, he succumbed to Moral Stress Injury and was retired in ill health.
This injury directly resulted from internal manoeuvring to avoid Laidlaw providing evidence to the Coroner on the O’Connor death, and that is a disgrace.
Those who perpetrated this activity must be investigated and charged with attempting to Pervert the Course of Justice or, depending on their role, conspiracy to Pervert the Course of Justice.
To ignore these actions is to provide others with tacit approval for similar activities.
For police to attempt or undertake the perversion of justice is a fundamental attack on the principles of policing and Law enforcement; they should be ‘shown no quarter’. Interfering with justice is the most serious offence that anybody, but particularly police, can commit.
That the Force has allowed the all-too-common fate of perpetrators to retire and avoid prosecution is a blight on policing in this State and all the good members who dedicate their service to Victoria.
While the Chief’s words on Four Corners gave some solace to former Detective Sergeant Jacob Laidlaw, that must be followed up.
Disappointingly, he has yet to be visited by a member of the police executive, and no effort has been forthcoming to explore rehabilitating him.
He has, after all, established outstanding ability as a dedicated investigator, someone who is not easily replaced.
This exposes another Force failing in not trying to rehabilitate back to policing members who have suffered PTSI, which many recover from.
If they had broken a leg, the Force would not hesitate to rehabilitate that member; why not PTSI? – it’s still an injury.
With the advent of Police Reservists, those who have suffered PTSI should be proactively contacted and evaluated for their suitability to fill those positions.
That would seem a ‘lay-down misère’, at a time when Force numbers are critical to maintaining law and order.
Improving the Force’s capacity to keep police stations open would go a long way toward repairing community dissatisfaction with policing in this State, so the rapid recruitment of Reservists is critical.
While criticising the Force, another organisation is remarkably silent on these issues. The Police Association(TPAV).
The organisation that trumpets its role in member services is absent when it comes to issues involving police suffering at the hands of other TPAV members.
We understand the association can argue conflicted interests; however, it must overcome this and become a major voice on the issues, particularly bullying in the workplace or other illegal activity affecting its members.
The TPAV is paid by the membership to represent them, and their welfare should be a central pillar of that strategy, whether they are victims or perpetrators. The construction of ‘Chinese walls’ within the Association’s administration could address the conflict-of-interest issues.
The association should not differentiate service to any TPAV member, given that all TPAV members pay for the service.
The Force is not the only organisation that has been caught wanting in this and similar situations; not all of which make the media, but they shouldn’t have to, if the organisation develops the proactive initiatives proposed by the CAA.