There are allegations of a toxic culture within the New South Wales police force which is pushing hundreds of officers out of the job.
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00:00I have so far spoken to more than a dozen current and former officers and they have
00:06all told very similar stories about the culture in New South Wales police.
00:10They've made allegations of bullying, sexism, nepotism and a dangerous lack of support for
00:15mental health of officers and those with PTSD.
00:18Many are fearful of speaking out, so many have spoken out under the condition of anonymity.
00:22One officer told me he sought help from his superiors for his declining mental health
00:26and was told he had a bad attitude and that he was ordered to continue working on patrols.
00:31He tried to take his own life shortly after.
00:34Another serving police officer who has been on sick leave since last year told us the
00:39culture in the force also left her contemplating suicide.
00:43Another officer who has allowed us to identify her is former senior sergeant Mel Cooper.
00:47She left the force just last month and she told me the toxic boys club culture in the
00:52force has not changed in 30 years.
00:56Calm is, if you speak up, the way you're treated afterwards by people that liked the
01:03person you spoke up about is appalling, you know, and you will be belittled and you will
01:10be badly spoken about.
01:12And Leah, how many officers left the force?
01:15So as of August this year there were 2,280 vacancies in New South Wales police and that's
01:21not including the 1,300 staff who were also on sick leave.
01:25And that vacancy rate has been exacerbated by a recent change in the superannuation scheme
01:30which has seen the removal of a lump sum payment for officers who do go off on medical discharge.
01:36And those who have chosen to speak to me say that the toxic culture is what is behind this
01:40mass exodus.
01:41And what's New South Wales police saying?
01:43They've issued a statement to us a short time ago and they say in response to the detailed
01:47questions we sent they did say that it would be inappropriate to comment on the individual
01:51cases but they said that the force does not tolerate bullying or harassment in the workplace.
01:57They also said there was recently a standalone command announced called the Health and Safety
02:02and Wellbeing Command which is committed to providing officers with more support.
02:06And Leah, if people want to see more on this story, will there be an online piece and a
02:10lengthier piece?
02:11There is going to be an online story published very shortly where they can get a lot more
02:15on this story.