The Authority oversaw an investigation into a complaint from an officer about the way Police dealt with a matter that the officer raised. The officer said the team dealing with the matter didn’t respect her request for anonymity, had a conflict of interest, and conducted a flawed investigation.
Because of the nature of the complaint and officers involved, Police contracted an external investigator from a major law firm to conduct the investigation.
The investigation found that it wasn’t reasonable of the complainant to expect that the concerns they raised could be kept confidential, but Police could have been clearer with the officer about their options, and how respecting their wish for confidentiality would impact on the actions Police could take.
The investigator found that the Police policy on conflicts of interest did not fully cover the specific circumstances of the case, but that once the potential for a conflict was identified, Police took appropriate steps to manage it.
The Authority agrees with the findings.
IPCA: 23-18515