An independent review into NSW Police has found bullying, sexual harassment, discrimination and retaliation are widespread across the force. The findings validate years of complaints from officers who said speaking up often came at a personal and professional cost.

The review was launched after a 2024 ABC investigation revealed allegations of a toxic working culture within the force from more than a dozen current and former officers.

Led by former Victorian Human Rights Commissioner Kristen Hilton, the review consulted 5,170 current and former employees, conducted 508 interviews and delivered 29 recommendations aimed at overhauling workplace culture across the force.

Just a heads up, today’s newsletter discusses distressing themes. Support is available via 1800 Respect on 1800 737 732, or Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Then NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb announced the cultural review within days of the ABC investigation being published in September 2024.

Among those who spoke publicly at the time was former senior sergeant Mel Cooper, who joined NSW Police at 19 years old in 1994.

Early in her career, while working as the only female officer on a night shift, Cooper was handcuffed to a desk in her uniform, had her shirt ripped open and was photographed by male officers. 

Cooper never reported the assault, fearing it would end her career. She remained with the police for three decades before discharging with PTSD.

Eighteen months later, a cultural review would find Cooper’s experience was far from an isolated incident.

The 236-page report, handed down on Thursday, found women were disproportionately affected by harassment, discrimination and workplace misconduct. 

"Without exception, every woman that came forward to speak with us, described experiences or observations of overt or covert harassment, undermining and belittlement at some time during their service,” former Victorian Human Rights Commissioner Kristen Hilton wrote in her foreword.

Hilton said few had made formal complaints and, where they had, many described being "punished" for speaking out.

The review also found women remain significantly underrepresented in senior leadership.

In the more than 100 years since women have been permitted to serve within the NSW Police Force, the force has had just one female commissioner and two female deputy commissioners.

At the time of the review, there were no women on the Commissioner's Executive Team.

Hilton wrote: "This is not, as was suggested by one leader, because women don’t want the ‘top jobs’ but as a result of decades long social and institutional discrimination."

Bullying emerged as the most common harmful workplace behaviour identified in the review.

Nearly one in three survey respondents said they had experienced bullying in the past five years.

NSW Police's own internal data put the figure at 13% – a gap the review attributed not to lower prevalence, but to a workforce too afraid to report incidents.

One person wrote in their submission: "Those who speak up risk being targeted, denied promotions, or having workplace benefits and opportunities withdrawn. This culture of silence and retaliation discourages reporting and makes it extremely difficult for junior officers to feel safe or supported in coming forward.”

The review found leaders were the most common perpetrators of unsafe workplace behaviours, while only 49% of survey respondents believed supervisors and managers were held accountable.

An officer told reviewers: "If you open your mouth, you get sabotaged. It is crippling the organisation."

The review found many staff believed promotions were influenced by favouritism and informal networks rather than merit.

They also found only 44% of staff reported feeling respected and valued by management. 

One interviewee said: "The promotion system to superintendent and above is based wholly on nepotism and jobs for mates."

Between 2019 and 2024, the NSW Police Force paid $1.75 billion in psychological injury compensation.

In 2023–24, more than half of all officers leaving the organisation did so for medical reasons.

The review found workplace culture – rather than exposure to traumatic incidents on the job – was often the primary driver.

One officer told reviewers: "I have seen really hard stuff. Body parts under trains. People hanging. You deal with it. I thought that the trauma of that would push me out. But it wasn't that. It was the people I worked with."

The review made 29 recommendations aimed at overhauling workplace culture across NSW Police.

They include:

The review also recommended establishing an independent advisory committee to oversee implementation, as well as a public audit within two years.

NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon, who took over from Karen Webb in September 2025, has committed to implementing all 29 recommendations "with urgency and transparency."

Commissioner Lanyon acknowledged bullying, discrimination and "a culture in which people have felt unable or unwilling to speak up about misconduct and unacceptable behaviour", adding: "This needs to change."

NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley thanked those who shared their experiences as part of the Review.

“For many, sharing their experience would have been difficult. Their willingness to speak up is critical in bringing these matters to light and allowing us to do better,” Catley said. 

NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane said the findings highlighted the need for cultural reform within the force.

“Bullying and intimidation of any kind in any workplace is unacceptable,” she said.

“It’s really important this issue is addressed for the benefit of all the very good police officers right across our state doing the right thing every day and putting their lives on the line for us.” 

Hilton said: "The fact that they have accepted all of the recommendations gives me great confidence and hope and there will now be a process of implementing those recommendations.”

But for the many officers who contributed to the review, change cannot come soon enough.

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