The Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) has found "that police failed adequately to respond to multiple allegations over a 15-year period that a police medical officer sexually assaulted police recruits".
The IPCA report, released this morning, was in response to two separate complaints "about police's handling of concerns recruits raised about medical examinations conducted by a doctor, who between 1999 and 2016, was contracted as a police medical officer to conduct routine medical examinations on recruits".
The doctor, who has not been publicly identified, is referred to in the IPCA report as "Dr Z".
The IPCA found that "recruits advised police staff of their concerns about Dr Z's medicals at least seven times from 2002 to 2014/2015".
An independent investigation has slammed police's handling of multiple allegations against the doctor. (Source: 1News)
The IPCA also found that "police failed to act and, consequently, potentially put recruits at risk by continuing to send them to Dr Z".
IPCA chairman Judge Colin Doherty said:
"Police not only failed to investigate these serious allegations when they were first raised, but they also failed to meet their obligation as an employer to ensure the safety and well-being of their staff. It is unacceptable that police continued to contract the doctor for medicals up until 2016 without investigating or even questioning the alleged conduct, when several recruits had raised concerns about his behaviour over a period of about 15 years."
The report states: "Police should have investigated the first complaint in 2002 and every subsequent complaint received."
The IPCA is critical of how slowly and ineffectually police responded to the complaints.
"When Police became aware of the extent of the complaints in 2017, they should have conducted a full investigation into their earlier failures to respond."
The IPCA elaborates: "Police failed to act until the Authority received a complaint in 2019. At this point they completed a review, rather than an investigation. This response was inadequate as it led to police being unable to reach conclusions about how they had dealt with the recruits' concerns."
A police criminal investigation concluded there wasn't enough evidence to charge the doctor. The IPCA said that investigation was carried out satisfactorily.
During the investigation, police identified 118 recruits who had medicals with Dr Z between April 1999 and March 2016.
Investigators contacted 52 of them, of which 14 alleged indecent acts.
A disciplinary investigation by the Medical Council's Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal also found insufficient grounds to proceed.
Police respond
Deputy Police Commissioner Tania Kura said "this is clearly a situation in which Police's high standards when dealing with historic allegations of this kind have not been met".
Kura said the police's own criminal investigation and a disciplinary investigation by the Medical Council's Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal found "insufficient grounds to proceed with further action including criminal charges".
"Nevertheless, Police accept that the response to these historic allegations wasn't sufficiently robust or timely given their seriousness, and that this was a reflection of systemic issues at the time."
The IPCA also said: "We note that the process for Police recruit medicals has since changed; they now go to their own doctor rather than one chosen by Police."
Kura said steps had since been taken to ensure the situation does not happen again. She said complaints will be properly investigated and managed.
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