Media Releases

This special report aims to increase transparency and accountability around Victoria Police’s responses to IBAC’s recommendations following investigations, special reports, and research and audit reports between January 2016 and March 2022. IBAC is also calling for legislative change. 

IBAC’s recommendations are designed to strengthen Victoria Police’s integrity culture and support long term changes that allow Victoria Police and IBAC to prevent, identify, and address misconduct.

This report examines whether Victoria Police accepted or rejected IBAC’s recommendations; if the accepted recommendations have been implemented; the time it took to implement the changes; if disciplinary or management action was carried out; and if systemic or organisational misconduct risks (such as conflict of interest) were resolved.

IBAC Deputy Commissioner Kylie Kilgour said she was pleased to see that Victoria Police accepted and implemented more than 90 per cent of IBAC’s 104 recommendations.

“This high rate is mainly due to Victoria Police’s changes to policies and practices, but it also reflects the work IBAC does with Victoria Police to ensure recommendations are implemented,” Deputy Commissioner Kilgour said.

Victoria Police partially accepted four per cent of recommendations and rejected three per cent of recommendations. 

“When Victoria Police partially accepted or rejected recommendations, it was generally because it considered that its current policies and processes were appropriate,” Deputy Commissioner Kilgour said.

“IBAC’s most common recommendations to Victoria Police have been improvements to the way it handles complaints and undertakes its own misconduct investigations.

“Half of IBAC’s investigations involving Victoria Police led to discipline recommendations, and of these recommendations, 50 per cent involved obscuring behaviours, such as concealing or failing to accurately disclose misconduct.”

Deputy Commissioner Kilgour said the special report highlighted that there were ongoing systemic and organisational risks associated with use of force reporting, conflicts of interest, and declarable associations, as well as notetaking and statement making. 

“Looking at the number of discipline recommendations IBAC has made to Victoria Police about obscuring behaviours, it is clear that we need to see an improvement to its overall integrity culture to ensure officers are appropriately reporting and investigating misconduct,” Deputy Commissioner Kilgour said.

IBAC is seeking legislative change which will allow the Chief Commissioner of Police to lay disciplinary charges following an IBAC recommendation, rather than requiring them to conduct another inquiry first.

Recommendations are one of IBAC’s most powerful tools to address and prevent police misconduct and corruption. To hold Victoria Police more accountable for implementing IBAC’s recommendations, IBAC is also seeking a legislative change to allow for the more frequent public reporting on recommendations it gives to Victoria Police.

Victoria Police plays an essential role in keeping our community safe and protected, and personnel are entrusted with significant powers, which must always be used responsibly. IBAC’s oversight of police misconduct is vital to maintaining community confidence in police.

IBAC is committed to improving community access to information about our work, particularly our recommendations.