Cops dodge DV charges
New figures show dozens of Victoria Police officers have been charged with family violence offences in recent years.
Stats obtained by the ABC allegedly show 82 Victoria Police officers were charged with family violence offences between 2015 and 2019, but only one was found guilty.
The charges were laid against 68 male officers and 14 female officers for offences including contravening family violence intervention orders, recklessly causing injury, rape, false imprisonment, aggravated assault and making threats to kill.
Out of 10 senior constables and senior sergeants that appeared in court, nine had their charges withdrawn and the one that was found guilty had no conviction recorded.
This compares to a rate of about 84 per cent of family and domestic violence defendants from the broader population having their charges proven in 2019.
There is some evidence of internal disciplinary actions being taken, but none of the officers were sacked or dismissed.
It has been described as a “lesson in perpetrator impunity”.
The stats come in the wake of a broader investigation revealing police across Australia often fail to take action against officers accused of domestic violence.