The NSW Police Integrity Commission has launched an investigation into allegations of misconduct by police officers across Sydney who have been accused of harassing an MP with racist and sexist posts on social media.
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The PIC's probe, codenamed Operation Colchester, was prompted by a Fairfax Media investigation on Sunday which revealed how police personnel at Sydney City Local Area Command, Kings Cross, Bankstown, Cabramatta – and even within senior management – had viciously rounded on Greens member for Newtown, Jenny Leong.
The trolling featured a string of Facebook posts that vilified her ethnic background, including one that referred to her father as a "swamp monkey".
Ms Leong, who referred the matter to the PIC, said on Thursday: "We welcome the commitment from the Police Integrity Commission to investigate whether there has been any police misconduct. This is a very serious matter and we are pleased to see it is being responded to accordingly."
The harassment came after Ms Leong introduced a bill to the NSW lower house on March 17, aimed at ending the use of drug detection dogs in public spaces without a warrant.
A day later, her Newtown office published a photo of two police officers seen patrolling a Sydney train with Tasers and sniffer dogs. The post said: "This kind of harassment and intimidation is exactly what the Greens' bill is aiming to stop."
The Police Integrity Commission confirmed on Thursday it would be investigating "whether there was any police misconduct" involved in comments made on social media following the "publication" of the photo.
Fairfax Media has already established that in one online thread, a city-based detective posted a modified image of Ms Leong's own Facebook profile picture, adding the words: "One condom could have prevented this from happening". The post was 'liked' by at least four other police employees including Detective Inspector Denby-Lea Eardley – a senior manager in Human Resources.
These posts were in breach of the NSW Police Personal Use of Social Media Policy and Guidelines, in which staff are told: "Do not post any material that may bring the NSW Police Force into disrepute, or otherwise embarrass the agency."
They are also told not to publish posts and make comments "so harsh or extreme" in its criticism of a member of parliament or their policies, that it "raises questions" about the employee's capacity to work professionally, efficiently or impartially.
