Victoria Police Chief Del Manak addressed the findings of the Office of the Police Complaint Commissions' (OPPC) investigation into former-chief Frank Elsner's 8 counts of misconduct during a press conference.
Manak says the officers who came forward are "brave and ethical people," and he wants to see changes implemented so these types of actions do not arise again. He says he would like to create "safe work environment" at VicPD
Frank Elsner, the former Chief Commissioner of the Victoria Police Department, was investigated after individuals came forward, saying they were witness to inappropriate acts in the workplace.
Upon investigation, the OPCC found 8 counts of misconduct, including sexual harassment, bullying, and providing misleading information to an internal investigator.
Manak says that "the behaviour described in the final report is unacceptable in the work place" and will not be tolerated in the Victoria Police Department.
He says there are policies, practices, and programs in place, including a "Diversity and Inclusion Executive Committee"; mandatory workplace bulling and harassment training; police ethics training; and a host of mental health related policies.
However, he says "There's always room for improvement. Especially for a topic that is this important. And for that reason, the VicPD Senior Management Team will be working shoulder-to-shoulder with our Union Executive to identify and address any systemic issues that affect our workplace at VicPD."
He says the goal is to be aware of the areas that need improvement, and meet the issues head on and find a solution.
Manak also says he would like to see more resources allocated for people who want to come forward if they have any concerns, as this is too serious of an issue to just assume everything is fine.
Manak says he's proud of the courageous officers and women who came forward, he's proud of the staff that came forward, and proud of everyone at the Police Department who, despite the challenges, remained focus on their duties and continued to serve the citizens Victoria and Esquimalt in a professional manner.