A cluster of lawsuits lodged in the Supreme Court has accused Victoria Police of a toxic culture of bullying that has left officers emotionally broken.
A Daily Mail investigation can reveal four separate writs filed in the Supreme Court of Victoria in early September, alleging senior members were responsible for psychiatric injuries suffered by rank-and-file officers so severe they can no longer work.
Former Detective Sergeant Kieran Murnane spent about 24 years on the job before breaking down while working on Bendigo’s Proactive Targeting Team.
Court documents suggest the dedicated officer endured a living nightmare from 2018 to 2023 while serving under officers identified as Detective Senior Sergeant Melissa Sullivan and Inspector Dean Clinton.
Shouting, false performance claims, targeting, ostracism and blame-shifting were all alleged.
Mr Murnane claimed the pair either joined in or turned a blind eye as his mental health deteriorated.
He is now totally incapacitated and has been off work since December 2023, having been diagnosed with major depression, PTSD and anxiety.
His Supreme Court claim was followed a week later by two more claims lodged on the same day, and another just days after that.
Victoria Police has been swamped with civil claims alleging bullying (stock image)
Arnold Thomas & Becker Senior Associate Shalyn Matthew told Daily Mail Mr Murnane gave years of service to Victoria Police, often in high-pressure roles, and when his mental health began to suffer as a result of his treatment at work,’ he said.
‘We say Victoria Police had a duty to look after the psychological wellbeing of its own officers, the same as any employer would.’
The firm is representing all four of the officers that launched action in September.
It is not suggested that the claims are true, only that they have been made and that they are yet to be determined by a court.
Officer Elliott McGibbony alleged an extended campaign of obstruction and interference from Superintendents Mick Hermans and Paul Tymms, plus Senior Sergeant Collin Chammings.
Among the most damning of claims was an allegation Snr Sgt Chammings attempted to get the officer’s own wife to turn on him.
Mr McGibbony’s court writ claimed his superior contacted his ex-wife about allegations of harassment and attempted to persuade her to ‘reinstate allegations about the plaintiff’.
Among a swag of accusations, Mr McGibbony alleged private medical records were demanded, intimate personal questions were asked and his boss ‘engaged in conduct designed to frustrate and impede (his) ability to do his job’.
Top cop Mick Hermans (left) and former top cop Paul Hollowood (right) have been named in civil suits
Superintendent Peter Ward has been named in a Supreme Court civil claim out of Geelong
Mr Hermans was accused of ‘interfering with the Plaintiff’s medical authorisation to work and demanding that the Plaintiff hand over private medical records’, the writ stated.
Supt Hermans went onto become Assistant Commissioner for Road Policing Command.
Mr McGibbony further claimed ‘unknown officers’ placed him on uniform duties when it was known the task would ‘likely be injurious to the plaintiff’s health’.
The officer has been unable to work since December 2022.
Rachell Field’s claim named Superintendents Paul Hollowood and Dee Dummett, along with a senior sergeant whose identity is protected.
Mr Hollowood had been a poster boy for Victoria Police up until his retirement in 2022 after 48 years on the job.
Ms Dummett had also been lauded for her three decades of service, working on several high-profile cases including the William St shootings in 2007.
Ms Field claimed Mr Hollowood dumped her with an impossible investigation, denied her support and forced her to work crushing hours.
Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush spearheaded a review on bullying while running New Zealand police
She further claimed Ms Dummett pressured her over a ‘relative’s case’, worked her excessive hours, undermined and bullied her.
Nathan Jones, a sworn Victoria Police officer between 2003 and 2023, claimed to have suffered a psychiatric injury caused by the actions of senior officers at Bellarine Police Station in Geelong.
In 2022, he was working under the command of Inspector Peter Nicholls and Superintendent Peter Ward when he and other officers subdued and arrested a member of the public who had thrown an object at the station and made threats.
About two weeks later, while on recreational leave, Mr Jones was called in to a meeting with his bosses who informed him he was being suspended over the incident.
He was later arrested and interviewed in relation to the matter.
In 2023, after being told there would be no further consequences arising from the earlier incident, Mr Jones was immediately suspended again over allegations relating to an arrest he had made some years earlier.
In documents filed with the court, Mr Jones claimed those events caused major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, cognitive decline, anxiety and depression.
He alleged the injuries resulted from the negligence and breach of duty of both Mr Nicholls and Mr Ward, including launching an unwarranted investigation, suspending him without grounds, targeting and unreasonably punishing him.
All four are suing the State of Victoria for damages, pointing to failures by the very officers meant to supervise them.
All four are suing the State of Victoria for damages, pointing to failures by the very officers meant to supervise them.
The claims arrive against a documented backdrop of concern about internal culture within Victoria Police.
A 2025 coronial investigation into suicides among Victoria Police members over a 15-year period identified work-related stressors in the majority of cases examined.
Organisational factors featured prominently, with bullying explicitly noted as a recurring element in a substantial subset of those matters, alongside excessive workload and rostering pressures.
Mental illness diagnoses, including depression and PTSD, were common among the deceased officers.
In one matter that resolved with a confidential settlement, a former detective described years of ‘slut shaming’ after intimate images were circulated by a then-spouse who was also a police officer.
‘Rebecca’ told the Herald Sun in March her career was destroyed and she was subjected to years of slut shaming after discovering her spouse had distributed the images throughout her highly sensitive unit in 2016.
Victoria Police has publicly stated that bullying, discrimination, harassment and victimisation will not be tolerated and that it is committed to a safe, inclusive and respectful workplace.
Chief Commissioner Mike Bush had spearheaded an independent review of how police address complaints of bullying while acting as New Zealand’s police chief.
‘There is no place for bullying in NZ police,’ Mr Bush said in 2019.
‘Eliminating bullying – and ensuring that if it does happen, it is addressed as quickly as possible – is an absolute priority for our organisation.’
He told Daily Mail every employee has the right to come to work feeling safe, respected, valued, included and invested in.
‘Bullying, harassment and inappropriate workplace behaviour have no place in Victoria Police,’ he said.
‘Through positive leadership we are supporting our leaders to build respectful, high-performing teams.’
Commissioner Bush revealed he had created a specific new role aimed at creating a safer workplace.
‘The introduction of a Chief Officer, Health Safety and Wellbeing further strengthens our commitment to creating safe workplaces where our people can thrive and perform at their best,’ he said.
Arnold Thomas & Becker lawyer Ciara Smith said workplace bullying can have a devastating effect on a person’s mental health, career and family life.
‘Police officers and other Victoria Police employees deserve the same right to a psychologically safe workplace as every other Victorian worker,’ she said.
‘When allegations of bullying are raised within Victoria Police, they must be taken seriously and investigated independently, transparently and without fear or favour. ‘
