WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch responds after allegations of sex assault at off-duty gathering at Perth bar

WA’s top cop says he expects the values of his police force to be “upheld at all times” in the wake of allegations of a sexual assault and an indecent act involving beer glasses at an off-duty gathering. As first revealed by The West Australian, two police officers are subject to internal investigations and another is receiving counselling after off-duty officers from the same metropolitan police station became embroiled in two separate alleged incidents at a city bar. It is alleged the first incident involved two junior male officers who engaged in consensual oral sex. During that act one of the men is accused of digitally penetrating his colleague without consent. The officer who consented to the oral sex went home and told his wife about the act before a formal police complaint was lodged. When internal affairs sent a station-wide email advising they were reviewing CCTV about the alleged sex assault, investigators were notified of an indecent act from the same night. A male officer, who was completely unconnected to the pub sex incident at the centre of the internal inquiry, allegedly came forward to his seniors with an admission that he had secretly pressed his penis against the beer mugs his colleagues had been drinking from. That alleged confession blindsided the internal affairs officers assigned to the case, who are now investigating both incidents. Speaking about the allegations for the first time on Wednesday, Police Commissioner Col Blanch said both investigations were ongoing. Mr Blanch said the values of the organisation must be “upheld at all times”. “A reminder for all police officers, and not only in Western Australia, is that you are never off duty — you’re always on duty — you’re a sworn officer (and) the values of the organisation must be upheld at times,” he said. “There is an investigation, I don’t have an update for you on that investigation, but I’ll say this, there has been a sexual assault allegation, so I think the person making that allegation deserves a degree of dignity and privacy while that investigation is ongoing. Mr Blanch described the alleged act involving the officer’s penis and his colleagues’ beer mugs as “contrary to all values of policing”. “If true, it’s obviously still subject to investigation, (it’s) contrary to all values of policing, and probably an indication of why that person actually came forward, because they knew they had actually done the wrong thing,” he said. The first officer accused of digitally penetrating his colleague without consent has been stood down from duties. He is at home on full pay while internal affairs finalises its inquiry. The man who filed the sex assault complaint is receiving counselling. The officer under investigation for wiping his penis on the drinking glasses is still working, but only in a desk-bound role. A police spokesperson previously confirmed both a criminal and internal investigation “into allegations of serious misconduct involving several officers from a metropolitan police district”. “One officer has been stood down and a second stood aside. A third officer is receiving every support from our health and welfare division.” The West Australian does not suggest that any of the allegations about the officers under investigation are true, only that the allegations are subject to ongoing internal police inquiries. 1800RESPECT