In October 2017, Mr X completed maintenance work at Officer A's home. Officer A was unhappy with the standard of Mr X's work. The officer sent text messages to Mr X asking for a part refund but Mr X refused to do so.
Officer A then encountered Mr X by chance outside their local supermarket in March 2018. The officer was verbally abusive and his actions made the complainant feel threatened.
Police conducted an employment investigation after Mr X decided that he did not want to pursue a criminal complaint against the officer. Officer A accepted that he was angry with Mr X regarding the standard of work at his home. The officer admitted that the language and behaviour he used towards the complainant was inappropriate.
The employment investigation found that Officer A failed to display good judgement while off duty and did not show an appropriate level of respect to Mr X. Police found that the Officer A's off duty behaviour amounted to misconduct and Police took appropriate action, which included a written apology to the complainant.
The Authority reviewed the Police investigation and agreed with the outcomes.
IPCA: 17-2244