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The Times

Anne Barrowclough in Sydney

Up to 100 Australian police officers are being investigated over racist, homophobic and pornographic e-mails that have been circulated among officers in the state of Victoria.

One officer who faced the prospect of losing his job over a "seriously inappropriate" e-mail has committed suicide and another could be sacked over an e-mail said to be "extremely racist".

The most serious e-mail circulated on the police internal system depicted graphic images of a non-Caucasian man being tortured. It is understood that some police officers added racist comments to the email before sending it on.

Many of the e-mails are too shocking ever to be released, Simon Overland, the Police Commissioner of Victoria, said today.

"We're not talking about one item, we're talking about multiple items,'' Mr Overland told ABC Radio.

"There are a large number of police involved. I guess there are different degrees of seriousness, but it was quite widespread. If the public were aware of the nature of that material, I believe that it would cause significant concern within the community."

News of the e-mails comes as members of the Indian and African communities in Melbourne accuse the police of serious racism.

A series of unsolved street attacks on Indian youths over the past ten months has led to claims in the Indian media of racism in police ranks, with one newspaper depicting a police officer as a member of the Ku Klux Klan.

Last week, Michael Strong, director of the Office of Police Integrity, revealed that Victoria Police had launched a major investigation into racist attitudes in the force after an explosive report accused police officers of attacking African youths on the streets of Melbourne.

The report, by the Springvale Monash Legal Service, claimed that police had taunted young African men, calling them "monkey" and "black c***".

In one instance, the report claims, a group of police officers removed their uniforms to attack a group of Africans in a public park. Some of the attacks left their victims hospitalised.

Helen Yandell, director of the Springvale Monash Legal Service, told The Times that she was not suprised by the latest e-mail revelations.

"There is a culture of racism within the Victorian police force," Ms Yandell said. "It's not just a case of a few bad apples and it is an issue that needs to be addressed.

"I'm pleased that the police are taking such quick action on these e-mails."

Mr Overland refused to confirm whether the e-mails targeted the Indian or African communities but said they were so serious that they raised "real questions about a number of individuals' suitability to continue with Victoria Police".

He confirmed that Sergeant Tony Vangorp, an officer of 30 years who shot himself this week at a Victoria police station, was among officers identified in a crackdown on the use of computers.

Mr Vangorp and one other officer had been issued with what is known as a Section 68, for introducing the e-mails into the police system. Mr Overland informed the officers he had no confidence in them and asked why they should be allowed to continue in their jobs.

Expressing regret at Mr Vangorp's death, Mr Overland defended the action he had taken over the officer's behaviour. "I believed then and I believe now that that was the appropriate thing to do," he said

"How can a community have confidence in this organisation if we allow racist, sexist, pornographic, inappropriate material to circulate freely? We can't do it,'' he added.

The state police department has 13,800 employees, including police officers, public servants and security officers.

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