Incoming ACT police chief Assistant Commissioner Justine Saunders is to be commended for the broadside she fired off against the force's toxic culture of harassment and bullying on her first day in the job.
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That culture was documented last week in a damning report on sexual harassment, bullying and misogyny within the Australian Federal Police, of which ACT Policing is a part, by former sex discrimination commissioner, Elizabeth Broderick.
Ms Broderick's report reveals that 46 per cent of women in both sworn and unsworn roles in the AFP had experienced sexual harassment and that bullying and intimidation were part of the workplace culture.
It also found women were seriously under represented in ACT Policing with only 35 per cent representation across the board.
Up to 30 AFP staff members were found to have been the victims of rape or attempted rape over the past five years.
Assistant Commissioner Saunders, who takes over from Assistant Commissioner Rudi Lammers, has effectively put the misogynists and bullies on notice that if they aren't prepared to change then leaving must be considered as a career option.
"As someone who grew up in this organisation, I take full responsibility for the situation we find ourselves in, and am truly committed to bringing about the necessary change to weed out that behaviour," she said.
"I was shocked by the findings of that report and the number of people that have been affected by sexual harassment in this organisation."
The new chief is one of them, telling reporters that as a young officer she had found herself on the receiving end of some of the "inappropriate behaviours" documented in the Broderick report.
Assistant Commissioner Saunders brings a strong skill set to the new role and has operated at the highest levels within the AFP, an organisation she joined almost 30 years ago.
Those skills and experience, which include work on transnational crime, drug importations, people smuggling and fraud, will all come in handy in providing law enforcement services for one of Australia's most diverse and unusual communities.
Canberra, despite its external show of prosperity and affluence, is not immune to the social issues that plague other major cities or the criminal activity that is often fuelled by poverty, underemployment, disadvantage and drug abuse.
It is important to remember that while cultural reform within the force has to be given a high priority, the highest priority of all must go to community policing.
The most important asset that any police force can possess is the confidence of the community it serves.
Recent events in the United States have shown the dark paths a society can go down when this is lost.
Assistant Commissioner Saunders has, to date, given a strong indication she will build on the solid relationship with her community bequeathed to her by her predecessor, Assistant Commissioner Lammers.
