One of Australia’s top police officers has quit after being linked to racist and sexist online posts and remarks.
Victoria’s assistant commissioner Brett Guerin, who was also an ethics chief, resigned on Monday after The Age reported how the cop posted numerous comments on YouTube under an alleged pseudonym “Vernon Demerest”.
Under a video of a Somali pirate attack, Demerest posted: "I'm afraid this is what happens when the lash is abolished. The jigaboo runs riot and out of control. The 'boo needs the lash. The 'boo wants the lash. Deep, deep down the 'boo knows the lash provides the governance and stability."
He also calls Australian cricket player Greg Dyer a "cheating fellator, very much in the mould of some Indian or Pakistani peasant" after a controversial catch in a test match at the MCG in 1988.
“Demerest” also wrote sexually explicit comments about Australian sporting matches, the Age said.
Victoria’s Police chief commissioner Graham Ashton told reporters, “It is behaviour that is completely and utterly unacceptable at Victoria Police.”
“There are a lot of shocked people ... It’s completely out of character with what we know the assistant commissioner has been doing.”
Ashton stressed that the scandal was not a reflection of the wider culture among his officers.
“We will be talking to the emerging community, multicultural communities that we have been working with for a long time and making sure that they know it is not representative of the views of Victoria Police,” he said.
