A necessary safety net: use of a confidential internal telephone line to report unethical behaviour

Abstract

This study examined employee likelihood of using a confidential internal telephone line (the Blueline) to discuss an ethical issue or to report unethical behaviour within a policing context. One-hundred and sixty-six Western Australia Police employees completed an online survey. Regression analysis indicated three factors that were significantly related to an increased likelihood of using the Blueline. These factors were: support for the existence of an internal reporting system, belief that agency support would be adequate during/after using the Blueline and perceived need for an anonymous internal reporting system. Although likelihood of using the Blueline was low, employees expressed that the telephone line was necessary for situations when other reporting avenues are deemed unsuitable.

Keywords:

• internal reporting
• police
• misconduct
• corruption

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the assistance of Western Australia Police in facilitating this research project. Any opinions outlined in this paper are the views of the authors and should not be taken as the view of the Western Australia Police. The authors would also like to acknowledge that the findings of this study were relevant to the Western Australia Police at the time of the research, and that employee attitudes and/or agency policies may have changed since the data were collected.