Every female employee of the NSW police force who participated in a wide-ranging review into its culture had experienced or observed “overt or covert harassment, undermining and belittlement”, a scathing report has found.Undertaken by former Victorian equal opportunity and human rights commissioner Kristen Hilton, the review – released Thursday – found a rampant culture of bullying, sexual harassment and discrimination existed within the force.Many of those who had spoken out about the conduct feared being “punished” for doing so, the report said.“Based on this data, it is clear that bullying, incivility, discrimination and victimisation are occurring at unacceptable levels within [the police force] and present systemic risk,” Hilton wrote.“Many also acknowledged that things had improved over time in NSW police force.”More than 5,000 current and former staff engaged with the review, either through face-to-face interviews, online surveys, written submissions or group discussions.Sign up for the Breaking News Australia emailThe review was commissioned nearly two years ago by former police commissioner Karen Webb, after media reports of a “toxic culture” for female staff, including sexual harassment and assault allegations.Hilton wrote that it was worth noting that, in the over 100 years since women had been permitted to serve in the force, there had been only one female commissioner and two female deputy commissioners.“There are currently no women on the commissioner’s executive team. This is not, as was suggested by one leader, because women don’t want the ‘top jobs’, but as a result of decades long social and institutional discrimination,” Hilton wrote.She found that women and minority groups continue to face barriers to recruitment, development and promotion amid reports of harassment and discrimination.“Equity, safety and respect do not emerge organically in policing, they are created, modelled and protected by leaders,” Hilton wrote.“We heard of and observed leaders who failed to role-model organisational values, who shrank from difficult conversations, who did not prioritise the development or care of their staff. In these areas morale was poor.”The review revealed distrust and disconnect between management and staff, and found the main reason police were leaving the force was due to a lack of people-centred management.“While there are outstanding examples of leadership, courage, service and ingenuity across NSWPF, they are not consistent. Many frontline officers described a disconnect from management, entrenched perceptions of bias and favouritism, harmful behaviours, weak accountability, burnout and fatigue, and systems that are outdated or inflexible.”It also found an “insular mindset” in parts to the organisation, which has seen “good ideas” frustrated, and “helpful initiatives from local commands that could make policing more efficient” often stymied.“And yet, across every rank and command there are stories of bravery, integrity, ingenuity and care,” Hilton wrote. “There are examples of cultural change, deeper inclusion and diversity in some commands, and efforts to build closer connections to the many distinct communities that NSWPF serves.”The review found that police are now the first responders to a “wide spectrum of social, health, and environmental crises, not only criminal activity”, increasing the pressure on police and the complexity of their work.The NSW police commissioner, Mal Lanyon, accepted all 29 recommendations of the review and said what he read of people’s experiences in the report were “simply unacceptable”.“It’s very hard to read some of the personal accounts … they are human, they are my officers, I expect them to have a safe and respectful workplace,” he said.“That’s why I’m firmly committed to making sure we implement the recommendations.”Lanyon said NSW police was moving in the right direction, but that there was more work to do.The state’s police minister, Yasmin Catley, said the government was “taking this very seriously, because it’s the right thing to do”.“We want the NSW police to reflect the community that it serves, and this review goes a lot to making sure that we do that,” she said.