A leading Jewish community figure has slammed a decision to not charge a Melbourne police officer accused of performing the Nazi salute twice. The veteran police sergeant allegedly made the banned gesture at the Victoria Police Academy at Glen Waverley, in Melbourne’s southeast, on successive days in October. The 65-year-old woman was accused of approaching two employees and performing the salute, as well as uttering the words “heil Hitler”. The following day, in a post-family violence scenario debriefing with a recruit squad and another instructor, the sergeant again allegedly performed the salute and said “heil Hitler”. It prompted a swift rebuke from Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton, who labelled her alleged actions “appalling” and “abhorrent”. But Victoria Police’s criminal case has been dropped after it received advice from the Office of Public Prosecutions that there was “no reasonable prospect of conviction”. An internal discipline investigation has been launched and the sergeant remains suspended. Anti-Defamation Commission chair Dvir Abramovich, who spent years lobbying governments to ban the salute, said he was shocked by the outcome given Mr Patton’s previous remarks.
via otago daily times: ‘Shameful’: Officer let off over alleged Nazi salute