As the new superintendent for the region, Mr Guerin had been asked to address the station and "rally the troops", but delivered an expletive-strewn tirade that shocked some officers. A complaint about his address was made the following year to then chief commissioner Christine Nixon, the former Office of Police Integrity and the former Ethical Standards Department. But the complaint did not result in any disciplinary action and did not hinder Mr Guerin's rise to the rank of assistant commissioner and head of the Professional Standards Command. Chief Commisioner Graham Ashton says he's baffled by Mr Guerin's behaviour. Credit:Jason South The Age revealed on Monday that Mr Guerin was under investigation by Victoria's anti-corruption watchdog for making racist posts under the Demerest pseudonym, including references to "jigaboo(s)", cheating dagoes" and "third world dullards".

"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," Demerest said in an online post under a video of Somali pirates. Last Thursday, The Age revealed Mr Guerin used the Demerest nom de plume to make derogatory online comments about former chief commissioner Christine Nixon and former Police Association boss Paul Mullett on a blog. Flemington Kensington Community Legal Centre has now called for an urgent review of all complaints handled by Mr Guerin. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Anthony Kelly, executive officer of the legal centre, said Melbourne's African community could "have no faith in the integrity of any complaint that former assistant commissioner Brett Guerin was involved in during his tenure in the region".

Some of the complaints are understood to have been part of Federal Court action launched by the legal centre that alleged systematic discrimination by racial profiling. The case was settled in 2013, but relations between Victoria Police and Melbourne's African community were again strained in January 2018 following a spate of crimes involving African youths and a maelstrom of media coverage on multiculturalism and immigration. Loading "We call for a review of all complaint files former assistant commissioner Guerin has had involvement in or oversight of in relation to allegations of racial discrimination," Mr Kelly said. "[Mr Guerin's] promotion to the head of professional standards command shows either how lax Victoria Police command are to the underlying attitudes of its officers, or a culture of collusion and denial," Mr Kelly said.

Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton said he was unaware of any complaints against Mr Guerin and said the revelations in The Age about his online activity had come from "left field". "[It's] really baffling behaviour from someone that's had a long career with Victoria Police, and a successful career, and has been doing ostensibly really good work as well, Mr Ashton," said. "It makes it all the more remarkable to me that someone who has performed that well for us has then engaged in these sort of behaviours. I’m at a loss to explain. "I’m still trying to understand that myself. "These views that have been expressed are out of character from Brett ... people that know him are really shocked by what's there.

"They're really out of character. I know that people that I've spoken to around the force at the senior level are similarly shocked, and they in no way reflect ... the views held by anyone else in the senior command, I can assure you." Confidential settlement But Mr Guerin was the subject of another racism complaint by former senior sergeant Mario Benedetti, which Victoria Police spent almost $300,000 defending before reaching a confidential financial settlement. In 2008, Mr Guerin called Mr Benedetti a "f------ wog" during a performance review meeting, after Mr Benedetti had complained about resourcing at Moonee Ponds station. Mr Guerin, who was a recipient of the Australian Police Medal, told radio station 3AW last week that it was a "throwaway comment between three blokes who had known each other for 30 years."