A policewoman who was kicked by colleagues while she was handcuffed and half-naked in a cell had been on leave for mental health issues at the time, a Victorian anti-corruption inquiry has heard.

The 51-year-old had been on leave from her job with Victoria Police's integrity unit for about a year when she was taken into custody in Ballarat, west of Melbourne, for public intoxication.

Graphic security footage from the Ballarat Police station showed the woman being stomped and kicked by two officers while she was half-naked, handcuffed and lying face-down on the floor of a cell.

The footage also showed the woman being showered in capsicum spray.

The state's Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) is investigating the matter, among others, as part of a probe into accusations of heavy-handedness and brutality by police officers in Ballarat.

After a scuffle in the station, the woman was pepper-sprayed and ran off, before being dragged back to her cell.

Sergeant Christopher Taylor was among those present at the time of the incident.

"At that stage, she made a comment, 'It's okay, I'm one of you,' which I took as very odd," he told the inquiry.

Sergeant Taylor said he later found out the woman was a police officer and contacted the force's integrity unit, Professional Standards Command, where he spoke to a senior detective.

"At that stage, I believed she was [a police officer], but he confirmed it," Sergeant Taylor said.

The detective also confirmed the woman worked in his office and had been on leave for about 12 months.

Taylor 'put women in headlock' in earlier case

Sorry, this video has expired Security footage shown to IBAC shows Ballarat Sergeant Christopher Taylor subduing two women during an earlier case.

The inquiry also heard that Sergeant Taylor has been the subject of 18 complaints.

Graphic security footage was released by the commission which showed him placing two women in headlocks in 2009.

Police records shown to IBAC revealed Sergeant Taylor's complaint record was five times more than the average, which placed him in the top one per cent of male officers.

They also revealed Victoria Police placed him on a risk management plan.

Sergeant Taylor admitted to the inquiry his record set a bad example for junior officers.