Vic Police sacked over "disturbing" emails

Four Victorian Police officers were sacked and others demoted and fined for circulating "disturbing" and "highly offensive" emails on the corporate IT system.

The sacked officers have a fortnight to lodge appeals.

The state's police union said it was "appalled at the harshness" of the force and would continue to represent the officers that were dismissed.

Victoria Police held disciplinary hearings over two days last week.

Two officers resigned rather than face the hearings. They were joined by a sergeant, two leading senior constables and a senior constable who were sacked following the hearings.

Another two officers were demoted and were "ineligible for promotion for two years" and four other senior constables were fined "up to $3000 each" and placed on good behaviour bonds, Victoria Police said.

"Investigations into a number of other members are continuing," a Victoria Police spokesman said.

"The community has high expectations of its police and Victoria Police had no choice but to take this action."

The actions were condemned by Police Association of Victoria assistant secretary Bruce McKenzie who said "no criminality was involved" in the allegations against the officers.

McKenzie labelled the "direct and indirect financial penalties" imposed on the accused officers as "very severe".

"The Police Association is appalled at the harshness at which our members have been dealt with and is of the view that the penalties imposed were manifestly excessive," McKenzie said.

"This was clearly a punitive process and not restorative as we would have expected.

"The Police Association will continue to support and represent those members, who have been aggrieved by this heavy-handed approach, in the independent review process.

"We strongly believe that the action taken by the Force, given the options that it had available to it, is contrary to the Force's corporate focus of valuing its people."

Victoria Police said it had put a "range of welfare measures in place to ensure that the dismissed and affected members and their families were well supported".

And it promised audits of its email systems "to detect any emails of concern and would work to educate its members, and remind them of their responsibilities regarding the appropriate use of the email system".