100 police face probe over racist emails

The police ethical standards department found multiple emails that were too shocking to be released publicly, Chief Commissioner Simon Overland said.

He would not confirm the subject matter of the emails but said some were "extremely serious, some are offensive," and he raised questions about some officers' suitability to their jobs in Victoria state.

"If the Victorian public were aware of the nature of that material, I believe that it's of such a nature that it would cause significant concern," Mr Overland told Australian Broadcasting Corp radio.

Mr Overland said those who introduced the material into the police

email system would be fired.

He also confirmed a police officer who committed suicide earlier this week was one of two given notification their jobs were on the line.

Tony Vangorp, 47, tendered his resignation on Friday and returned to the police station on Monday night and shot himself.

"A tragic event has happened," Mr Overland said. "It's deeply, deeply regrettable and we need to learn the lessons but it doesn't mean that I can or should avoid my responsibilities around the good order and governance of Victoria Police."

The Age newspaper reported the investigation centred on a graphic image of a non-Caucasian man being tortured.

It said computer experts tracking the emails found that several police added further racist comments before forwarding the image.

The report said those who forwarded it would be cautioned, while those who added comments faced more serious discipline.

Mr Overland refused to confirm whether the emails targeted Indians or Africans, two minority groups that criticised police conduct in recent months.

Last week, he acknowledged a small minority of police officers were racist, in response to a report that said police suffered from a "culture of racism".