A STATE police chief in Australia apologised to the Jewish community on Saturday after a sergeant allegedly performed an outlawed Nazi salute.

The female officer, an instructor on domestic violence policy and law at the Victoria state police academy in Melbourne whose name has not been released, is facing charges over the gesture and for praising Adolf Hitler with the words: “Heil Hitler” on Tuesday and Wednesday in front of academy staff and recruits, Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said.

“I want to express just here at the outset my disappointment, my disgust, my anger at this appalling conduct,” Mr Patton told a press conference.

“There is simply no place for this type of conduct in our society, let alone in this police force. For that reason, I want to profoundly apologise to the Jewish community but also to the community as whole.”

The police officer has served for more than 40 years. She was suspended from duty on Friday and was interviewed by professional standards internal investigators the following day.

She is likely to be charged by summons, a police statement said after Mr Patton’s news conference. The offence carries a potential maximum penalty of 12 months in prison and a fine of up to 23,000 Australian dollars (£12,000).

Performing Nazi gestures and displaying Nazi symbols such as the swastika have been banned by various state and federal laws since 2022.

The scandal follows a Melbourne judge telling self-described Nazi Jacob Hersant on Wednesday that, when he appears in court next month, the 25-year-old will become the first person in Australia to be jailed for performing the same banned gesture.

In June, three football fans were fined for performing the salute during a Sydney match. The men are the first people convicted in Australia for such offences and have lodged appeals.