MELBOURNE, Australia — An Australian state police chief apologized to the Jewish community Saturday after a sergeant allegedly performed a banned Nazi salute.

The 65-year-old instructor in domestic violence policy and law at the Victorian Police Academy in Melbourne faces charges over the gesture and for praising Nazi leader Adolf Hitler with the words ” Heil Hitler” Tuesday and Wednesday in front of the academy. staff and recruits, Police Chief Superintendent Shane Patton said.

“I want to express here at the outset my disappointment, my disgust, my anger at this appalling conduct,” Patton said at a news conference.

“There is simply no place for this type of behavior in our society, let alone in this police force. For this reason, I would like to deeply apologize to the Jewish community but also to the community at large. together,” Patton added.

Patton said such behavior would exacerbate the grief and pain felt by the Jewish community following the Oct. 7 anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel.

The officer, whose name has not been released, served for more than 40 years. She was suspended from her duties on Friday and was questioned on Saturday by internal professional standards investigators.

She will likely be charged by summons, a police statement said after Patton’s news conference. The offense carries a maximum sentence of 12 months in prison and a fine of up to $16,000.

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

The scandal comes the same week a Melbourne judge told self-proclaimed Nazi Jacob Hersant would become the first person in Australia to be sentenced to prison for performing the same banned act when the 25-year-old year-old will appear in court next month.

In June, three football fans were fined for performing the salute during a match in Sydney. The men were the first in Australia to be convicted of such offenses and have appealed.

The Police Association of Victoria, a police union, called the allegations serious and said officers should be held to the same standards as the rest of the community.

“The Police Association has always condemned this offensive gesture and urged the government to toughen the legislation and sanctions against those who carry it out,” said a statement from the union.

Anti-Defamation Commission chairman Dvir Abramovich, a leading opponent of anti-Semitism in Australia, praised the police force’s rapid response to the officer’s reported actions.

“A Nazi salute is not just a gesture, it is a horrible symbol of genocide, terror and anti-Semitism and the fact that a police officer brandishes this emblem of hatred is more than disturbing,” he said. declared in a press release.

Patton said the suspended officer had no history of extreme views and his motivations were unknown.

“But motive doesn’t matter. This conduct should not, cannot and will not be tolerated,” Patton said.