[Greens-Media] (Sylvia Hale MLC) Public Complaints Against Police are Not Red Tape

[Christopher Holley]

Public Complaints Against Police are Not “Red Tape”

NSW Greens MP and Police spokesperson Sylvia Hale has rejected the
reported claim by Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione that complaints
made against officers by members of the public and colleagues are a form
of “red tape” that reduce police efficiency.

“A robust public complaints system is absolutely essential to
reducing Police corruption and keeping NSW Police accountable to the
public it is supposed to serve,” said Ms Hale, who serves on the
Parliamentary Committee that oversees the work of the Ombudsman and the
Police Integrity Commission.

“Mr Scipione became Police Commissioner at a time when Police have
been granted extraordinary powers and indemnity from prosecution for the
APEC meeting, but those powers and indemnities terminate tomorrow. He
should not expect that level of Police power and lack of Police
accountability to continue after APEC.”

“Most NSW Police officers carry out their duties in a highly
professional manner but the NSW Police Service does not have an
unblemished record in relation to corruption and overstepping their
powers when dealing with the public,” she said.

“Police are given coercive powers that are not available to other
members of the community. It is imperative that there is a strong public
complaints system to ensure those coercive powers are not abused.”

 “The Police will inevitably seek greater powers with less scrutiny
because it makes their job easier. It is the role of the government to
ensure that Police powers are properly balanced by strong accountability
mechanisms to ensure that the citizens of this state are free to live
their lives without being subjected to abuse of those powers,” said Ms
Hale.

“The government should reject any measure that reduces those
accountability measures, particularly after the excessive police
presence we have just seen on the streets of Sydney.” 

“The APEC security measures were the most authoritarian display of
Police powers in this city in recent memory. We must not allow that sort
of oppressive policing to become an accepted part of living in NSW,”
said Ms Hale.

Further information: Chris Holley 0437 779 546 / 02 9230 3030