Police forces attract bullies
Police officers swear an oath to serve and protect the community, but not every officer has the right intentions. Unfortunately, there are bullies in every police force who weaponize their power to persecute innocent members of the public. This is a problem for all police forces across Australia, not just the NSW Police. Alarming rate of police misconduct >
The problem is made worse when senior officers cover up, ignore or excuse police misconduct because it gives bullies a green light to abuse members of the public.
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Police brutality in Australia
Search Google for police brutality in Australia and you will find videos of police beating up on members of the public when they are being restrained by other officers. In a recent arrest two NSW police officers threw a vulnerable 78-year-old-man onto the ground causing a brain bleed and neck injury that required him being taken to hospital. View article & video of arrest >
Shocking conduct by NSW police & cover ups by senior officers
There are few things more shameful than a senior officer who covers up, ignores or excuses police misconduct. No matter how minor the misconduct, the cover up itself is inexcusable because cover ups enable police abuse. It is a betrayal of the enormous trust we place in them to protect us and uphold the law.
Danny Lim in hospital after what police described as a discontinued arrest. It is difficult to comprehend how any person could throw a frail 78-year-old to the ground, let alone how 2 police officers could. Police officers swear a duty to serve & protect, is this the type of policing we want? View article & video of arrest >
Clare Nowland was admitted to hospital in a critical condition after she was tasered at an aged care facility by a NSW police officer. Sadly, she died a short time after.
20-year-old Bradley Balzan shot dead by NSW police
It is not just assaults. In December 2020, 20-year-old Bradley Balzan was shot dead after 4 plain clothes officers approached him in the street because they believed he was acting suspiciously near the St Marys Hotel. There are several unanswered questions about the actions of the officers. But the most serious question is why were 4 trained police officers with guns, unable to control a lone, unarmed man without killing him?
Police officers should be able to handle members of the public without killing them, especially when it is four against one. A young man is dead and a family's life has been destroyed forever, they deserve justice.
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Police abuse is widespread
For anyone who has not had to deal with an abusive police officer, then it is difficult to believe, but speak to a criminal defence lawyer and you are likely to hear horrifying stories about police brutality. It is so widespread that a Sydney based lawyer has been quoted as saying:
It is not just brutality. Search for perjury, drugs, sexual assault, domestic violence it’s all there. The officers even make jokes amongst themselves, read the Daily Mail article by Alana Mazzoni: ​​Inside the 'Dog Pound' police chat: How a group of cops created a secret WhatsApp group to discuss 'rootable' new officers at their station and joke about rape and Aborigines.
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At least nine officers from Sydney's Botany Bay Local Area Command used the encrypted messaging app to joke about rape and make sexual remarks about women. The following is an excerpt from the article:
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In another series of vile messages, an officer shared a photo of a civilian woman to which a cop replied 'she'd be worth the rape charge'.
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Constable Jordan Crotty wrote '100% you could have pulled that. Chick (sic) who post stuff like that are gagging for anything'.
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The officer wrote back saying he didn't 'f**k her' because she was drunk and a childhood friend. Crotty replied saying she would still 'want it'.
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A racist message from an unnamed cop read 'if I get fired, I'm pulling the Aboriginal card'.
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It was reported that an officer who was part of the group defended the messages, claiming the conversations were simply 'muster room talk' and 'normal chat'. Therein lies the problem, because the sad reality is that there are police officers who don't see anything wrong with bullying or abuse.
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Officer admits laying false charges resulting in 7 month prison sentence
In another excerpt from the article it was reported that Constable Jordan Crotty admitted laying false charges against a man who spent 7 months in prison.
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Constable Crotty said she charged the man with six offences, including malicious damage and use offensive weapon to avoid apprehension. She joked that it was a 'massive load up' - a term used to describe charging someone with an extreme amount of offences.
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The contents of the WhatsApp chat was handed to the man's lawyers and his conviction was quashed upon appeal. It is reasonable to expect that Constable Crotty would face prosecution and receive a lengthy prison sentence. But it was reported that she was only placed on restricted duties.
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If this is the case, then not only should Constable Crotty be prosecuted, so too should the senior officer/s who only placed her on restricted duties. And why hasn't the LECC done something about this?
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NSW police officers have been charged with child sex offences
The NSW Police are authorized to strip search children. It was reported that in a two-year period between July 2020 and May 2022 NSW police strip searched more than 100 children. It is astonishing that we allow police officers to strip search a child (or that an officer would agree to do it). It is mind boggling when you consider that NSW police officers have been charged with child sex offences. Read Article
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How would you feel if your son or daughter has been strip searched by an officer who has been charged with sexual assault? Or by any of the officers in the above mentioned WhatsApp group?
95-year-old woman died after being tasered by a NSW police officer
It was reported that a NSW police officer tasered 95-year-old Clare Nowland when she was approaching officers holding a knife at a "slow Pace" using a walking frame. The grandmother fell to the floor hit her head and was admitted to hospital, sadly she died a short time after. View article >
It is impossible to comprehend what type of person could taser a 95-year-old woman. It is even more impossible to comprehend how they could have been a police officer for 12 years. That is the problem when senior officers cover up misconduct - they enable police abuse. It was later revealed that the officer involved had previous incidents of misconduct. Serious questions need to be asked about how those incidents were investigated by senior officers.
“Conservative mums and dads are shocked when their teenage sons are arrested by the police on minor charges. They are taken down into the cells and beaten up by a group of thug police officers – for no reason. Afterwards their son is ‘loaded up’ with more charges for resisting arrest and assaulting police.”
There needs to be an investigation to determine whether any officer who has been charged with child sex offences has strip searched a child. If it has happened then we as a society should bear the unimaginable shame for allowing it. There should also be an investigation into how this outrageous legislation came about, whoever is responsible should be held to account.
Since there are NSW police officers who have been charged with child sex offences, would you allow an officer to strip search your child? As it stands now - you have no choice!
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Evidence of cover ups by over 20 senior NSW police officers
Since it is unavoidable that there will be officers who do wrong, then it is imperative that senior officers do not cover up for them, otherwise they become enablers. If officers know that senior officers will cover up for them, it gives them a green light to act as they please.
Over the past 10 years Justice Matters has gathered conclusively documented evidence of senior officers using threats, false pretences and other duplicitous tactics to cover up misconduct. The evidence goes to the very top of the NSW Police including the Commissioner's Office, an assistant commissioner, 4 superintendents and several professional standards officers.
It is worrying to think that there would be one senior officer who was prepared to cover up misconduct, it is staggering to find out that it is so widespread. Prosecuting unethical senior NSW police
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Integrity unit head threatens member of the public
On one occasion a member of the public made a police report that implicated a NSW police constable in potentially criminal misconduct. Incredibly, another officer gave the police report to the constable who was implicated, and she buried it.
The head of a police integrity unit admitted all of this in writing but refused to take any action against the officers involved. When the member of the public insisted that both officers should face prosecution for perverting justice, the head of the integrity unit threatened the member of the public with prison if they contacted him again.
The member of the public lodged a complaint with the Commissioner’s office and a Superintendent acting on behalf of the Commissioner’s office used false pretenses to cover up for the head of the integrity unit.
Astonishingly, this entire incident took place in writing!
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It is worrying to think that there is even one senior officer who is prepared to cover up misconduct, it is staggering to find out that it is so widespread. What is most disturbing is they are so brazen about it, they seem to think that they are above the law – but they are not.
Since there are NSW police officers who have been charged with child sex offences, would you allow an officer to strip search your child? As it stands now - you have no choice!
A Superintendent acting on behalf of the Commissioner’s office used false pretences to cover up for the head of the integrity unit.
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