Michael McGowan reporting in The Sydney Morning Herald.
Data obtained by the Herald reveal complaints about police use of force have more than doubled in the past seven years. The data, collated by the Redfern Legal Centre, shows that in 2015-16 there were 395 complaints made against officers over their use of force.
By 2021-22 that number had more than doubled to 1007 complaints annually. While the spike in the number of complaints does not mean all of those were upheld, its release coincides with an ongoing investigation by the NSW police watchdog into the force used by officers involved in the arrest of a 14-year-old Aboriginal boy in the state’s north in September last year.
Redfern Legal Centre solicitor Samantha Lee said she was concerned that “the use of force has become routine, rather than an action to be considered in proportion to the level of threat facing an officer at the time”.
“Until there is in-depth external examination of the use of force by NSW Police, this systemic problem will continue to fester and cause unnecessary harm,” she said.
