More than 2200 "customer service-related" allegations, defined as those made by members of the community, victims, witnesses and other officers, were made against NSW police officers in the 2018-19 financial year.
NSW Police has set an annual target of 10 customer service complaints for every 100 officers in each area, but complaints exceeded that target in 43 of the 63 police police area commands and police districts that operate across the state last year.
The average rate of complaint last year was 12.4 for every 100 officers, up from 11.1 in 2016.
Professor of Criminology at the University of Sydney Murray Lee said customer service complaints could be an indicator of community trust in police in different regions.
"Community relations for police are everything really, you can't do a good job of policing if you're getting the community offside, people will stop reporting crimes and stop wanting to engage with police," he said.
Samantha Lee, head of the police accountability practice at the Redfern Legal Centre, said setting a target of one complaint for every 10 officers "sends a message that complaints are an accepted part of policing".
Ms Lee said police handling of complaints was also an issue and that those lodged by the centre for its clients are often "dismissed and not substantiated, without sufficient transparency or reasoning".
Read the full story here (Sydney Morning Herald, 5 July 2020)
