The Lecc investigation, named Operation Bendoc, found the former constable, 31, used repeated excessive force six times from February to April 2024 and disposed of two BWV devices containing incriminating evidence into a body of water.<\/p>\n
The officer\u2019s resignation from the NSW police force was accepted by the commissioner of police in June, a month after the Lecc began an investigation over concerns that he had engaged in excessive use of force during the arrest of two teenagers on 16 February.<\/p>\n
Officers had been responding to a report that four young people at a train station with weapons were attempting to fight another person. Two people, aged 14 and 15, were arrested, while the others couldn\u2019t be found.<\/p>\n
Sign up: AU Breaking News email<\/a><\/p>\n The report found the former constable physically threw one of the young people to the ground and kicked them with force as they screamed in \u201cfear and pain\u201d, and also delivered three kicks to the stomach of the other teenager.<\/p>\n An affidavit prepared by a solicitor with the Aboriginal Legal Service after the event said their client was assaulted during the arrest and had grazes on his face.<\/p>\n The former officer admitted to the commission he had used excessive force and disposed of devices.<\/p>\n \u201cI certainly felt so angry that my response was to lash out and kick him,\u201d the former constable said to the commission of the February arrest.<\/p>\n The former constable spoke to four other police officers about aspects of his conduct, including using excessive force on two instances and destroying BWV devices. They failed to report the suspected misconduct, the investigation found.<\/p>\n The commission was satisfied their behaviour amounted to serious misconduct and recommended the police commissioner take reviewable action against them under the police act.<\/p>\n It also recommended the NSW police force provide additional support to officers experiencing \u201cexcessive stressors\u201d and potential mental health concerns, as well as enhanced training by the NSW police force on the duty to report suspected misconduct.<\/p>\n The chief commissioner, Peter Johnson SC, said Operation Bendoc revealed \u201cthe repeated use of gratuitous force by a police officer for punitive reasons\u201d.<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n Sign up to Breaking News Australia<\/p>\n Get the most important news as it breaks<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com<\/a> to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy<\/a>. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Service<\/a> apply.<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n \u201cThis is deeply troubling. Punishment of offenders is a matter for the courts. It is no part of the function of police officers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Johnson said the destruction of BWV devices to \u201cconceal an unlawful act\u201d was also of \u201cgreat concern\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cStrong action is necessary to deter officers who do not comply with these important requirements,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe reluctance of police officers to report knowledge or suspicion of misconduct by other police officers has been widely reported both in Australia and overseas. This approach erodes community confidence in the integrity of a police force.\u201d<\/p>\n The Lecc is independent of the NSW police force and NSW Crime Commission and is tasked with investigating the handling of complaints and possible serious misconduct, including via legislative review.<\/p>\n The term \u201cserious misconduct\u201d includes conduct of a police officer that could result in prosecution of up to five years\u2019 imprisonment or serious disciplinary action, according to the report. The Lecc has referred its findings to the director of public prosecutions for consideration.<\/p>\n Quick GuideContact Guardian AustraliaShow If you have something to share about this story, you can contact the Guardian Australia news teams using one of the following methods.<\/p>\n Secure Messaging in the Guardian app<\/p>\n The Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories. Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs. This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said.<\/p>\n If you don\u2019t already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS<\/a>\/Android<\/a>) and go to the menu. Select \u2018Secure Messaging\u2019.<\/p>\n Email<\/p>\n – If you don’t need strong security you can write to a Guardian Australia journalist using the details here<\/a>. Click on a person to see their details.\u00a0<\/p>\n – For end to end encrypted email you can create a free Protonmail<\/a> account and email\u00a0gaus.contact@protonmail.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n Messaging apps<\/p>\n You can also use the encrypted messaging apps Signal or WhatsApp to message us at +61 490 758 250.<\/p>\n SecureDrop and other secure methods<\/p>\n If you can safely use the tor network without being observed or monitored you can send messages and documents to the Guardian via our SecureDrop platform<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1763391549_8_4000.jpg\")
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