Parliamentary Inquiry called into NSW Police  

Upper House NSW Greens MP and Lismore resident, Sue Higginson, says she tabled a notice of motion in NSW Parliament on Tuesday calling for a Parliamentary Inquiry into NSW Police, following the tasering of 95-year-old dementia patient, Clare Nowland last week.

Higginson, who is also the Greens spokesperson for Justice, said the inquiry should include the subsequent revelations of other incidents of police causing harm to elderly residents in aged care homes across the state.

Her motion comes days after the conviction of Sydney police officer, Ryan Barlow, for the assault of a 16-year-old First Nations boy, who was filmed hitting the ground, face first, with a leg sweep. 

Additionally, a report by the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (LECC) on Tuesday ‘identifies a plethora of failings in matters of integrity and oversight in the NSW Police,’ Higginson says. 

Higginson says she has also referred the tasering of Ms Nowland to the LECC, demanding a fully independent investigation, instead of the internal investigation.

Footage refusal

Her motion also calls for the bodycam footage of Ms Nowland’s tasering to be released to the public, ‘after Police Commissioner, Karen Webb, confirmed yesterday she would not watch the footage’. 

Higginson said, ‘The tasering of Ms Nowland has sparked a community outrage that shows how desperately we need police reform’. 

‘The NSW Police are tasked with keeping our communities and vulnerable people safe. 

Tip of the iceberg 

‘Instead, people are coming forward with alarming examples of ways the NSW Police have acted out of turn and rarely faced consequences – I fear this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the extent of the issue. 

‘The refusal to release the bodycam footage protects NSW Police from public scrutiny for all the wrong reasons – the NSW community has a right to know exactly what happened when Clare Nowland was tasered, so we can start to take the steps needed for change. 

‘We need to shine a light on policing in NSW now, and a Parliamentary Inquiry would allow us to do this’.