The independent NSW body that provides oversight of the NSW Police Force and the NSW Crime Commission says in their latest report that their work has ‘been busier than usual’, with ‘a 27.5% increase in the number of complaints’ being assessed.
The Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (LECC) released its annual report today, which outlines recommendations to improve police operations, case studies, while detailing work the commission does.
Its primary functions are to investigate serious misconduct and maladministration within these agencies and to oversee and monitor how complaints are handled.
Legislative impediments
The report’s Chief Commissioner, Peter Johnson SC, and Commissioner, Anina Johnson, say in their introduction, ‘Too much time was spent this year debating the scope of the Commission’s powers under the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission Act 2016 (NSW)’.
‘We prefer to work collaboratively with the NSW Police Force towards our mutual goal of ensuring that NSW law enforcement agencies are agencies of integrity and trusted by the public.
‘The Commission has recommended some simple legislative changes, to streamline the efficacy of its work.
Complaints
As for complaints to the LECC, they say ‘In 2024–25 we received 7,607’, with 6,421 being assessed. This resulted, they say, in 71 recommendations created about handling of complaints’.
On page 31, the report says, ‘In 2024–25, we conducted 70 preliminary enquiries and investigations’ into serious officer misconduct. There were 37full investigations conducted, and 35 matters completed. There are 35 matters ongoing say LECC.
A table of allegations is tabled from page 33, and the highest number of investigations relate to ‘Corruption – Misuse of authority’ at 13.
‘The Commission did not serve any Court Attendance Notices (CANs) during the reporting period’, they say.
Also of note was (page28) ‘In 2024–25, the Commission issued 35 notices to the NSW Police Force [.] requiring the NSW Police Force to investigate a complaint’.
Recommendation
Greens MP and spokesperson for Justice Sue Higginson said in a media release that the report calls for a ‘clear recommendation for a change to the law to ensure it has the tools to complete the work it was established to do’.
She says, ‘The reforms that the LECC have recommended include; powers to obtain information directly from the NSW Police, removal of delays in the timely sharing of information, and an alignment of powers between the NSW Police and the LECC and the LECC’s own oversight body (the Inspector of the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission).
‘This report reveals that significant time and public resources are being used in disputes between the LECC and the NSW Police, this is frankly an intolerable situation.
‘The LECC is doing its best within a broken framework. Instead of focusing on misconduct investigations, it is wasting public time and money debating its own powers with the NSW Police Force,”
‘The Minns Labor Government has the opportunity to fix this. They should bring forward simple amendments that end these disputes and restore public confidence in police oversight,’ Ms Higginson said.
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