New figures reveal that NSW Police firearms in the custody of off-duty police officers have been investigated 27 times since 2018 and that applications to join the NSW Police have almost halved since 2014. Firearms in the custody of police officers have been the subject of 13 complaints by the public and 18 reports by Police employees over the last 6 years in NSW. The number of applications to join the NSW Police that have been rejected for psychometric reasons is more than 3 times less than it was in 2018.
Greens MP and spokesperson for Justice Sue Higginson said “We already knew that police firearms were killing people on the streets, but these new complaint numbers show that firearms in the custody of off-duty police officers have been a known and consistent issue,”
“The number of investigations into off duty police and firearms has remained consistent for more than 5 years despite shrinking recruitment numbers and a shrinking proportion of applications being refused for psychometric reasons,”
“It begs the questions, why are a higher proportion of police recruits passing their psychological evaluation and what impact is it having on community safety?”
“It is very concerning that standards of entry for employment with the NSW Police might be declining because there is greater pressure to meet recruitment numbers. When taken alongside the chaotic and seemingly reckless management of police firearms, violent murders caused by police weapons are inevitable,”
“The review underway in NSW, that is looking at firearms control, is not enough to fix the things that are wrong. We keep seeing police investigating and reviewing police and it’s not leading to the changes we need and the community expects,”
“If we want a police force with integrity over its systems and operations that are accountable, then we need better independent police oversight. The Law Enforcement Conduct Commission is an excellent body but it is simply too limited in its powers and resources.” Ms Higginson said.
