Ombudsman submission to the Review of Police Oversight in New South Wales - June 2015

This submission to the Review of Police Oversight in NSW responds to the requirement that the review should provide advice about ‘options for a single civilian oversight model for police in NSW’. We examine the principles underpinning the current model and how it works in practice, and recommend that any proposed changes should be informed by a proper understanding of the benefits and risks associated with a single oversight model. We also detail a number of changes that should be considered. In particular, we highlight the urgent need for new laws to remedy significant gaps in the current arrangements for oversighting police investigations into critical incidents and explain the need to update complaint handling provisions in the Police Act 1990.