It was set up on 1 July 2017 to replace the Police Integrity Commission[1] and the Police and Compliance Branch of the Office of the Ombudsman[2] The Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (LECC) independently oversights the handling of complaints about officers and administrative staff of the NSWPF and the NSWCC.
[6] The Law Enforcement Conduct Commission Act 2016 (NSW) governs the work and goals of the LECC which include: The Law Enforcement Conduct Commission Act 2016 (NSW) states that the NSWPF and NSWCC are primarily responsible for the investigation and prevention of misconduct and maladministration, with oversight by the LECC.
The types of misconduct frequently referred to the LECC include allegations of: Of the complaints made directly to the NSWPF, the LECC assesses all notifiable complaints and determines whether: If the LECC disagrees with the police's decision to decline to investigate a notifiable misconduct matter, it can compel the NSWPF to investigate the matter and notify the complainant of that fact.
Another function of the LECC is to ensure that the NSWPF and the NSWCC deal with misconduct matters appropriately.
The purpose of the oversight is to ensure that the NSWPF has conducted those investigations reasonably and with appropriate outcomes.
In monitoring Critical Incidents, the LECC considers whether the NSWPF has considered the lawfulness and reasonableness of the actions of NSWPF officers involved in the critical incident, if the actions of police followed relevant policies and procedures, any complaints about the conduct of the involved officers, and any systemic issues arising from the actions of the NSWPF officers.
[20] The LECC's Prevention and Education team undertakes research and investigations that focus on systemic misconduct or maladministration in the NSWPF and NSWCC.
The team can make recommendations to improve the way the NSWPF or the NSWCC identify and prevent misconduct, unlawful actions, and unreasonable practices.
[22] This allows the LECC to understand the operation of policies and processes related to the way the NSWPF and NSWCC handle misconduct matters.
[29] In January 2017, it was announced that former NSW Supreme Court justice Michael Adams would be its first Chief Commissioner.
[39] On 1 July 2022, Mr Bruce McClintock SC started his appointment as the Inspector of the LECC.
[41] In March 2021, a Commission investigation found that police officers tasked with investigating outlaw motorcycle gangs had harassed a solicitor in retaliation for his actions in representing a member of one of those gangs in criminal proceedings.
In March 2018, the LECC complained that, due to funding cuts, it had been unable to investigate over 50 complaints of police misconduct over the preceding seven months.