NSW Police civil litigation payments: $225 million in taxpayer funds paid out to victims of assault, battery, unlawful arrest cases

NSW Police have coughed up millions in your taxpayer cash to pay out civil claims made against frontline cops over assaults, malicious prosecution and intimidation cases. See the cash figure here.

NSW Police have coughed up more than $225 million in taxpayer funds for a litany of civil payouts. Photo: Tom Parrish

NSW Police have coughed up more than $225 million in taxpayer funds for a litany of civil payouts over allegations of cop assaults and battery, unlawful imprisonment, malicious prosecution and intimidation.

New cash figures, released to NSW Parliament, uncovered $225,419,249 in taxpayer funds had been paid out to complainants between 2016 and 2023 – in an effort to settle more than 2000 civil cases taken out against NSW Police – with a massive $37.757 million in payouts in the last financial year alone.

A representative of Police Minister Yasmin Catley told parliament settlements were also made for cases of police negligence, trespass, conversion, injurious falsehood and “misfeasance in public office”.

One Nation upper house MLC Rod Roberts said frontline officers were being “let down by the executive” due to a lack of adequate training.

“Police officers aren’t intentionally going out of their way to harm members of the public or break the law,” He said. “They are being left exposed because they aren’t provided with training – instead they are being loaded up with political nonsense and not the basics of police powers.”

Mr Roberts said young frontline cops were being “sent out to do a job without the basic skills needed to survive”.

“This is taxpayer cash that we are talking about,” He said. “There needs to be more supervision and education for our frontline officers.

NSW Police have paid out $37.757 million in the last financial year alone. Picture: NCA NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard

“This is clearly a systemic issue and there has been no improvement for half a decade.”

The shock cash payout figures come just weeks after former NSW Premier Kristina Keneally’s son Daniel narrowly escaped jail after he was found guilty of fabricating a statement that wrongfully landed a man behind bars.

Keneally falsified an official report in 2021 about a phone call he received while working as a police officer at Newtown police station.

Daniel Keneally pictured leaving the Downing Centre, Sydney. The son of former NSW premier Kristina Keneally will "hold his head high" after being found guilty of fabricating a statement that wrongfully landed a man behind bars. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Monique Harmer

During his sentence, Magistrate Rodney Brender described the offending as a serious “crime against public justice” with Keneally’s 15-month intensive correction order stayed amid appeal.

A court was previously told Keneally claimed the caller, Luke Moore – the founder of website I Sue Police, made threats about wanting a rural detective “dead” and “as good as gone”.

He was imprisoned on remand for three weeks after a recording cleared his name and he was issued a state apology. Keneally was later charged.

It’s unknown whether Moore has brought a civil case against the state.

$225,419,249 in taxpayer funds had been paid out to complainants between 2016 and 2023.

In another case, an unnamed man, represented by O’Brien Criminal & Civil Solicitors, successfully sued NSW police for assault, battery and false imprisonment.

He was accused of riding a bike without a helmet, however, he informed police he had walked to the McDonald’s.

After he was threatened with a warning, he continued to deny the accusations and was later restrained, put into an arm lock and wrongfully searched.

He felt humiliated and the civil court awarded him damages for the loss he suffered.

A NSW Police spokeswoman said it “acknowledges the significant number of civil claims”. “Every claim that is received is treated as a complaint,” she said.

“All are separately analysed to identify if there are any opportunities for training or education, and to assess if any systemic issues are identified.”

NSW Police did not disclose the number of civil litigation claims being raised this financial year.