Shocking number of NSW Police officers charged with domestic violence related offences

New data has shed light into the staggering number of NSW Police officers charged with domestic violence related offences, including a constable facing choking charges.

Twenty-one NSW Police officers have been charged with 82 domestic violence related offences in the last year including stalking, choking, sexual assault, intimidation and even resisting arrest by their colleagues.

According to the latest NSW Police incident report involving DV-related charges of officers, the alleged offenders include two sergeants, 11 senior constables, seven constables and one probationary officer.

Some include contravening previously court mandated domestic violence orders or restrictions and also attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Of these, arrested last year to December 2023 and currently facing charges, 17 officers were men and four women.

The figure is a slight rise from about 19 officers charged in the previous year.

A NSW Police spokeswoman said regardless of rank or the fact they are officers of the law, they would all face the same criminal justice system as someone from the community.

Twenty-one NSW Police officers have been charged with 82 domestic violence related offences in the last year.

She said the officers could be suspended from duty with or without pay or placed on restricted duties and in all cases would not be in possession or be able to access firearms.

“Each of these courses of action are dependent upon the gravity of the offence and the risk to the person who needs protection, that being the other domestic partner, and managing the risk to the community and fellow work colleagues,” she said.

“Irrespective of the determination of guilt or a penalty delivered by the court system, the organisation has the ability to investigate the matter internally and deliver a range of penalties and sanctions.”

These include loss of rank, formal warnings and in “severe cases” sacking from the force.

According to the latest NSW Police incident report involving DV-related charges of officers, the alleged offenders include two sergeants, 11 senior constables, seven constables and one probationary officer.

One male constable was facing five charges including intentionally choke, stalk and intimidation intended to cause fear and physical harm, intentionally record intimate image, threaten to distribute intimate image and use a service to menace/harass and or offend.

A sergeant was also charged with six DV-related counts including three charges of intending to pervert the course of justice.

A female senior constable was charged with four counts of assaulting police in the execution of their duty related to an investigation of her alleged charge of stalk and intimidation.

A NSW Police officer leaving caught after being formally charged with a domestic violence related assault. Picture: Supplied

In the latest case reported last week, police at the South West Metropolitan Command launched an investigation after receiving a report of multiple alleged domestic violence incidents in November 2023.

Following extensive investigation the 28-year-old officer was charged with 14 counts of access or modify restricted data before being charged with five counts of common assault DV, three counts of stalk or intimidate intend fear physical harm DV, two counts of use carriage service to menace or harass or offend and assault occasioning actual bodily harm DV.

He was given strict bail conditions to appear in Picton Court on May 16.

A sergeant was also charged with six DV-related counts including three charges of intending to pervert the course of justice.

By comparison, South Australia Police, which has about one third of officers as NSW (17,000), had one police officer and one community constable charged for DV related offences last year.

Victoria Police with a similar number of officers as NSW would not readily disclose how many of its personnel had been charged but in 2020 had 23 officers charged with DV. Queensland Police would not reveal their data on criminally charged police officers.