Who is the police integrity commissioner

A new police watchdog will be created by the state government, doing away with the much-maligned Police Integrity Commission and police division of the Ombudsman. Police Minister Troy Grant said the present system must be fixed because it "causes confusion and a lack of certainty for those who complain".

Credit: Kate Geraghty. The new commission will become the sole body responsible for detecting and investigating serious misconduct and corruption among police and overseeing complaints handling. Critical incidents, which are fatal or near-fatal incidents that involve police, will still be investigated by police but their work will be monitored by the LECC as part of its oversight functions.

The PIC was set up in after the Wood royal commission exposed endemic corruption within the police. However, it has been criticised in recent years for being overly secret, pursuing questionable investigations and wasting scarce resources.

Clive Small, a former NSW deputy commissioner, said the PIC ruined the careers and reputations of officers, sometimes without ever substantiating claims or allowing its methods to be scrutinised. He said the PIC was established for the right reasons but it became obsessed with finding "big scalps", despite the Wood royal commission rooting out most of the significant corruption.

The PIC has been criticised for some of its investigative methods during the long-running investigation into the bugging of innocent police officers' phones over a decade ago.

Mr Tink said he tested his idea for a single civilian oversight body with James Wood, head of the Wood royal commission, who gave reassurances that the model was achievable. Reporting Misconduct What is misconduct?

Making a complaint Your privacy Public interest disclosures Other complaint organisations Information for Members of Parliament. Investigating Misconduct Our investigative powers Information for witnesses Information for lawyers Assessment and investigation status updates Investigation reports Investigation summaries.

Search our site. Home Preventing and investigating public sector misconduct About the Commission. For Individuals Make a complaint Anyone can make a complaint to us about Tasmanian public sector misconduct.

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