NSW cops ‘unfit for jobs’ after threatening arrest for ‘accessory to murder’ without justification

Two police officers seriously breached protocol when they pulled over a female driver and threatened to arrest her for being ‘an accessory to murder’, a commission has found. 

The Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (LECC) released video of the incident in April when the two senior constables pulled over the 24-year-old driver and her stepmother in Parramatta, western Sydney.

The officers pursued the car as they believed the older woman wasn’t wearing a seat belt and later failed to indicate at a roundabout.

Once they pulled the women over one officer said: ‘You have to be the most stupidest (sic) person I’ve met as a driver of a motor vehicle with a police vehicle [following you] all the way since Church Street to here.’

The woman explained she wasn’t sure if police were pursuing her – however the officer spoke over her and continued his verbal attack.

He then began to demand identification from the women, with the young driver explaining her passenger didn’t have any with her.

When the woman failed to produce it, he said they were going to ‘take her back to jail anyway’ before he demanded the passenger get out of the car. 

The officer told his fellow officer to ‘whack the cuffs’ on the driver while he retrieved something from the car.

When the women tried to ask questions and explain their situation, he told them he would ‘charge her as an accessory to murder’.

The officers demanded the women (pictured) get out of the car as the passenger had no identification on her

‘Don’t argue with me love or you’ll be going back in the paddy wagon as accessory to bloody murder,’ he said.

While he rummaged through the car, his fellow officer could be heard telling the 24-year-old to hand in her licence if she ‘didn’t know how to drive on Australian roads’.

He then asked her to ‘swear to god’ and ‘swear to Allah’.

When their was confusion about the older woman’s date of birth the officer said she had 30 seconds to tell the truth or he would take her to a police station. 

The other officer then said ‘Villawood’ – and when the driver said she was on a temporary visa, he said the older woman had ‘aid and abet’.

When the women tried to ask questions and explain their situation he told them he would ‘charge her as an accessory to murder’

The police charged the young driver with driving with an unrestrained passenger, negligent driving, disobeying police, not complying with licence conditions and fail to indicate at a roundabout.

She complained to the LECC about how she and her stepmother were treated. 

One officer said he was ‘not proud of’ some of the comments he made to the women – some of which he had ‘no authority’ to make.

He said on the day he ‘lost his cool’.

During the investigation the officer denied his behaviour was because the women were Muslim.

He did concede his behaviour might have appeared racially motivated to the women or people passing on the street. 

One of the officers (not pictured) threatened to take the driver to prison for arguing as an ‘accessory to murder’

He also apologised for some of his comments he made during the traffic stop.

The other officer denied he tried to give the impression that the passenger would be taken to Villawood Detention Centre regarding claims she had broken the conditions of her visa. 

He admitted he was rude to the women on the day.

The LECC found that the officers had in the past been rude to members of the public and recommended disciplinary action.

A NSW Police spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia: ‘NSW Police force acknowledges the recent reports published by the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission and will consider all recommendations.

‘A formal response will be provided to the LECC in due course.’