Police offered no defence of officers during August investigation, but still ‘considering’ report

NSW police won't say if officers who abused Afghan women are still working

New South Wales police have refused to say whether two officers found to have engaged in serious misconduct by racially abusing two Afghan women at a traffic stop are still working.

On Friday the NSW opposition leader, Jodi McKay, said the two officers had “let the police force down badly” after footage of the incident showed the two officers taunting and belittling the two women.

“We need to maintain the trust of the police within our multicultural communities and, frankly, behaviour like this undermines the good work done by police officers across NSW,” McKay said.

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“People who come to Australia to live do so because they know we are a country of respect and tolerance. Let’s make sure we keep it that way.”

The footage was released by the state’s police watchdog, the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission, after an investigation into the incident in western Sydney in April.

It showed one officer telling the 24-year-old driver she was “the most stupidest person I’ve met as the driver of a motor vehicle” before threatening to falsely charge her as an accessory to murder.

Later, the second officer is heard asking one of the women what her religion is and demanding she “swear to Allah”.

In its investigation of the incident the LECC found the two officers had engaged in serious misconduct when they pulled over the 24-year-old and her stepmother.

It said the officers had “exhibited racial prejudice” and had used “intimidating and abusive language” while deliberately bullying and frightening the two women.

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The report was tabled in parliament on Thursday, but the LECC conducted interviews with the two officers involved in July. In August, a submission to the LECC from the NSW police made “no attempt to defend the conduct of either officer”.

But on Friday police would not say whether the officers were still on active duty.

“The NSW Police Force acknowledges the recent reports published by the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission and will consider all recommendations,” a police spokesperson said in a statement.

“A formal response will be provided to the LECC in due course.”

Asked specifically whether the two officers were still working and in what capacity, the spokesperson said: “As the report was only tabled yesterday, and as per our statement, the recommendations are now to be considered at our end.”

Labor’s assistant shadow minister for multiculturalism, Jihad Dib, said on Twitter the work of the police had been “undermined by the actions of these particular officers”.

“This was a frightening and humiliating experience for these two women from officers who are entrusted to do better than they did,” he said.