A senior NSW Police officer is involved in an alleged cover-up following a drunken car crash.

A Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (LECC) report has disclosed allegations of serious misconduct involving a senior NSW officer of the New South Wales Police. 

The report (PDF) says the officer, referred to as Officer AB, was involved in a crash while allegedly under the influence of alcohol and subsequently attempted to commit insurance fraud.

In May 2023, Officer AB crashed an unmarked police vehicle on Sydney’s NorthConnex. 

The LECC report states that instead of waiting for a breathalyser test, Officer AB left the scene and later provided false information on the insurance claim form regarding the incident.

The commission's findings highlighted significant concerns about the leniency shown towards Officer AB by his commander and the internal police review process. 

“When a senior officer crashed a vehicle while drunk and committed insurance fraud, police pursued ‘arm's length’ internal investigations and stated their main concern was that the officer ‘got through the ordeal with as much support as possible’,” says Sue Higginson, Greens MP and spokesperson for justice.

The report noted that while there was no direct evidence of interference in the initial police investigation, 

NSW Police's failure to issue a timely media release was seen as damaging to the force's reputation. 

Additionally, the LECC raised issues about the police practice of automatically deleting work-related electronic messages, which could hinder transparency and accountability.

Higginson emphasised the severity of the situation, describing it as “outright lying and gross misconduct from a senior member of the force”, enabled by an embedded culture of impunity. 

“When police do the wrong thing, they must be held accountable and the public must know. Instead, this officer maintained his prestigious position, continued to hold his driver's licence, and was immediately given access to another police vehicle,” she said.

The investigation also revealed that a safe-driving panel was only established three months after the incident, following LECC inquiries. 

Higginson pointed out that without the commission's oversight, it was unlikely that NSW Police would have issued statements or followed basic internal accountability measures.

The LECC's report recommended that NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb provide guidance on the use of encrypted applications and the deletion of messages from police-issued phones. 

It also acknowledged that senior police had conceded that a media release should have been issued following the incident.

The charges against Officer AB for drink-driving are still pending and are set for a summary hearing in the Local Court. 

Chief Commissioner Peter Johnson says that both the general public and other police officers are watching to see if allegations of criminal conduct by a police officer will be handled equitably.