Calls are growing for a parliamentary inquiry into use of force by New South Wales police, with justice experts saying too much focus is being placed on the actions of individual police officers rather than the “festering” systemic problem.

“It’s about time we had some accountability from high up rather than those who are part of what’s happening on the ground," Samantha Lee of the Redfern Legal Centre said. 

Josh Pallas, president of the NSW Council for Civil Liberties, said what connects these cases is a poor culture around the use of force, and a parliamentary inquiry is necessary to root out the problems.

“It would provide more scrutiny and a political consensus about the way forward,” he said.

He said there needs to be a more rigorous process for when Tasers or guns can be deployed to change the way police manage situations. However he noted the lethal weapons were already only meant to be used as a last resort or where there were people who were injured or at threat of injury.

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