NSW Police probe after two officers charged with assault and another issues fake breath test

An internal police investigation is underway after a NSW senior constable faked a breath test on the son of a senior officer.
The officer was patrolling regional roads in Narrandera, in the state’s southwest, when he pulled over a vehicle about 10.30pm on a Friday in August.
He failed to carry out a proper breath test on the male driver, who was reportedly the son of a more-senior officer.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.After the driver admitted he had been drinking, the senior constable told him to count to 10 while he held the breathalyser the opposite way around so it would not register a reading, the Daily Telegraph reported.
In a statement on Thursday, NSW Police said the officer failed to conduct a proper breath test on the driver and was subsequently charged with two offences.
The senior constable self-reported the incident at his next shift, police said.
He was initially charged with neglecting his duty and preventing the course of justice but the second, more serious charge was later dropped.
The officer pleaded guilty to the first charge and is due to be sentenced in Griffith Local Court on Friday.
However, the senior constable was never suspended from duty and NSW Police failed to issue a public statement about the charges - as is routine for officer-related incidents.
NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Paul Pisanos admitted such incidents eroded community confidence.
“There’s definitely been some breakdown in terms of communication up the line,” he told Sydney Radio 2GB.
The charges follow a separate incident in which a high-ranking officer was accused of crashing a work car in a tunnel while driving drunk in May 2023.
No public statement was issued on that incident, which NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb put down to it being something that “slipped through the cracks”.
Meanwhile, two NSW police officers have been charged with the assault of an elderly man following an incident in southwest Sydney earlier this year.
Officers responded to reports of a domestic incident at a home in Campbell St, Picton, about 8.45pm on January 21.
The 92-year-old man received injuries which were allegedly the result of an interaction with the officers, NSW Police said.
He was taken to hospital where he was admitted with a fracture to his right elbow and significant bruising to his head and arms.
Following an internal investigation, a constable and senior constable were served court attendance notices on Wednesday for assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
The constable faces a further charge of assault.
One of the officers will appear at Campbelltown Local Court on July 30 while the other is due to appear at the same court on August 6.
Both officers will be suspended with pay.