Two incidents involving NSW police that have recently captured
public attention to the point of horror have revealed that officers
on the beat are acting as if their uniforms place them above the
law, and that standard operating procedures might read well but
don't apply on the ground, while further the expectation
appears to be that officers who apply excessive force won't be
reprimanded.
These two incidents involve excessively violent use of force on
a civilian under vastly different circumstances. However, both
incidents are similar in that they involve officers criminally
assaulting a civilian and apparently considering no consequences
would be forthcoming, or that they lacked the ability to foresee
the potential negative outcomes that their actions could likely
result in.
