A shocking proportion of police use of force incidents in NSW involve at First Nations people.
In data released to the Redfern Legal Centre under access to information laws, 13,161 of the 28,826 recorded 'events' can be seen to have involved an Indigenous person.
It represents nearly 45 per cent of all such events, despite First Nations people making up only 3.4 per cent of the state's population.
Samantha Lee, the senior solicitor at Redfern Legal Centre, described the figure as "hideous".
"The stats show that use of force is used disproportionately against First Nations people in New South Wales," she told NITV.
"It's not just a case of a bad apple. It's a systemic problem that requires a systemic solution.
The data is also a snapshot of discrimination faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in NSW, Ms Lee believes.
"These stats could feed into the Closing the Gap reforms. We need to know how police are treating First Nations people in order to address the presence of First Nations people in the criminal justice system."
In a statement, NSW Police said their 18,000 officers "regularly face all manner of situations and risks to their personal safety."
"When faced with a situation where force is used, such force must be considered reasonable and appropriate based upon the level of resistance met or the threat presented."
Calls for parliamentary inquiry
'Use of force' is loosely defined as physical actions an officer undertakes against a civilian in an attempt to apprehend them.
It includes the use of firearms, batons, handcuffs and also weaponless contact such as punching and kicking.
Redfern Legal Centre (RLC) has been at the centre of a recent push to more clearly define, monitor and limit the use of force by NSW Police.
RLC, the Aboriginal Legal Service and the Public Interest Advocacy Centre have written to NSW parliamentarians calling for an inquiry into the issue.
"We hear a lot about training, training, training of police officers; training is one aspect of a very big problem," said Ms Lee.
"The inquiry should examine the issues from recruitment, to data collection, to training, to performance monitoring. All these issues need to be addressed."
Ms Lee said the use of force against First Nations people "in particular" needed to be addressed and minimised, also calling on the police commissioner to instigate an examination and cultural shift within NSW Police.
Watchdog says police 'under-reporting' use of force
The latest revelations follow a report in February from the state's police oversight body which found significant issues in the use and reporting of use of force events
The Law Enforcement Conduct Commission found there were "widespread inconsistencies" in the information police had collected, and an under-reporting of the use of force.
There were also "gaps in training" on the recording of tactical and use of force options, and a lack of processes that could identify and address inaccuracies in use of force data, the report found.
The report made 11 recommendations, including a review of training modules on use of force reporting.
NSW Police defending their reporting processes in a statement.
"Officers are required to record details of all force or tactical options used when completing the corresponding ‘event’; the ‘events’ are subject to a verification process, which offers an opportunity for review of the action taken.
"Further, NSWPF has recently established the Police Powers Panel which provides a further opportunity for review of the use of force and police powers."
