The NSW police watchdog found in a report released on Thursday that mandatory forms for officer-involved domestic and family violence incidents were being filed less than a third of the time, despite the rules being in place since 2018.
The review investigated a total of 67 incidents relating to 56 officers in the year to March 2025, during which 17 cops were charged with offences.
Only seven have been dismissed by the force while eight were found not guilty, the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission found.
One officer had a complaint sustained against him in court for intimidation of his partner but remained employed by the force.
In a threatening email to the complainant during a trial separation, the officer said he would "f*** you over in every way possible because of how you are treating me" and allegedly called her 70 times in one day.
He kept his job despite being subject to an apprehended domestic violence order for two years.
Further case studies included in the watchdog's report referenced victims who said they felt they could not report alleged abuse for financial reasons, while others feared retribution.
"I knew I couldn't go to the police station because reporting a domestic violence incident would mean he would ... likely be suspended without pay then we wouldn't be able to afford to pay the house loan, bills or feed the kids," one victim said.
Another victim, who had a rib broken by a serving officer, said she did not report the incident because of his employment.
The commission recommended reinforcing the importance of submitting conflict-of-interest and risk assessment forms to boost compliance levels and improve transparency.
New measures introduced in October and not assessed by the watchdog require a review of all officer-involved domestic violence incidents at the commander level within 72 hours.
"While the commission cannot comment on the efficacy of this review, we would expect that its existence improves compliance with conflict-of-interest assessments," the report said.
All domestic violence incidents involving a police officer will also now be reviewed by an assistant commissioner, the commission said.
NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley said the force would consider the recommendations and respond in due course.
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