00:00Constable Reuben Timperley is accused of repeatedly assaulting and intimidating his former partner,
00:09but he was set free by his New South Wales police colleagues earlier this year without
00:13any bail conditions as he fights the charges.
00:17I don't think I ever saw a case where somebody was charged with domestic violence offences,
00:25certainly of this nature, without having bail conditions.
00:28It's extraordinary.
00:30It's very unusual.
00:32He's one of 42 New South Wales police officers who have been charged with domestic violence
00:36offences since January 2023.
00:39Of those, 10 were refused bail by police, 14 were placed on conditional police bail
00:44and 18 avoided bail conditions altogether.
00:48Among those granted police bail was former senior constable Jordan Weston in late 2023,
00:54despite his former partner expressing fears for her safety.
00:58He was later convicted of repeatedly assaulting, stalking and intimidating his victim.
01:03It's absolutely crucial that those who are in relationships with police officers feel
01:08that they have the same protection as the rest of the community for that key danger
01:12period between investigation, charging and court.
01:18Former magistrate David Hilpern is calling for an overhaul of the system to ensure police
01:22officers are not making vital decisions about their own colleagues' bail status.
01:28He says instead they should be made by the Director of Public Prosecution's Office.
01:34Investigations should be at arm's length because there's an inherent conflict of interest between
01:41where police are investigating police, especially as we know with the kind of culture that exists.
01:46In Victoria, bail decisions about police officers are only made by the assisted commissioner
01:51with the Professional Standards Command and the process is overseen by the state's police watchdog.
01:57We're open-minded to that.
01:59In New South Wales at the moment we comply with the Bail Act and apply the Bail Act objectively.
02:04Attorney-General Michael Daly would not comment on whether he would consider any changes to
02:09the Bail Act.
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