NSW Police officers charged with assault after 92-year-old suffers fractured elbow, head bruising in Picton

NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb says a court will have to determine whether two officers used excessive force after an elderly man suffered a fractured elbow and “significant bruising to his head and arms” following an incident in Sydney’s south-west.

Officers responded to two triple zero calls, made seven minutes apart, from an elderly woman at a home in Campbell Street, Picton, after 8.45pm on January 21.

The calls were reportedly related to domestic violence, but resulted in a 92-year-old man who was reportedly injured by officers and hospitalized as a result of the interaction.

Webb said he thinks it’s likely the elderly woman who made the calls has dementia.

“Police officers are called to things like this and they don’t know what they’re getting themselves into,” Webb said.

“Obviously it’s a complex issue when you have someone who is elderly, someone who has mental decline due to dementia … who can’t really articulate any concerns to the police properly and that will all be part of the police investigation and response.”

Webb said she watched the footage for an hour before speaking to the media, but could not comment on what she saw because the matter is now in court.

She said the male senior constable and the male constable were experienced but not veterans.

She confirmed that the investigation began the day after the incident from an immediate internal review and that the officers were on duty before being suspended today.

The victim received help from the police.

“We are concerned for his welfare, we have officers with him today … This gentleman is being supported by NSW Police following the incident,” Webb said.

Webb said it was too presumptuous to talk about a training review in response to this case because it is still under investigation.

“We respond to over two million calls for service … over 140,000 for domestic violence alone and I am confident that officers are responding to those calls in the majority of cases.

“If there are cases where we have concerns about the way we respond then we will investigate, as we did in this case, we opened an investigation the very next day.”

One of the officers will appear in Campbelltown Local Court on July 30.

The other is due to appear in Campbelltown Local Court on August 6.