Police and Sniffer Dogs

Use of drug detection “sniffer dogs” by NSW police has been on the rise in recent years. They are frequently seen at train stations and entertainment venues such as music festivals and pubs. Their use has been criticised, with the Sniff Off campaign page noting: “According to the figures sniffer dogs falsely indicate the presence of drugs 64-72% of the time and a whopping 80% of the time on and around public transport. Despite this, police use sniffer dog indications to conduct intrusive public searches.”

The Sniff Off facebook page includes information on where sniffer dogs have been spotted.

Complaints

If you have been subject to sniffer dogs or stopped and searched by police with sniffer dogs, there are also a number of other organisations you can complain to directly, including:

  • The Law Enforcement Conduct Commission. The Law Enforcement Conduct Commission is an independent statutory body responsible for investigating complaints against the police. It has its own independent investigators for these cases. Some less serious complaints will be referred to the police for investigation, but will be monitored by the Commission. You can get details on how to make a complaint here.

  • The NSW Police Local Area Commander in the area where you saw the dogs. To complain about NSW police officers, you can contact the Police Customer Assistance Unit on 1800 622 571.

  • The Police Integrity Commission: The Police Integrity Commission was established in 1996 by the NSW Parliament on the recommendation of the Royal Commission into the NSW Police Service. It is separate from and completely independent of the NSW Police. Its principal functions are to detect, investigate and prevent police misconduct. You can contact it on (02) 9321 6700 or contactus@pic.nsw.gov.au

  • Your local member of State Parliament.

You can complain if the dog touches you or if the police are aggressive, rude or behave inappropriately.

  • For more information contact NSW Council of Civil Liberties on 8090 2952

  • For a complaint about a violation of your civil liberties: complaints@nswccl.org.au

  • For general questions or advice please contact: office@nswccl.org.au