A guide to applying for police records that can help you substantiate a police complaint.
Prior to making a police complaint, it is generally recommended you apply to obtain police records relating to your complaint matter. Obtaining police documents may assist by providing evidence supporting your complaint. To obtain police records you must make an application under the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (NSW).
The NSW Police Force Information Access Unit has a standard form (scroll down to ‘Access Application Form (Includes Bail Report)’) for information access applications. You do not need to use the standard form, but it is the simplest way to make sure you are making a valid application.
The aim of this guide is to help you correctly complete the form and work out what information you should be requesting from the NSW Police Force.
Download RLC’s NSWPF GIPA Application Guide below. The guide explains how to fill in the application and includes a sample ‘Schedule’ of documents to include in your request.