Raptor 13: NSW Police Senior Constable Andrew Murphy restricted duties

A NSW Police officer found to have engaged in “serious misconduct” by racially abusing two Afghan women during a traffic stop has been on restricted duties since earlier this year, the force has confirmed.

Senior Constable Andrew Murphy, dubbed “Raptor 13”, developed a cult following after a series of controversial incidents were caught on camera, including a dramatic clash with mourners at the funeral of slain bikie boss Mahmoud “Mick” Hawi last year.

In one incident – footage of which has since made its way onto YouTube – the policeman was seen shoving an elderly motorcycle rider before throwing his licence on the ground.

In another, he was filmed holding a metal pole to a man’s head during a traffic stop.

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But he also made headlines when he was captured alongside his offsider delivering a “rude and disrespectful” spray at a 24-year-old female P-plater and her stepmother near Parramatta.

The April 20 incident was captured on the body cameras of the two senior constables and their Raptor Highway Patrol in-car video.

In its report published on October 31, the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission found that both officers engaged in “serious misconduct” by racially abusing the two Afghan women during the April traffic stop and should be considered for disciplinary action.

The commission found that charging the driver with failing to indicate “when the circumstances – proceeding straight through the roundabout – justified an exercise of discretion” amounted to bullying. It said the five charges laid were “excessive multi-layering”.

Both men were found by the force’s watchdog to be “unfit for purpose as a police officer”, having breached the Police Act, Code of Conduct and Ethics, and provisions of the Law Enforcement (Powers and Responsibilities) Act.

But the determination for Officer 1 – Senior Constable Murphy – was clarified as being “presently unfit” to deal with the public.

“Since earlier this year, the officer has been performing appropriate restricted duties,” a NSW Police spokeswoman said to news.com.au today.

More than seven minutes of the 12-minute traffic stop with the two women were not recorded.

But in the video accompanying the LECC findings, Senior Constable Murphy is heard saying: “Don’t argue with me love or you’ll be going back in the paddy wagon as accessory to bloody murder.”

In evidence given privately to the commission in July, Senior Constable Murphy conceded that comment could be described as bullying and intimidation to a degree “but continued to deny he lost his temper”.

But the LECC report described his remarks as “totally wrong and disrespectful”.

“Officer 1 said in the future he should ‘treat people how you want to be treated yourself’ and said he could benefit from counselling or anger management to ‘get to the crux of’ why he acted like this,” it stated.

The officer agreed that when he told the young woman “You’d have to be the most stupidest (sic) person I’ve met as a driver of a motor vehicle” he was being “rude, discourteous and disrespectful”.

He told the LECC he was “not proud” of saying it.

The report said: “Officer 1 claimed that he had never been this rude to anyone else before, but later agreed that ‘it has happened in the past’ (outside of dealing with members of outlaw motorcycle gangs) though not ‘many times’.”

Senior Constable Murphy also denied that his behaviour was “because they were Muslim, but he agreed that it might appear that way to a person in the street” and could reasonably be seen by the woman as “racially motivated and bigoted conduct”.

Strike Force Raptor was established after a deadly brawl between bikie gangs at Sydney Airport in 2009.

According to NSW Police, the specialised unit “conducts proactive investigations and intelligence-based, high-impact policing operations to prevent and disrupt conflicts, and dismantle any network engaged in serious organised criminal activity”.

This includes any violence and/or organised crime involving outlaw motorcycle gangs.

sarah.mcphee@news.com.au

– with Frank Chung

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