The rules are there for a reason.
End illegal strip searches in NSW.
Festivals, train stations, parks. These are the places we go to catch up with friends, get to work, and be part of our community. That’s why the law puts strict limits on when police can strip search someone. It’s a serious thing to do to a person, so the bar is high.
Here’s the problem. Senior NSW Police have chosen to ignore the limits and leave them out of the officer training manual, and a landmark court case has now confirmed thousands of these searches were unlawful.
But we can set the standard they have to meet.
Add your name to the open letter telling the Commissioner what we expect: A NSW where our public spaces are places of community and connection, and where strip searches are rare because frontline officers know and follow the law.
- Your name and where you’re from go on the open letter. That’s what gives it weight: real people, right across NSW, telling the Commissioner to follow the rules.
- The open letter needs an email to count your signature. It’s not printed on the letter and it’s not handed to NSW Police.
- For organisations that want your logo added as a supporter to the open letter – once you have submitted your details through the form, please email your logo to [email protected]
Subject: Strip Search Supporter Logo
Add your name to the open letter and let’s tell them to start following the rules.
Read the open letter
27 May 2026
Commissioner Mal Lanyon APM NSW Police Force
Dear Commissioner Lanyon,
The rules are there for a reason: end illegal strip searches in NSW
From train stations to parks to festivals, public spaces are where people travel to work, see friends, and build community. Everyone should be able to feel safe in these places.
Unlawful strip searches make public spaces less safe. They are inherently invasive and often deeply traumatic, with the heaviest harm falling on young people, First Nations communities, and survivors of sexual violence. Section 31 of LEPRA permits a strip search only where an officer reasonably suspects it is necessary, and the seriousness and urgency of the circumstances require it. Suspicion of drug possession does not meet that threshold. The rules are there for a reason.
You took office at a moment of reckoning for strip search practice. In 2025, the Supreme Court confirmed what coroners, the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission, and successive inquiries had warned since 2013: NSW Police have unlawfully strip searched thousands of people. The court found systemic failures in training, supervision, and operational guidance, not isolated misconduct.
NSW Police told the court the problem had already been addressed. The court was not satisfied. Justice Yehia found a ‘conspicuous deficiency’ in training and monitoring that resulted in a ‘flagrant disregard’ of people’s rights. The Person Search Manual still contains guidance at odds with the law.
You have the authority and opportunity to fix this. We ask you to act now to:
- Revise the Person Search Manual to make clear that strip searches for suspected drug possession require reasonable suspicion of a supply offence, and that welfare concerns based on suspected possession do not in themselves meet the legal threshold.
- Reform training so every officer receives regular, scenario-based instruction on the law, including the obligation to have a parent, guardian, or independent support person present when strip searching a young person.
- Require officers to record the reasons for a strip search on Body Worn Video before it commences.
- Monitor compliance publicly and hold accountable officers who conduct unlawful searches, and those responsible for training and supervision.
These rules protect the public from unnecessary trauma, your officers from acting unlawfully, and the trust between NSW Police and the communities you serve. They ensure people can attend a festival, ride a train, or walk through a park without fear of being unlawfully strip searched.
You have said publicly that public confidence in policing is a priority. Reforming strip search practice would deliver on that commitment. We would welcome the chance to meet to discuss how this work can move forward.
These rules protect the public from unnecessary trauma, your officers from acting unlawfully, and the trust between NSW Police and the communities you serve. They ensure people can attend a festival, ride a train, or walk through a park without fear of being unlawfully strip searched.
You have said publicly that public confidence in policing is a priority. Reforming strip search practice would deliver on that commitment. We would welcome the chance to meet to discuss how this work can move forward.
Yours sincerely,
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Want to know more?
Read our policy brief – The Rules Are There for a Reason: Ending illegal strip searches in NSW.
It outlines the issue at hand, the evidence, and provides a clear proposed solution for NSW.