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Police bugging inquiry report says Deputy Commissioner Nick Kaldas deserves an apology

NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Nick Kaldas was heavily targeted in the bugging operation. Photo: Peter Rae

Deputy NSW police commissioner Nick Kaldas deserves an apology for being targeted with dozens of listening device warrants more than a decade ago, an upper house inquiry is expected to recommend.

The report of the parliamentary inquiry into a long-running bugging scandal that has rocked the upper echelons of the NSW police force will also find that a new inquiry should be held into how listening device warrants are obtained.

It will also be critical of successive police commissioners, including the current Commissioner Andrew Scipione, for the lack of action to resolve complaints over the decade-old scandal.

NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione (centre), flanked by NSW Premier Mike Baird and Prime Minister Tony Abbott, has been criticised for failing to resolve the scandal. Photo: James Alcock

The inquiry examined the conduct and progress of Operation Prospect, an Ombudsman’s investigation into a police bugging operation, code-named Mascot, which ran between 1999 and 2001 and targeted allegedly corrupt police.

The scandal has rocked the top of the police force as another Deputy Commissioner, Catherine Burn, was team leader of Mascot – the operation targeting Mr Kaldas. Mr Scipione oversaw the operation for a time.

Mascot used a corrupt former policeman, code named M5, to target allegedly corrupt police with a listening device. But it emerged there was insufficient or no evidence of wrongdoing by many of the more than 100 police and civilians whose names appeared on warrants issued by the Supreme Court.

It emerged during the inquiry that Mr Kaldas was named in 80 warrants for listening devices issued to Mascot.

It is understood the inquiry’s report, due to be tabled in the NSW Parliament on Wednesday morning, will recommend that the state government issue a formal apology to Mr Kaldas over being targeted by the operation.

It will also recommend an apology be given to Channel Seven journalist Steve Barrett, who was named on 52 warrants.

The long-running tensions between Mr Kaldas and Ms Burn boiled over on the final day of the inquiry’s hearings, when Mr Kaldas accused Ms Burn of raising his name with an informant later used to bug him more than a decade ago.

Ms Burn had earlier detailed serious corruption allegations against Mr Kaldas that had led him to be targeted by a bugging operation of which she was a member, codenamed Mascot, during 1999-2001.

NSW Premier Mike Baird has indicated his preference is to wait for the outcome of a parallel inquiry by NSW Ombudsman Bruce Barbour into the bugging scandal, which is not due to report until June, before taking any action.