The Australian Muslim Womens Association says disciplinary action taken against a NSW police officer for "serious misconduct" during the arrest of two Muslim women in hijabs should send a strong message to the community, but warned it will take time to rebuild trust in the authorities.
Senior Constable Andrew Murphy has been removed from Strike Force Raptor, the NSW police squad dealing with bikies, and been restricted to administrative duties following his involvement in the arrests in April 2019.
A Law Enforcement Conduct Commission report recommended disciplinary action be taken after two officers belittled and threatened two Afghan women during a traffic stop in Sydney's west.
Online petitions have called for the officer to be sacked, but the Australian Muslim Womens Association said the decision rests with the NSW Police Force.
Association president Silma Ihram said the most important thing is that the unacceptable conduct is denounced.
"The important thing is that we have a message that goes out clearly to the community and to the rest of the police force that this kind of behaviour is entirely unacceptable," Ms Ihram told SBS News.
"The fact that he will hopefully have very limited interaction with members of the public in this manner - and also that he will have further training is what we're hoping for."
The Law Enforcement Conduct Commission report detailed the incident when officers decided to follow the car for two minutes on the belief that one of the women in the vehicle was not wearing a seatbelt.
Video released by the commission shows one officer telling the 24-year-old P-plate driver: "You have to be the most stupidest person I've met as the driver of a motor vehicle".
He then threatens to put the older female passenger in jail, after demanding the pair show identification.
NSW Police Force has confirmed that Senior Constable Murphy has been limited to administrative tasks after the completion of an internal review.
"The officer has transferred from the Criminal Groups Squad to a non-public facing unit," a NSW police spokesperson said.
"All actions have been communicated with the complainant, which were well-received."
Ms Ihram said she hopes that both officers involved undergo cultural awareness training to detect unconscious bias.
"We welcome this disciplinary action and we also hope that this is followed up by further training to remove such bias and also to allow the police force to recognise the valuable contributions of the vast majority of Muslim Australian citizens who are active throughout the community in doing good things," she told SBS News.
The , released in November, found that were more likely to be victims of attacks.
It also noted that the rate of attacks in public had increased.
Ms Ihram said the erosion of trust in police would take a long time to rebuild, particularly for the women who were targeted.
"I do know that the people who have suffered from extreme reactions like this, they are affected permanently. These things leave a lasting mark.
"You can move on, but you're always concerned that it might be repeated and we don't want that to happen.
"We want people to feel safe in the country they live in and the country they contribute to. These are Australian citizens and we should be able to treat them as such."
The second officer is on extended leave, the NSW Police Force said.
"The review panel recommended management action be taken against the officer, however, as he remains on extended leave, it has yet to be enacted," the police spokesperson said.
