The Police Force Commissioner of New South Wales is angrily lashing out at a study that suggests police officers are performing more illegal strip searches at an increasing rate.

At a NSW parliamentary hearing, Mick Fuller scoffed "it is an absolute disgrace" for elected officials to question him about the allegations from an a music festival-goer who said a female officer threatened her with a "nice and slow" strip search.  The 28-year old accuser gave evidence in person at the Coroners Court over a 2017 death; her identity is being protected by a non-publication order.

"I had to take my top off and my bra, and I covered my boobs and she told me to put my hands up, and she told me to tell her where the drugs were," the woman testified.  "(The female officer) said, 'If you don't tell me where the drugs are, I'm going to make this nice and slow'."

Last week, a University of New South Wales study reported that cops performed a stunning 5,483 field strip searches in 2017-18, compared to 277 in 2005-06;  in-custody strip searches increased as well.  

But Fuller says those stats are off.  He says the University researchers only included two months of data for their 2005-06 tally.  He also credited more complete police reports filed by officers that made it look like strip searchers were being performed more often.

"I'd expect a little more from someone funded by state and federal governments," Fuller said.  "Police training increased dramatically, supervision and recording standards improved.  It's very difficult when the law changes to use that on its own to look at an increase;  It's not a police power being overused."