One of NSW's most senior cops had his life, including his ex-wife and children, under intense police surveillance in a discrediting campaign that cost him promotions, he claims.
NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Nick Kaldas was one of about 100 police officers allegedly targeted in a police bugging scandal in the early 2000s.
Mr Kaldas, a widely-respected police officer tipped to be in the running to take over as the next police commissioner, said the campaign destroyed the lives, careers and health of many honest police.
One officer had committed suicide and two others had attempted to after being psychologically affected by the operation and subsequent cover up, he has claimed in a damning submission to a NSW parliamentary inquiry.
The inquiry began public hearings on Thursday into the Ombudsman's handling of claims the police force's Special Crime and Internal Affairs unit had carried out phone tapping and bugging.
In his submission, Mr Kaldas accused people of covering up the saga over the past decade.
"Cover-up was followed by cover-up and overlaid with reprisal after reprisal," he wrote.
The present police commissioner, Andrew Scipione, and his deputy, Catherine Burn, both worked at SCIA.
Mr Kaldas alleged false information was used in swearing affidavits for warrants to bug people, including to target the home of his ex-wife and children.
He said an affidavit incorrectly claimed he still lived at the address when the correct information would have been very easy to ascertain.
The intense level of surveillance placed on him, his work, his former spouse and children was "unjustified" and part of a campaign to discredit him, "resulting in me losing a number of promotions and opportunities and being intensely targeted by PIC in particular", his submission states.
In the early 2000s, Operation Mascot/Florida was investigating alleged corruption.
Mr Kaldas said he received visits from a Police Integrity Commission (PIC) undercover officer, codenamed M5.
With significant experience as an undercover cop himself, Mr Kaldas identified M5's conduct as "an amateurish attempt to entrap me".
Mr Kaldas said he was questioned as part of Operation Florida/Mascot, particularly about why he wouldn't deal with M5, but was cleared of any wrongdoing.
Mr Kaldas, who is scheduled to give evidence on Friday, was a complainant in Strike Force Emblems, which later investigated the police bugging allegations but never released its report.
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