NSW Police have settled the lawsuit brought against them by a former chief sniper who worked during the Lindt Cafe siege.

The senior figure claimed he and other officers were prevented from doing their job, resulting in the deaths of Tori Johnson and Katrina Dawson.

Despite these claims, Police Commissioner Mick Fuller has told Ben Fordham each police officer has the power to use lethal force if they believe someone’s life is in danger.

“For this sniper, if he thought at any given time that someone’s life was in danger or of serious injury, then he had the power to take the shot.

“In this country and in this state, you cannot direct an officer to use lethal force. It sits with the individual officer.”

NSW Police decided to settle the workers’ compensation claim for a small sum instead of a lengthy court proceeding.

“The community would understand that the cost of taking every matter to the full court, they get up into the millions of dollars Ben, and that’s all taxpayers money,” says Mr Fuller.

The Commissioner says the former officer’s claims covered a range of incidents going back to 2005 and was “certainly much, much broader than Lindt Cafe”.

“To suggest that there was something damning out there that we’re hiding from Ben, I think it’s ludicrous, to be honest with you.”

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Image: Getty/Mark Metcalfe