The Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (Lecc) kicked off its inquiry into the February protest at Sydney’s town hall against the visit of Isaac Herzog on Monday, outlining a number of issues it is examining, including police use of OC spray and “police boasting about gratuitous force”.

Monday’s opening address was heard in public before closing for five-week long private examinations. The watchdog agreed to hold a portion of the hearing in private after the NSW police commissioner, Mal Lanyon, made a last-minute bid to have the entire hearings held in private, delaying the scheduled hearing by almost a month.

Edwards said Lecc was examining multiple widespread concerns that had emerged in the 400 complaints lodged by the public and the 1,000 hours of footage the Lecc has reviewed.

The inquiry heard that a briefing was held with officers ahead of the protest, where senior officers including Lanyon spoke but no recordings or notes were made.