SYDNEY, Oct. 22 -- An officer involved in policing at Splendour in the Grass last year has admitted to an inquiry strip searches conducted at the music festival were unlawful.

The commission was told that a senior constable performed 19 strip searches across two days at the July 2018 festival and found only one tablet of valium.

The Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (LECC) is investigating whether police engaged in "serious misconduct" by strip-searching a 16-year-old girl after a sniffer dog falsely detected drugs on her.

The officer, who has been in the force for more than 14 years, today told the public hearing police relied on their general knowledge of search powers.

The obligations were not mentioned in a 15-minute morning brie...