Senior police to address gay-hate inquiry

In a final report in 2018, he said the force's past indifference to gay bashings had been coupled with a tacit social tolerance of violence directed at gay men and the LGBTIQ community in the 1970s, '80s and '90s.

"It is little wonder that gay men were and remain fearful of reporting violence to police," Mr Crandell said.

The report also outlined how many cases involved perpetrators who appeared to be uncertain of their sexuality and appeared to be challenged to better define it.

The review examined 88 deaths, finding about 18 occurred at or near a "gay beat" location.

Nine were primarily motivated by homophobia, 33 by robbery and 13 had an undetermined motivation.

About a quarter of the deaths were unsolved as of 2018.

The special commission of inquiry will investigate how NSW Police approached the issues relating to suspected hate crimes, including the identification, investigation and recording of such crimes.

Other witnesses include a member of the crime prevention command and former and current co-ordinators of the force's hate crime unit.

Hearings in February will involve academic witnesses and a detective in the unsolved homicide squad.

In November, several members of the LGBTIQ community gave evidence.

Long-time gay rights activist Barry Charles listed a string of violent acts he witnessed or experienced at gay beats, including a car careering towards a group of men "like it was on a kangaroo shoot", and being attacked in a park by youths with lengths of white PVC pipe.

Garry Cox told the commissioner a police gay and lesbian liaison group existed in the late 1980s, but senior officers in the group dismissed media reports of bashings.

Meanwhile, Carole Ruthchild said lesbian women were attacked when they turned down the sexual advances of men.

"If you weren't there with a man, you were seen as fair game really," Ms Ruthchild said.