Clare Nowland was using a walking frame when she was hit with a police Taser at Yallambee Lodge aged care facility in Cooma on Wednesday, after allegedly failing to drop a steak knife. Staff had called police to the site.

The dementia patient and mother of eight is now receiving end-of-life care in Cooma District Hospital, having been critically injured after falling and hitting her head when she was tasered.

After releasing scant details on the circumstances surrounding the incident, NSW Police issued a statement on Tuesday confirming the senior constable involved had been suspended.

“Today a 33-year-old senior constable attached to Monaro Police District was suspended from duty with pay,” the statement said.

The officer who fired the Taser joined the force 12 years ago and was removed from active duty on Friday.

Police Commissioner Karen Webb said she had not viewed footage of the incident, nor had she spoken to the suspended officer.

“I will probably speak to him at some point,” she said on Tuesday.

“My concern at the moment is with the Nowland family. This is a terrible time for them.”

She has ordered a review of police training, particularly focused on how to deal with people with dementia.

“The role of a police officer seems to be growing wider and wider and we are expected to know everything about everything – and we are not experts on everything,” she said.

The NSW Greens and an independent MP are calling on the government to establish a parliamentary inquiry into NSW Police.

Greens MP Sue Higginson will demand a fully independent investigation and bring the issue to the floor of the NSW parliament on Tuesday.

The motion will also call for the bodycam footage of Nowland’s tasering to be publicly released.

The incident revealed “how desperately we need police reform” and the government needed to ensure there was not a “culture of impunity” in the police force, Higginson said.

“People are coming forward with alarming examples of ways the NSW Police have acted out of turn and rarely faced consequences – I fear this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the extent of the issue,” she said in a statement on Tuesday.

“The refusal to release the bodycam footage protects NSW Police from public scrutiny for all the wrong reasons – the NSW community has a right to know exactly what happened when Clare Nowland was tasered so we can start to take the steps needed for change.”

An inquiry would help to understand the extent of the issue, how much harm is being caused in communities and what police need to do their job properly.

“We can’t ignore this any longer and we have to accept that the tasering of Clare Nowland wasn’t isolated.

“It’s part of a suite of violent actions by police that are damaging our communities and we need a plan for repair,” she said.

Kiama MP Gareth Ward also said he would be moving to establish an inquiry into training for frontline emergency services with respect to people living with cognitive decline and disabilities.

An investigation is being led by the homicide squad and the Professional Standards Committee of NSW Police, and overseen by the independent Law Enforcement Conduct Commission.

-AAP