Stressing that police “are not mental health experts” Deputy Commissioner Scott Lee says of the 13 recommendations in the report police have accepted 2, and partially accepted 8 recommendations.
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00:00Last year the ACT Ombudsman advised us who would be conducting an own motion investigation
00:07into the use of force by ACT policing. ACT policing is transparently and constructively
00:13engaged with the Ombudsman in the conduct of the Ombudsman's own motion investigation
00:20regarding the use of force by ACT policing. We are a transparent organisation that openly
00:26provided the Ombudsman with information and facilitated visits where requested.
00:32Police are provided with significant responsibility and powers
00:36to protect and ensure the safety of the community. To maintain the trust and confidence of the
00:41community that these powers are being exercised appropriately and responsibly, I acknowledge
00:47and welcome the need for transparency and accountability for ACT policing. I would like
00:53to reassure the ACT community that the overwhelming majority of interactions my officers have with
00:57the community are appropriate and are conducted with care, professionalism and to the high standards
01:04expected by ACT policing and the community. As the Ombudsman acknowledged in his report,
01:11police have a very challenging job. Our officers need to make quick decisions in complex circumstances
01:18about whether and how to exercise their various powers. The report examined police activity from 2019 to 2023
01:29where police responded to 445,736 incidents. From these over 445,000 incidents,
01:385,902 incidents resulted in a reportable use of force being utilised by ACT policing members to resolve the situation.
01:51This equates to just 1.3% of those incidents resulting in a reportable use of force by police.
01:58Of these incidents, the Ombudsman's investigation team viewed files of body-worn camera
02:04or CCTV footage related to 54 separate use of force incidents and analysed a significant number of other
02:12use of force reports. While the vast majority of our interactions with the community are undertaken
02:18professionally and to a high standard, where mistakes are identified, ACT policing and the AFP are
02:25committed to ensuring that these matters are reviewed, learnings are identified and appropriate action is taken.
02:33ACT policing and the AFP is committed to continuous improvement to ensure that our policies
02:39and training and procedures are continually enhanced to support our members and to meet community
02:45expectations. While the use of force for police may be necessary at times, we recognise that de-escalation
02:53without the need for force should always be our first option. This is ingrained in our recruits and
02:58their initial training and reinforce yearly with scenario-based training and is demonstrated with
03:04the data that I referenced before that just 1.3% of our interactions resulted in a reportable use
03:10force. Overall, ACT policing's professional standards data demonstrates our members' ability
03:17and commitment to uphold our values in line with the AFP's code of conduct. In relation to any case
03:23studies identified in this report where there are established allegations of misconduct, I can assure
03:28the ACT community that those members are held accountable in line with our professional standards
03:33framework. In relation to the recommendations contained in the report, I can confirm that the AFP and ACT
03:41policing has accepted two recommendations, partially accepted eight recommendations and did not accept
03:47three recommendations. Where we have partially accepted recommendations, this means that we do disagree
03:55with certain aspects in each recommendation. However, we do accept that there are elements we can enhance.
04:03We have outlined our rationale and our response to the Ombudsman
04:07and that rationale is also published as part of the report.
04:11ACT policing will prioritise the implementation of these recommendations in accordance with the timelines
04:16provided in our response and work has already commenced on process improvements that are being
04:22implemented now. I want to thank my officers for the tireless work they perform every day
04:29and their dedication in keeping Canberran safe. It is often a thankless task that is not lost on me
04:35the dangers and the risks that they face. I'm happy to take some questions.