The Authority oversaw a Police investigation into an incident where four authorised officers used manual force to restrain a detainee in the stairwell between the cells and court room. After the incident, the detainee had a pain in his arm, and it was later determined that he had a fractured arm and rib.
The investigation included a review of custody footage, which showed before the incident one of the authorised officers involved extended his leg towards the detainee’s legs while the detainee was walking. This caused the detainee to stumble. Police consider this may have caused the detainee to later challenge the authorised officer in the stairwell. The authorised officer denies intentionally extending his leg out towards the detainee and provided an alternative explanation. Police did not accept the explanation provided and took appropriate employment action.
There was no footage of the stairwell incident in which the detainee fractured his arm and rib, however all Police accounts were consistent in describing how the detainee was restrained, which involved using approved restraint techniques. The investigation found no criminality in the authorised officers’ use of force, and concluded the detainee’s injuries were an unfortunate result of the situation.
The Authority is satisfied with how Police conducted their investigation and the process they followed.
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