Broome policing a tough challenge

A top Kimberley policeman has raised concerns about officers becoming “desensitised” to the people they come in contact with and their duty of care because of the repetitiveness of their work.

Kimberley District Superintendent Mick Sutherland was the last witness called to give evidence at a Corruption and Crime Commission public hearing last week as part of its investigation into two incidents at the Broome Police Station in March and April this year. The watchdog is investigating whether there was any misconduct by officers during the arrest and detention of two men.

The inquiry’s main focus has not been on the conduct of the former policeman involved in both incidents, but on the actions or inactions

of other officers who witnessed both incidents. Supt Sutherland aired concerns that officers were becoming desensitised about their sense of duty of care, empathy and medical responsibilities

for detainees. “Because it’s so repetitive I think they would become desensitised to what’s in front of them and I don’t know how we could address that in some form, and actually other than just reminding them,” he told the hearing. “What I’m saying about this review is that it would be a timely reminder.”

Supt Sutherland said policing in Broome was very challenging and busy, saying 172 people went through Broome lock-up in April. He said he was concerned officers were present during the March incident and he believed the former policeman, whose identity is suppressed, had “without a doubt” used a neck hold on a teenager who had refused to leave a police vehicle, despite it being against police policy. Police were not trained to use neck holds because of a risk of asphyxiation or choking. Supt Sutherland also gave evidence about the April incident where the policeman allegedly repeatedly punched an Aboriginal detainee who had punched him. The officer, who gave evidence earlier, has denied “dropping” his knee into the man’s head or flinging him to the ground as they entered the station’s charge room. He also denied using excessive force.

Supt Sutherland said the alleged force used by the policeman was “excessive to the extreme” and footage of the incident was “disturbing”. CCC Commissioner Roger Macknay on Friday gave an undertaking not to release footage of the two incidents pending submissions in a Supreme Court bid to prevent the publication of the recordings. The former first-class constable involved in both incidents has launched the Supreme Court challenge in a bid to overturn Mr Macknay’s decision to lift a suppression order and grant media applications for copies of the CCTV footage. Lawyer Tony McCarthy, representing WA Newspapers and other media outlets, argued that the footage should be released because it was in the public interest. The former officer’s lawyer, Karen Vernon, said its disclosure would be potentially “salacious and inflammatory” and could jeopardise any possible court proceedings against her client.

Mr Macknay ruled that it was in the public interest to release the footage after different descriptions were given in evidence about

the two incidents. The former officer is seeking an injunction in the Supreme Court, barring the release of the footage pending an application to quash Mr Macknay’s ruling. Mr Macknay had undertaken not to release the footage until Tuesday, when a hearing was scheduled to be held into initial submissions on the injunction. Police had been prevented from internally investigating the incidents pending the CCC’s inquiry but on Friday that order was lifted