IBAC ‘concerned’ with Victoria Police handling of serious incidents
ANTI-corruption watchdog IBAC finds problems in police investigating its own conduct in serious incidents where the public is seriously injured or killed.
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THE state’s anti-corruption watchdog has identified weaknesses in how Victoria Police handles incidents involving its officers that result in deaths or serious injuries to the public.
The Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) report, released today, reveals it is “concerned’’ at the audit results of the force’s files of serious incidents during 2015-16.
IBAC’s audit, the first of its nature conducted in Victoria, identified problems with Victoria Police’s management of conflicts of interests, consideration of human rights issues and examination of relevant evidence.
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Police conduct reviews whenever there is serious incident, such as a death or serious injury, to the public following police involvement.
These reviews result in oversight files, which have been audited by IBAC.
The anti-corruption body examined 142 Victoria Police oversight files closed during 2015-16 and scrutinised the adequacy of police’s management of these reviews.
The audit focused on five areas of Victoria Police’s oversight files: the pre-oversight process, the oversight process, outcomes, timeliness and record keeping.
The IBAC audit’s key findings included:
CONFLICTS of interests were generally poorly identified and managed, with 32 per cent of the files audited not including the mandatory conflict of interest form;
51 PER CENT of the files failed to consider relevant evidence, including statements from independent witnesses;
61 PER CENT of the files did not address human rights issues;
37 PER CENT of the police reviews took longer than the permitted time of 90 days to complete;
32 PER CENT of the files showed signs of inadequate supervision including a failure by supervisors to address significant shortcomings in the oversight.
IBAC Commissioner Robert Redlich QC said: “Police have significant powers, the community rightly expects them to use these powers responsibly and perform their duties fairly, impartially and in accordance with the law.”
“Victoria Police’s oversight of these serious incidents must be thorough and impartial so that the community can be confident the police actions were appropriate and to identify how to prevent similar incidents from occurring in future,” Commissioner Redlich said.
“This IBAC audit examined police oversight of some of the most serious consequences of police action, when a member of the public is seriously injured or dies as a result of police contact.
“The audit identified concerning deficiencies in Victoria Police’s oversight, which require immediate attention. Victoria Police have accepted IBAC’s findings and recommendations, which they have commenced to implement.”
Victoria Police has accepted recommendations made by IBAC, which the body will monitor.