Police Minister Kate Worden says spit hoods here to stay, despite AFP finding they are ineffective

A review by the Australian Federal Police found ‘the risk of using spit hoods outweighed the benefits of their use, given they are ineffective in protecting against transmissible diseases’.

Police Minister Kate Worden speaks to the media on Sunday.

The Territory Government has ruled out banning the use of spit hoods by NT Police despite now being the only Australian jurisdiction where the practice persists outside a single watch house in Western Australia.

Last week the Australian Federal Police became the latest force to reject the use of the controversial restraint device for its local policing officers in Canberra, following a review.

“The review found the risk of using spit hoods outweighed the benefits of their use, given they are ineffective in protecting against transmissible diseases,” a spokesman said in a statement.

While Territory police stopped using spit hoods on children after the government conducted its own review in October last year, they continue to be used on adult detainees.

But after dodging questions on the issue at the weekend, NT Police Minister Kate Worden confirmed on Tuesday there were “no plans” to revisit the issue in light of the AFP’s findings.

“NT Police has already reviewed the use of spit hoods in Territory watch houses to ensure our processes are modern and uphold the safety of our police and people in custody,” she said.

“While spit hoods are used as a last resort, we do believe they are necessary for protecting our frontline officers from the disgusting act of spitting. Spit hoods are not used on youth in the Territory.

“There are currently no plans to conduct another review into the use of spit hoods in Territory watch houses.”

Last year a WA Police spokesman confirmed the adult only Perth watch house was “the only WA Police custodial facility where spit hoods are used”.

Territory an outlier on use of ‘risky, ineffective’ spit hoods

Police Minister Kate Worden has refused to say whether she will review the use of spit hoods in Territory watch houses despite a finding by the Australian Federal Police that they were risky and “ineffective”.

The NT last week became the only Australian jurisdiction in which spit hoods are still in use, outside the Perth watch house, after the AFP abandoned the practice following a review.

In a statement, an AFP spokesman said after “concerns were raised” last year, it initiated a probe into “whether the use of spit hoods was a reasonable and proportionate response against individuals who assault police officers by spitting saliva or blood”.

“The review found that even though spit hoods were only used on limited occasions by ACT Policing, and not used at all across the broader AFP, they were not sufficient to prevent transmissible diseases,” he said.

“Police always need to ensure reasonable force is used against individuals who are assaulting law enforcement.

“The review found the risk of using spit hoods outweighed the benefits of their use, given they are ineffective in protecting against transmissible diseases.

“The AFP, which includes ACT Policing, has stopped using spit hoods, and is providing equipment and implementing procedures to better protect members from spitting and biting.”

But despite the AFP’s findings, Ms Worden appeared at pains to avoid answering questions about whether the issue would be revisited in the NT.

“We recently undertook a review of spit hood use in the Northern Territory watch houses to ensure our processes are modern and uphold the safety of our police force and people in custody,” she said in a statement.

“Spit hoods are not used on youths in Territory watch houses.”

When pressed again at a media conference on Sunday afternoon, Ms Worden repeated that the devices were not used on children and referred further questions to Attorney-General Chansey Paech.

The referral came despite Ms Worden having provided a statement on the issue earlier the same day, and a spokeswoman for Mr Paech later confirmed police practices in watch houses did not fall under the Attorney-General’s portfolio.

In April last year Western Australia Police said Perth watch house was “the only WA Police custodial facility where spit hoods are used”, making it now the only place outside of the NT to maintain the practice.

Queensland Police ended its use of spit hoods in all watch houses in September last year following its own review.