Operation Ross: An investigation into police conduct in the Ballarat Police Service Area
- Recommendations
- 4
- Report length
- 142 pages
Summary
The report's own summary: 1 Introduction, pages 7 to 13
Generated summary: written by an AI model from the report text and checked against the cited pages.
IBAC’s Operation Ross investigated alleged mistreatment of women at Ballarat Police Station and the police response to complaint patterns.
Operation_Ross_special_report_November_2016_B4Tw3f2x, page 8
IBAC found that a woman in custody was kicked and stood on while subdued and compliant, and that other incidents showed excessive force.
Operation_Ross_special_report_November_2016_B4Tw3f2x, page 60
IBAC concluded that the incidents indicated systemic problems in the treatment of vulnerable people at the station.
Operation_Ross_special_report_November_2016_B4Tw3f2x, page 60
IBAC made four recommendations on complaint management, promotion checks, human rights training and searches, alongside an interim recommendation to consider assault charges.
Operation_Ross_special_report_November_2016_B4Tw3f2x, page 61
In the body's own words
- Finding
The investigation found that while in police custody, person A was kicked and stood on while in a subdued and compliant state.
Operation_Ross_special_report_November_2016_B4Tw3f2x, page 60
- Conclusion
Taken together, these incidents were evidence of systemic issues at Ballarat Police Station including excessive use of force and questionable treatment of vulnerable people.
Operation_Ross_special_report_November_2016_B4Tw3f2x, page 60
Findings, opinions and statements
Allegations are not findings. A commission's finding or opinion of corrupt conduct or misconduct is not a finding that a person is guilty of a criminal offence, and the commissions say so in their reports.
No findings are reproduced in this record. This does not establish that the report contains none.
Recommendations 4
Recommendation 1
Victoria Police review and strengthen its approach to managing officers who have multiple complaints or concerning complaint patterns including by: a. ensuring that a subject officer’s full complaint history (excluding complaints that cannot be revealed for operational reasons) is attached to a complaint investigation file prior to allocation to an investigator b. requiring complaint investigators to consider whether a possible pattern of conduct has been identified and if so, to recommend appropriate intervention action c. initiating a formal mechanism whereby local commanders (inspector and superintendent) are notified when an officer under their command reaches various thresholds in terms of the number of complaints the officer has accrued d. providing local commanders (inspector and superintendent) relevant information in a timely manner to assist in tailoring a risk management plan for relevant officers referred to in (c) above (which could include the officer’s full complaint history and benchmarking report currently available in ROCSID) e. monitoring the implementation and effectiveness of risk management plans which could involve local managers reporting back to PSC for strategic advice, guidance and organisation-wide analysis of trends f. developing a framework for determining appropriate interventions at various points in an officer’s complaint history, to be integrated with the Victoria Police performance development system.
Recommendation 2
Victoria Police to review and strengthen probity processes undertaken in relation to promotions including: a. ensuring all promotion boards are provided with a full complaint and compliment history, and any risk assessments previously prepared by PSC, for all shortlisted candidates for promotions b. the superintendent of the relevant division or work area endorse any candidate recommended by a promotion board for promotion where such promotion concerns the rank of sergeant or above.
Recommendation 3
Victoria Police to review and enhance training provided to officers on the Charter of Human Rights to improve officers’ understanding of and compliance with the Charter of Human Rights.
Recommendation 4
Victoria Police to take steps to ensure officers’ understanding of and compliance with the policy and guidelines on searches, including highlighting the need to consider and uphold the human rights of the person being searched.
Published responses
Responses to this report have not been checked.
Notes on this record
- Tabled: Legislative Assembly 2016-11-10; Legislative Council 2016-11-10.
Coverage
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