A new report from the Commonwealth Ombudsman has found that despite action to remedy recurring issues there has been no substantive improvement in the Australian Federal Police’s (AFP) handling of conduct issues and conduct complaints.
The Ombudsman, Michael Manthorpe said his report, A report on the Commonwealth Ombudsman’s activities under Part V of the Australian Federal Police Act 1979, summarised his Office’s work on the period 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2020, reviewing the APF’s arrangements for handling conduct issues and conduct complaints.
Mr Manthorpe said that during the period, his Office conducted an ad hoc review in October 2019 and a scheduled records review in June 2020.
“At each review, we assess the AFP’s progress against the Office’s previous findings,” Mr Manthorpe said.
“Our reviews over the past 10 years commonly identified issues related to meeting timeliness benchmarks, communication with complainants and declaring conflicts of interest that might impact staff’s ability to investigate a complaint,” he said.
“Despite the AFP’s actions to remedy these issues, there has not been substantive improvement in these areas and we identified the same issues during our reviews this year.”
Mr Manthorpe said the issues largely related to the AFP’s handling of Category One and Two matters, which involved less serious conduct and were generally handled at a local level.
“However, we concluded the AFP’s handling of Category Three and Four complaints, which allege serious misconduct or corruption, was comprehensive and accurate,” the Ombudsman said.
He said the AFP was considering methods to improve its administration of Category One and Two complaints.
Ms Manthorpe made 20 suggestions to assist the AFP improve its management of complaints.
The Ombudsman’s 35-page Report can be accessed at this PS News link.
