Bringing experienced investigators in to manage the increased workload for the police Sex Assault and Child Abuse Team in the aftermath of the recent police review will only keep robbing much-needed resources away from other crime areas, police say.
Federal police association president Alex Caruana said the adverse findings against police and the 28 recommendations flowing from the review into sex assault investigations now must make the ACT government "sit up and look at the funding and resource arrangements for victims, and for police".
"We have been arguing the point on the need for more police resources for years, independent reporting has supported us and this - another independent review - now demands it because of the extra workload," he said.
He said that while the sex assault review was focused on police, "the issue is much bigger than just police".
As a result of the scathing review outcomes, SACAT officers must now immediately re-investigate 30 cases, and assess a further 182 historical cases for "possible further action". This work comes in addition to the 170 victim-survivors with active cases waiting on police investigation.
There had been extra government funding allocated for this work, known as Operation Foster, but those will run out in eight weeks. Meanwhile, the ACT government is not due to deliver its response to the review until August.
Already strapped for resources, the ACT's longest-serving chief police officer in March admitted he had to dismantle other investigation teams, including his fraud squad, to bolster his Sex Assault and Child Abuse Team.
Deputy Commissioner Neil Gaughan wasn't clear on why he reshuffled his crime team resources but given he was part of the review oversight committee, it was most likely done to achieve traction on active cases in the knowledge that some tough criticism was on the way.
Both general duties responders and specialist sex assault investigators in the ACT came under fire in the review released on Tuesday by co-authors Karen Fryar - a former ACT magistrate - and former Victoria police commissioner Christine Nixon.
It showed that only 7 per cent of sex assault reports in 2021 progressed to a charge. It also found that victim-survivor withdrawal from the investigation process was higher in the ACT than anywhere else in Australia.
The police association, which represents the rank and file officers, said that the recommendations appear sensible with an aim to improve the reporting and investigative framework for sexual assault victims.
But it also reinforced the view that the government continues to ask ACT Policing to take on more responsibilities, "when for years, ACT Policing has had the lowest rate of police officer per 100,000 population and the lowest per capita spending in the country".
"Also concerning is that the ACT government's investment in policing has fallen well behind population growth."
The ACT government last year finally pushed extra funding to its contracted police, which will permit 25 extra recruits out of the AFP College each year for the next five years.
But that won't solve the problem of having too-few experienced officers.
One of the ACT's most experienced crime officers, Detective Inspector Marcus Boorman, had been working with SACAT until his reputation was unfairly sullied in the fallout from the Brittany Higgins-Bruce Lehrmann case. He is now on indefinite leave.
"ACT Policing is a junior workforce, and investigations such as sexual assaults do require members with experience," Alex Caruana said.
"You can't throw a junior constable into investigations and expect them to conduct an investigation like a detective with 20 years' experience."
Difficult times call for innovative solution and one proposed by the police association was to replicate the PACER (Police, Ambulance and Clinician Early Response) model which had been developed for mental health, and apply it to sexual assault cases.
"This [model] would take significant investment by the ACT government," he said.
"But wouldn't it be great that if someone reports a sexual assault, they are attended to by a police officer, an ACT Ambulance officer and a mental health clinician who specialises in support and engaging with sexual assault victims and the victims are given a health assessment and support right from the beginning."
- Support is available for those who may be distressed. Phone Lifeline 13 11 14; Mensline 1300 789 978; Kids Helpline 1800 551 800; beyondblue 1300 224 636; 1800-RESPECT 1800 737 732.
