In line with our commitment to accountability, Tasmania Police is today publishing two information reports on complaints against police.

“The Tasmanian community has high expectations of its policing service, and we are entrusted with significant powers to perform our duties to keep people safe.

“When a member of the community has a complaint, it is important that the process is clear and the community is kept informed about the outcome,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police, Jonathan Higgins.

“We are committed to delivering a service in line with our Values of Accountability, Integrity, Respect and Support. The recent Tasmania Police Community Survey results told us we need be more accountable – and we are listening.”

Tasmania Police already reports annually through the Report on Government Services in terms of complaints against police, however the following additional data is now publicly available on our website:

Professional Standards Complaints and Outcomes 2023 – this report details the type of complaint, findings and outcomes of Level 2 and 3 complaints made against police in 2023. This report will be provided annually.
Commission of Inquiry complaints – 22 complaints or information related to child sexual abuse made about Tasmania Police officers, as provided to the Commission of Inquiry. The outcomes of these matters were provided to the Commission of Inquiry, however, to ensure transparency and accountability, this report provides further detail on the complaints and outcomes.

The CoI did not request any further information however in order to ensure transparency and accountability, this report proactively provides further detail on the complaints and outcomes.

Each complaint or information received has been thoroughly reviewed post Commission of Inquiry.

In relation to Paul Reynolds, there is currently an independent review Weiss Independent Review – Tasmania Police

The Integrity Commission are notified of all instances of serious misconduct (Level 3 matters) – and have audit capability for all our files.

“When a complaint is made, either by a member of the community or raised internally by another police officer, the community must have confidence that these matters are investigated appropriately and outcomes are publicly available,” said Deputy Commissioner Higgins.

Tasmania Police has also recently publicly released:

• The Tasmania Police Community Survey results
• The new Tasmania Police Reporting Dashboard – The dashboard provides transparency with crime, road safety and other statistics available to the public.
• The interim report of the Weiss Independent Review into former police officer Paul Reynolds; and
• The Independent Review into Surveillance Devices will also be publicly released.

Members of the community can provide feedback on Tasmania Police’s performance at any time via the Tasmania Police website. Go to https://www.police.tas.gov.au/about-us/compliments-and-complaints/

The Professional Standards report is available here: https://www.police.tas.gov.au/information-disclosure/

The Commission of Inquiry report is available here: https://www.police.tas.gov.au/commission-of-inquiry/