The Australian Federal Police's professional standards unit has launched an investigation into a disturbing incident in Canberra, where officers allegedly drew their weapons on a 17-year-old Indigenous boy they mistakenly identified as a suspect.
Traumatic Arrest on a Public Bus
According to the boy's family, he was travelling on a public bus when it was stopped by police searching for a suspect in an aggravated burglary. The family alleges that officers entered the bus with guns drawn, forcibly removed the teenager, and slammed him to the ground.
They claim that multiple officers then placed their knees on his back, making it difficult for him to breathe. This physical restraint reportedly occurred before the officers asked the boy for his name or any form of identification.
It was only after comparing a photograph of the actual suspect with the boy they had detained that the officers released him and offered an apology. However, the family states that even after admitting their error, the police still proceeded to search the teenager.
Community Outcry and Official Response
The incident has provoked fierce condemnation from Indigenous community groups and politicians, who have labelled the police actions as a clear example of racial profiling and institutional racism.
ACT Chief Police Officer Scott Lee publicly apologised for the trauma caused to the boy, his family, and the wider Indigenous community. Despite this, Lee defended the officers' conduct, stating that after reviewing body-worn camera footage, he supported their actions.
Lee explained that police were responding to multiple, urgent reports of an active armed offender threatening members of the public with a knife in a populated area of Woden. He stated that police had received information that a person matching the suspect's description was on a bus, justifying their immediate aim to prevent a worst-case scenario.
Calls for Accountability and Change
In a powerful joint statement, Indigenous community groups in the ACT rejected Lee's explanation. No Aboriginal child in Canberra should ever face a gun because of police racial profiling, the statement declared.
Kaylene McLeod of the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elected Body called the event a catastrophic failure of judgment, process, and humanity.
Adding to the criticism, independent MLA Thomas Emerson stated, This is exactly what institutional racism looks like. He emphasised that while police have a difficult job, apprehending an innocent Aboriginal child at gunpoint is not part of that job.
In response to the allegations, Chief Police Officer Lee denied that the police force has institutional racism, pointing to ongoing commitments to improve training and processes. ACT Police Minister Marisa Paterson offered her sincere apologies to the young person and his family, acknowledging the concerns about racial profiling and pledging to continue building trust with vulnerable communities.
