Multiple Tasmania Police officers committed various forms of misconduct in their duties last year, a new report has revealed.
According to the force’s annual professional standards report, 194 public complaints and 166 internal reports were received in 2024, a shift from the 325 public complaints and 94 internal reports in 2023.
While most allegations were dismissed or deemed not to be breaches of protocol, several serious issues did emerge.
Thirteen officers were found to have improperly accessed information without authorisation, one faced counselling for excessive force and seven complaints concerning a lack of care and diligence led to counselling, verbal warnings or informal resolutions.
Additional confirmed violations included four cases of officers bringing discredit to the force and six instances of dishonesty or integrity breaches.
Deputy Commissioner Jonathan Higgins said that the number of complaints is “comparatively low” given the thousands of interactions officers have with the community each year.
“But it is vital that all complaints are appropriately responded to, investigated, action taken if required and that we publicly report on these important matters,” he said.
“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.”
