Abhorrent Misconduct”: Indigenous Children's Commissioner Condemns Watch House Incident in ACT

A disturbing incident involving a 17-year-old Aboriginal boy detained in a Canberra watch house has reignited urgent calls for systemic police reform, accountability, and justice for Indigenous youth in custody.

CCTV footage, recently revealed during an ACT Supreme Court hearing, has shocked advocates and the public alike. In the footage, a watch house officer is heard asking the teenager whether he was thinking of "necking himself"—a slang term for suicide. When the youth denied such thoughts, the officer cruelly replied, "Wouldn't have the guts to do it anyway." Other officers present can be seen smirking at the exchange.

This conduct has been publicly condemned by the Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People, Vanessa Turnbull-Roberts, who described the interaction as “abhorrent misconduct.” She further stated:

“In the context of the horrifying and ongoing epidemic of Aboriginal deaths in custody in this jurisdiction and across Australia, this comment can be seen as a deliberate incitement to an Aboriginal child to end his life."

These are not isolated words. They are a searing indictment of systemic failures, where instead of receiving care, traumatised Aboriginal children are met with institutional cruelty and racialised degradation. The teenager in question is not only Indigenous but a survivor of the ongoing legacies of the Stolen Generations—described by Turnbull-Roberts as a "survivor of forcible removal." He was interrogated with contempt and mocked for his trauma, including jibes about his experience in foster care and his lack of parental presence.

In addition to verbal mistreatment, the footage reportedly shows the child being pinned down in his cell and left handcuffed for 45 minutes. Turnbull-Roberts noted the psychological injury likely inflicted by this ordeal:

“The state-inflicted trauma... would have been compounded by the subsequent unnecessary use of force and then leaving this young person alone handcuffed and distressed in his cell, where he would have known that there was not a single person in that police station who cared about whether he lived or died.”

Justice Louise Taylor, presiding over the ACT Supreme Court proceedings, has referred the incident to the Chief Police Officer of the ACT. The Commissioner has also independently referred the matter to the Ombudsman. Despite these referrals, Turnbull-Roberts says there has been little meaningful response:

“This inaction shows how designed and broken this system is and how it is failing the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.”

These events follow a broader and more alarming pattern of abuse and neglect within the youth justice system, where Aboriginal children are significantly overrepresented in detention, in use-of-force statistics, and tragically, in deaths in custody. The child's suffering should be a rallying cry for change, not a footnote in an ever-growing record of institutional failure.

“The Indigenous children's commissioner has slammed ACT policing over a distressing watch house incident,” 4 June 2025. Retrieved from: https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article/the-indigenous-childrens-commissioner-has-slammed/fc8fcftpo

While ACT Policing released a statement asserting its commitment to transparency and accountability, the community remains sceptical. Chief Police Officer Scott Lee stated:

“ACT Policing remains committed to being transparent and accountable with the community in responding to any allegations of misconduct. I would like to reassure the ACT community that when it is confirmed an officer has not met our high standards then appropriate sanctions are available.”

But words without action are meaningless. Aboriginal families across Australia continue to grieve and fight for answers, justice, and structural change. The Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody handed down 339 recommendations in 1991—many of which remain unimplemented more than three decades later. Among them was the fundamental call to treat Aboriginal people with dignity and to develop culturally safe alternatives to detention wherever possible.

This latest incident serves as another brutal reminder that systemic racism remains deeply entrenched in Australian policing practices. Cultural oversight, independent investigation, and urgent reform are not optional—they are essential.

We stand with Commissioner Turnbull-Roberts and every Aboriginal child who deserves safety, dignity, and justice—not interrogation, isolation, and humiliation.

If this article has raised issues for you, help is available:

• 13 YARN (13 92 76) – A crisis support line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

• 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) – National sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service.

For advocacy and support regarding institutional mistreatment or police misconduct, contact 1800ADVOCATES via www.1800advocates.au