Arabic version: مراجعة للشرطة الفيدرالية الأسترالية تبرئها من التمييز في توقيف خاطئ

According to ABC News, an internal Australian Federal Police investigation has found no evidence that race or other discriminatory factors influenced officers’ interactions with a First Nations teenager mistakenly arrested in Canberra’s south. The AFP also said its investigation found no excessive force was used during the arrest.

In November last year, officers drew guns on the 17-year-old at the Woden bus interchange, handcuffed him and later realised they had detained the wrong person. The teenager, identified by the Commonwealth Ombudsman under the pseudonym Jay, had been mistaken for a man allegedly armed with a knife who had earlier attempted to carjack a vehicle near Woden.

The AFP announced late on Friday that it had completed its investigation, but said it would not disclose disciplinary outcomes for the officers involved. It said any established findings would be considered for appropriate action under its Integrity Framework, including possible sanctions or other remedial measures. The force will not publicly release details of six Professional Standards Unit investigations into the arrest.

Last month, ACT and Commonwealth Ombudsman Iain Anderson found officers had subjected Jay to an “inappropriate”, “seemingly unlawful” and “potentially lethal” search. Anderson said the teenager was pushed face down onto the ground, arrested and, after police recognised their error, searched anyway. He described the case as involving “a series of human errors”, but did not find evidence that race led to heightened or more extreme force.

Jay’s family said the incident had left their trust broken. In a statement included in the ombudsman’s report, they said the teenager was not treated as a young Aboriginal boy or as a person with rights and dignity.