The Australian Federal Police Association (AFPA) has condemned the ACT Government and the Justice and Community Safety Directorate following reports of repeated flooding, sewage leaks, water damage and structural failures across ACT Policing facilities.
The Canberra Times1 has reported 26 facility failures across ACT Policing sites since July 2020, including a sinkhole at Tuggeranong Police Station, repeated flooding at Winchester Police Centre, sewage incidents at City Police Station and the ACT Watch House, and water ingress at the ACT Road Policing Centre.
AFPA President Alex Caruana said the situation was unacceptable and showed a serious failure by the ACT Government to provide safe, functional and fit-for-purpose workplaces for police.
“These are not minor maintenance problems. These are repeated facility failures affecting the people who keep Canberra safe.
“ACT Policing members should not be forced to work in buildings affected by flooding, sewage overflows, sinkholes, damaged work areas and ongoing water ingress. It is disgraceful, and the ACT Government must take responsibility,” Mr Caruana said.
The reported incidents include 14 failures at the City Police Station since July 2020, including flooding and sewage leaks. Winchester Police Centre has reportedly recorded seven incidents, including repeated flooding that has affected intelligence, governance, corporate, emergency management, training, and operational work areas.
The ACT Watch House has also reportedly experienced sewage overflow incidents, affecting the custody environment used by police members, detainees and support staff.
Mr Caruana said the problem went beyond inconvenience for ACT Policing members.
“This directly affects operational capability, workplace safety, morale and the ability of ACT Policing members to do their jobs. When intelligence areas, training rooms, gyms, custody areas and offices are shut down or damaged, the impact flows straight to the frontline.
“The community expects police to respond when they call for help. Police should be able to expect their government to provide safe buildings, reliable infrastructure and basic workplace standards,” Mr Caruana said.
The AFPA believes that the ACT Government and the Justice and Community Safety Directorate, which manages the infrastructure for the ACT Government, must explain why these problems have persisted for years.
Mr Caruana said this is a pattern, not an isolated event.
“The ACT Government has known about these problems, yet members are still being displaced from work areas and forced to operate around failing infrastructure.
“The fact that the Winchester Police Centre still has areas not operational following water damage in March should be a serious concern to every Canberran.”
The AFPA is calling on the ACT Government to immediately:
- release a full audit of ACT Policing facilities, including all known risks, repair schedules and outstanding works
- fund urgent repairs to affected police buildings
- publish a clear capital works plan for replacing or upgrading ageing police infrastructure
- consult directly with ACT Policing members and the AFPA about workplace safety and operational impact
- provide a public explanation of how these repeated failures occurred under JACS oversight
- guarantee that members will not be required to work in unsafe or unsuitable areas
Mr Caruana said the ACT Government could not continue to talk about community safety while failing to maintain the buildings police rely on.
“Safe policing starts with safe workplaces. The ACT Government cannot keep asking police to do more while providing them with buildings that flood, leak sewage or collapse under footpaths.
“ACT Policing members deserve better, and the Canberra community deserves better. The ACT Government and JACS need to stop treating police infrastructure as an afterthought and start looking at the bigger picture and stop using band-aid measures,” Mr Caruana said.
Media Contact AFPA Media and Government Relations Manager Troy Roberts, (02) 6285 1677, troy.r@afpa.org.au
1https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/9244049/act-police-report-more-than-25-facility-failures-across-canberra-stations-and-pecincts/
The Australian Federal Police Association (AFPA) has condemned the ACT Government and the Justice and Community Safety Directorate following reports of repeated flooding, sewage leaks, water damage and structural failures across ACT Policing facilities.
The Canberra Times1 has reported 26 facility failures across ACT Policing sites since July 2020, including a sinkhole at Tuggeranong Police Station, repeated flooding at Winchester Police Centre, sewage incidents at City Police Station and the ACT Watch House, and water ingress at the ACT Road Policing Centre.
AFPA President Alex Caruana said the situation was unacceptable and showed a serious failure by the ACT Government to provide safe, functional and fit-for-purpose workplaces for police.
“These are not minor maintenance problems. These are repeated facility failures affecting the people who keep Canberra safe.
“ACT Policing members should not be forced to work in buildings affected by flooding, sewage overflows, sinkholes, damaged work areas and ongoing water ingress. It is disgraceful, and the ACT Government must take responsibility,” Mr Caruana said.
The reported incidents include 14 failures at the City Police Station since July 2020, including flooding and sewage leaks. Winchester Police Centre has reportedly recorded seven incidents, including repeated flooding that has affected intelligence, governance, corporate, emergency management, training, and operational work areas.
The ACT Watch House has also reportedly experienced sewage overflow incidents, affecting the custody environment used by police members, detainees and support staff.
Mr Caruana said the problem went beyond inconvenience for ACT Policing members.
“This directly affects operational capability, workplace safety, morale and the ability of ACT Policing members to do their jobs. When intelligence areas, training rooms, gyms, custody areas and offices are shut down or damaged, the impact flows straight to the frontline.
“The community expects police to respond when they call for help. Police should be able to expect their government to provide safe buildings, reliable infrastructure and basic workplace standards,” Mr Caruana said.
The AFPA believes that the ACT Government and the Justice and Community Safety Directorate, which manages the infrastructure for the ACT Government, must explain why these problems have persisted for years.
Mr Caruana said this is a pattern, not an isolated event.
“The ACT Government has known about these problems, yet members are still being displaced from work areas and forced to operate around failing infrastructure.
“The fact that the Winchester Police Centre still has areas not operational following water damage in March should be a serious concern to every Canberran.”
The AFPA is calling on the ACT Government to immediately:
- release a full audit of ACT Policing facilities, including all known risks, repair schedules and outstanding works
- fund urgent repairs to affected police buildings
- publish a clear capital works plan for replacing or upgrading ageing police infrastructure
- consult directly with ACT Policing members and the AFPA about workplace safety and operational impact
- provide a public explanation of how these repeated failures occurred under JACS oversight
- guarantee that members will not be required to work in unsafe or unsuitable areas
Mr Caruana said the ACT Government could not continue to talk about community safety while failing to maintain the buildings police rely on.
“Safe policing starts with safe workplaces. The ACT Government cannot keep asking police to do more while providing them with buildings that flood, leak sewage or collapse under footpaths.
“ACT Policing members deserve better, and the Canberra community deserves better. The ACT Government and JACS need to stop treating police infrastructure as an afterthought and start looking at the bigger picture and stop using band-aid measures,” Mr Caruana said.
Media Contact AFPA Media and Government Relations Manager Troy Roberts, (02) 6285 1677, troy.r@afpa.org.au
1https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/9244049/act-police-report-more-than-25-facility-failures-across-canberra-stations-and-pecincts/
