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‘Nothing’s ever simple’: Why it took six years for police to ban spit hoods 

Spencer Howson
Article image for ‘Nothing’s ever simple’: Why it took six years for police to ban spit hoods 

The Queensland Police Service will stop using controversial spit hoods in response to human rights concerns and an internal review. 

The announcement made late on Monday comes after estimates revelations last month that the hoods had been used on 20 young people in watch houses between 2015 and 2021.

They were first introduced in 2009 as a measure to stop detainees spitting or biting officers and prevent exposure to transmittable diseases.

However, they are no longer used in the majority of other policing jurisdictions in Australia after coming to public attention in a 2016 Four Corners report.

Acting Deputy Commissioner Mark Wheeler said the QPS has used hoods on 138 of the 353,500 detainees in the past seven years.

“In other words, there has been 353,400 times we have not used a safety hood,” he told Spencer Howson.

When asked why the decision has taken so long, Mr Wheeler said the safety of police was a major concern.

“Nothing’s ever simple in policing, Spencer,” he said. “These are complex issues. We wanted to make sure that we got the balance right, that we consulted widely.

“Of course, there are going to be parties that are not going to be 100 per cent supportive of this decision.”

Press PLAY below to hear how police plan to maintain safety without spit hoods 

Image: Getty 

Spencer Howson
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