The ACT'S top cop is standing by his officers, claiming they did not racially profile a man who was arrested for trespassing at his own home. The Narrabundah man, who is of African descent, has lodged a formal complaint with ACT policing, saying he was handcuffed and thrown into a police car after spending time at his apartment's pool. Advocacy groups believe it's a systemic issue and are calling for improved cultural sensitivity training.
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00:00Last week, Tuck, who does not wish to be identified by his full name, was arrested by police following
00:07a complaint by a long-term resident claiming he was trespassing at his own apartment complex.
00:13The 38-year-old Narrabundaman says he was sitting by the pool while off sick from work
00:18when a neighbour approached him and threatened to call police, demanding he tell him where
00:23he lived.
00:24Tuck says 15 minutes later, five police officers arrived asking to see his ID.
00:29He alleges things then turned physical, he was grabbed by the wrist and arrested on suspicion
00:34of trespassing.
00:35Our members did have some concerns in terms of his behaviour.
00:39When they went to arrest the male, there was a level of resistance.
00:43So as a result of that, he was handcuffed and placed in a police car.
00:47So I think once they had made those inquiries that he was in fact a resident, he was unarrested
00:52and there's going to be no further action taken.
00:55Deputy Commissioner Lee told ABC Radio Canberra his officers acted appropriately.
01:00They certainly weren't racially profiling the individual and they weren't racially motivated.
01:05They were simply responding to a complaint where they were trying to identify whether
01:09the man was in fact a resident.
01:10Advocacy groups say it's a systemic issue.
01:13We are calling for better police training, especially when it comes to cultural awareness
01:20practice because many incidents demonstrate that there's lack of knowledge when it comes
01:27to engaging with African communities.
01:29ACT Policing say Tuck's formal complaint will be independently reviewed and the outcome
01:34will be made public, though the body camera footage won't be released.