The revelations of the watchdog’s limitations come as the government faces increased calls to make public the findings of the critical incident investigation into Nowland’s Tasering.
On Monday,Minns refused to back the public release of the critical incident investigation. While he said the incident was “hugely worrying”,Minns cited the oversight by the LECC of the internal police probe as giving “a measure of confidence to the public” that it would be thoroughly investigated.
But opposition police spokesman Paul Toole urged the government to release the investigation once it was complete,saying the case had “raised serious concerns and ignited public outrage” which had prompted the need for “accountability and clarity for this case”.
Saying it was “remarkable” that Police Minister Yasmin Catley had yet to front the media over the incident,Toole called for “a review of existing policies and protocols,particularly when dealing with the elderly and dementia patients”.
“The findings of this review should be made available to the public to ensure public confidence,” he said. “I ask the minister to also provide a timeframe on when this review will happen and when will it be released.”
Minnshas so far refused to commit to releasing the investigation,despite conceding there was “significant community concern” over the case,which he described as “hugely worrying”.
He refused to back calls for the internal police investigation to be made public,saying the LECC’s oversight of the investigation should give “a measure of confidence to the public” that the police investigation would be subject to oversight.
“I have spoken to the police minister about ensuring that we have confidence in the investigation that’s taking place[and] I do have confidence,” he said.
The LECC’s report also conceded its oversight role was “generally limited to accessing evidence,requesting information and raising questions or concerns about the evidence or the investigation when they arise”.
Loading
“The commission has no power to ‘control,supervise,direct or interfere’ with the police investigation of the critical incident,” it stated.
Nowland remains in hospital in a critical condition after she suffered a head injury when she washit by a Taser in the early hours of Wednesday.
A dementia patient who weighs 43 kilograms,Nowland was carrying a serrated steak knife she had obtained from the kitchen of Yallambee Lodge aged care home in Cooma. She had left her bed and been walking around the home for some time before the incident.