Thousands of police warnings could be wiped because of protocol breaches
Thousands of formal warnings issued by police could be wiped from official records and compulsory training for all staff has been introduced because police haven't followed proper protocol for years, the Herald can reveal. Relying on formal warnings during police vetting has also been stopped nationwide because of the botch-up, and police are now inviting anyone who has concerns about a formal warning they've received to contact police and request a review of their records.
The background: Deficiencies in the formal warning system were first identified in 2021, after a High Court judge found the way warnings were issued breached the law. Central to the court’s ruling was that police didn’t understand that for a formal warning to be issued, a suspect must accept responsibility for their offending, and there must be sufficient evidence to prove the offence. After that ruling, police said they’d review their policies. However, the Herald has learned that four years since flaws were first identified, significant issues remain. A review conducted last year found that of a sample of 467 warnings issued between 2019 and 2024, only 171 were compliant. Police said those found to have breached policy were then wiped from official records.
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Poll: 🤖 What skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?
The Reserve Bank has shared some pretty blunt advice: there’s no such thing as a “safe” job anymore 🛟😑
Robots are stepping into repetitive roles in factories, plants and warehouses. AI is taking care of the admin tasks that once filled many mid-level office jobs.
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