Tasmania Police has commissioned an independent review to assess the ways in which it can strengthen frontline policing and better support its members to do core police work safely and sustainably into the future.
Releasing the report today, Commissioner Donna Adams said that the review by the Australian New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency (ANZPAA) provides a contemporary picture of frontline policing across Tasmania’s seven 24-hour stations and reflects the pressures and complexity faced by officers every day.
Amongst the findings:
• The per annum number of operational dispatch incidents has increased by 40,000 over the past decade – reaching a total of 138,756 in 2024-25.
• Mental health and family violence dispatch incidents have more than doubled over the past decade.
• The number of family violence incidents has grown by 250% over the past decade (1582 to 5856) – with a traditional response of 2-8 hours.
• Average incidents take 63 minutes, with officers spending up to 4 hours in hospitals under the Mental Health Act 2013.
“At the centre of the report are the voices and experiences of our members,” Commissioner Adams said.
“Around 200 officers and policing partners contributed to the review through surveys and interviews conducted throughout 2025.
“These contributions directly shaped the findings and recommendations and will help inform how the role of policing continues to evolve.”
Commissioner Adams said that the review confirmed that the nature of policing has changed significantly.
“Demand on frontline officers has increased, particularly in relation to mental health incidents, family violence and complex vulnerability matters,” she said.
“The report also identified that every decision an officer makes is done so under a significant level of internal and external scrutiny.
“However, much of this work, while important to community safety, does not always sit neatly within traditional measures of police performance, or within the core responsibilities of policing.
“Initiatives such as the PACER model allow cross-agency teams to respond to mental health incidents. Without PACER, police have limited options available when dealing with people who are presenting with mental health issues.”
Commissioner Adams said that Tasmania Police would continue to evolve and deliver contemporary training that meets community expectations.
“Taking a holistic, member-centred approach, the report recognises the breadth of modern policing and highlights where systems, processes and inter-agency arrangements are not keeping pace with operational realities.”
Commissioner Adams said the report’s findings and 39 recommendations would inform organisational priorities, future planning and discussions with partner agencies.
Commissioner Adams said Tasmania Police, including members of all ranks, would now examine the report’s findings and recommendations to help prioritise realistic, achievable actions to deliver practical benefits for frontline policing.
“Taking budget considerations into account, we will be working with staff to focus on identifying what can be done now, what can be undertaken over time, and what will deliver the greatest impact for our people, the organisation and the community,” she said.
Work is underway in a number of areas including:
• Exploring opportunities for AI to reduce the administrative burden on frontline officers
• Establishing a formal mentoring role to support probationary constables
• Providing clear role clarity across Tasmania Police about duties associated with family violence
• Implement online reporting for low level offences
“Staff input will help ensure the outcomes of the review translate into meaningful, realistic change that supports members to do the work that only police can do -safely and sustainably.”
The Independent Role of Police Review Final Report is available here: www.police.tas.gov.au/anzpaa_report_role-_of_police/
