WA Police Commissioner Chris Dawson says he is issuing “revised guidelines” to his officers after a pregnant Aboriginal woman was arrested and locked up overnight because she missed a court hearing where she was due to give evidence against her allegedly abusive former partner.

Yesterday an expose by The Weekend West revealed how 26-year-old university student Kearah Ronan, who is six months pregnant, was strip-searched and forced to spend a night in the Perth Watch House on May 3.

A police prosecutor had requested an arrest warrant after Ms Ronan, the 2017 Miss NAIDOC winner, did not appear at Midland Magistrate’s court on January 21 where she was due to give evidence against her former partner who had been charged with assaulting her.

Camera Icon Kearah Ronan was strip-searched and jailed simply because she was too sick to attend court to give evidence against her allegedly abusive former partner. Credit: 7NEWS

Ms Ronan said she had called the court registry to let them know she had been sick and was unable to attend.

Last night Mr Dawson released a statement in which he extended his sympathy to Ms Ronan and said the circumstances of her arrest were “regrettable”. “The warrant commands police to carry out an arrest and the State law expressly sets out that police face disciplinary action if they don’t make the arrest,” he said.

Mr Dawson said he was pleased Attorney-General John Quigley was investigating changing the laws in response to the case.

“In the interim I will be issuing revised guidelines to my officers when faced with similar circumstances to those in Ms Ronan’s case, until the law is amended by Parliament,” he said.