WA Police are again under fire from the State’s corruption watchdog over the “unprofessional” and “inhumane” treatment of an injured woman detained in Fremantle, with 11 officers now facing disciplinary action and a twelfth facing the sack over the January 2017 incident.

Police Commissioner Chris Dawson has apologised for what happened and said he accepted the Corruption and Crime Commission report into the incident, which was released today, in full.

“I’ve viewed the [CCTV] footage, I received a briefing and as Commissioner of Police, I express my apology,” he said.

“I’m very sorry that in this instance, the officers have failed to follow their training and their procedures. The lady concerned should have been taken to hospital, that did not occur and for that, I’m sorry.”

The Corruption and Crime Commission formed an opinion of “serious misconduct” by officers at Fremantle Police Station over the incident in today’s report, released just three weeks after it highlighted concerns over an incident in September that year in the port city.

A woman, named only as Ms Duncan, was injured during a struggle with police after her daughter was stopped for a random breath test and officers refused her request to also test her.

Camera Icon Police drag Ms Duncan upstairs at the Fremantle Police Station. Credit: CCC, City of Fremantle and WA Police

Her hip was dislocated during the altercation, causing her immediate pain. But she was taken to Fremantle Police Station where she was detained for more than five hours before she was given any medical treatment despite her repeated pleas.

“Incredibly, the only reason she was detained for this lengthy period of time was because she was unable to stand at the counter to have her fingerprints taken,” the CCC stated.

Ms Duncan was charged with assaulting police and failing to provide her details but was acquitted of those charges at trial in August 2017.

But an investigation was only launched into the behaviour of police after the woman lodged a complaint in November 2017. None of the officers at Fremantle had raised concerns, the CCC said.

CCC Commissioner John McKechnie described CCTV footage of Ms Duncan’s time in the station as “confronting” to watch and said there had been a “cascading failure of duty” by many officers.

The incident came just two weeks after the Coroner released findings into the death in custody of Ms Dhu, so custody officers should have had a heightened awareness of their duty of care, he said.

“Every officer involved in this seemed to think she was feigning an injury, or exaggerating, or ‘bunging it on’ and nobody seems to have considered the possibility that she was actually in pain,” he said.

“It’s amazing.

“The right to medical treatment in custody is not a ‘gift’ to be offered out from time to time.

“It is a statutory enshrined legal right that every one of us has and no member of the community should be treated like this.”

The CCC report found that, collectively, the actions of officers on the night justified an opinion that the treatment of Ms Duncan was “oppressive, unjust and contrary to law”.

Camera Icon ‘I’m not faking it,’ screams Ms Duncan. Credit: CCC, City of Fremantle and WA Police

The CCTV footage showed officers dragging and carrying Ms Duncan up nine stairs, despite her visible and audible pain and then later trying to force her to move to another section of the station to provide her fingerprints.

She is not helped until other officers come on duty, who provide her water and tissues and call an ambulance so paramedics can assess her injuries.

Mr McKechnie said the internal affairs unit had done a comprehensive investigation after Ms Duncan lodged a complaint.

Mr Dawson said 11 officers were now facing disciplinary proceedings. A twelfth person – the female auxiliary officer who had since graduated as a police constable – had been asked to show why she should keep her job.

Mr McKechnie revealed earlier today that the same female auxiliary officer whose treatment of Ms Duncan he described as “extremely unprofessional” was also involved in a September 2017 incident in Fremantle.

Mr Dawson said the woman was being kept on administrative duties while the process into her future was underway.

Mr Dawson said neither the CCC nor the police internal affairs investigators had recommended criminal charges over the January incident.

“I’m very disappointed that the training and the policies – which I believe are correct and the CCC report does remark that the training and policies are sufficient – that in this instance were not followed,” he said.

Mr Dawson also revealed that civil action had been launched by Ms Duncan but he was not yet aware of the details.

WA Police Union President Harry Arnott said today the union was assisting police officers involved.

“We disagree with the wholesale and relatively indiscriminate targeting and charging of many of our Members with disciplinary offences,” he said.

“Such an approach might be convenient to the WA Police Force because it allows them to represent to the world that it has addressed the issue, but it completely overlooks the systemic failures that greatly contributed to this incident.”

He criticised the standard of the facility, saying if the detention area had been operating as a lock-up a nurse would have been required to be on site and Ms Duncan would have had immediate medical attention.

“We inspected this facility again on Friday and have reported it to Worksafe,” he said. “While this facility continues to be used by the WA Police Force, the community and our Members are at significant risk of harm or injury.”

The CCC found the Fremantle station was “sub-standard” and “unsuitable” for anyone disabled or non-compliant – putting detainees, police officers and the public at risk.

Camera Icon CCTV footage shows police questioning Ms Duncan’s pleas for help. Credit: CCC, City of Fremantle and WA Police

Mr Dawson agreed with that but said it was no excuse for the woman’s treatment.

He said the Department of Finance was already considering tenders to either build a new facility at Fremantle or renovate an existing building for a new police station.

Mr McKechnie said it was unclear how Ms Duncan’s hip had been dislocated during the roadside incident and the CCC had been focused on her treatment afterwards.

He said there had been a collective finding of “serious misconduct” against the officers involved.

“In the end, everybody contributed to what was misconduct, it’s difficult to say that one officer stood out,” he said.

“But everybody was there, no body, not one person, said anything about ‘maybe we should help her’.

“This seemed to us to be unlawful – because she had a right to medical attention, and oppressive and unjust.”

Today’s report comes just three weeks after the CCC raised concerns over police treatment of a man — named only as “Mr Wells” — during a late-night incident in Fremantle in September 2017, which has resulted in an officer being charged with assault and a former officer under investigation.

The officers had approached the man after he was kicked out of a Fremantle pub for fighting.

Mr Wells lit a cigarette while being questioned, prompting officers to wrestle him to the ground as they tried to take it from him.

One of the officers, Sgt Nathan Trenberth, delivered multiple blows to Mr Wells’ head as he was being held down.

Camera Icon Ambulance paramedics arrive to assess Ms Duncan. Credit: CCC, City of Fremantle and WA Police

The CCC detailed how another officer — named as Const. Julian Donohoe — looked in the direction of a street security camera when Mr Wells was handcuffed and subdued, and grabbed his finger, twisting it until it dislocated.

After Mr Wells was placed in the police lock-up, a station audio recording captured Sgt Trenberth telling other officers involved he had just looked at CCTV footage of the arrest and there was “a problem”.

Mr Wells was initially charged with assaulting a public officer, but the charge was dropped after prosecutors raised concerns the footage appeared to show excessive use of force.

The CCC report formed opinions of misconduct against Sgt Trenberth and Const. Donohoe.

After the report was released, Police Commissioner Chris Dawson said Const. Donohoe had been charged with assault and stood down from his duties. He is due to appear in court next month.

Sgt Trenberth resigned before WA Police internal affairs could complete its investigation into his conduct. Mr Dawson said an investigation into the former officer was continuing.

WA Police have been forced to defend a series of incidents in the Fremantle district in recent years. Last year, the CCC released a report on the use of Tasers by officers in Fremantle after the release of confronting video footage.

Also last year, a Fremantle couple were awarded a $1.1 million payment after they were wrongfully tasered by police in 2008.

Mr Dawson rejected suggestions there was a cultural problem among police in the Fremantle area.

He announced last year that officers would wear body-worn video cameras, saying they could be helpful in showing two sides to a story, given the increased prevalence of members of the public filming interactions with police.