West Australian police have started training officers to use a new type of leg restraint, after repeated calls by coroners for alternatives to the potentially lethal prone position.
WA Coroner Philip Urquhart said in an October report he was "concerned" and "troubled" about police use of the prone restraint, which involves holding a person face down on their stomach, sometimes with their hands behind their backs, often with physical pressure applied.
Police use of the prone position to restrain Noongar woman Cherdeena Wynne, 26, was found to have been a factor in her 2019 death (Ms Wynne's name and image are used in this article with the permission of her family).
She is one of 10 people across Australia whose deaths have been linked to the restraint, which can cause "positional asphyxia".
In October Mr Urquhart recommended that police start using a new type of "fast-strap" leg restraint, echoing the call of another WA Coroner in the case of Chad Riley in 2021.
The straps, which can be fastened around a person's legs, are said to reduce the need to apply body weight to restrain a person, and in turn reduce the risk of asphyxiation.
WA Police confirmed this week that all new recruits since October 2022 had been trained in the use of the straps.
But it did not respond directly to questions about how many officers who were already part of the police force would be trained.
'A step in the right direction'
Police Commissioner Col Blanch earlier told ABC the leg restraints would be introduced as a direct response to the coroner's findings.
"One of the reasons why people have to physically restrain them on the ground is because they are generally kicking around and may cause injury to themselves or certainly the police," he told ABC Radio Perth host Nadia Mitsopoulos in November.
"[The strap] holds their legs together and obviously handcuffs hold their hands together.
"That's generally why we have to put our weight on people … because legs can cause just as much damage as arms, but the leg restraints now prevent that."
After Ms Wynne's death, her great aunt Barbara Stoeckel-Clayton called for police action to prevent future harm from the use of the prone restraint.
She welcomed the addition of the leg restraints, but hoped the training would be extended to include more officers.
"If it's another possible way to avoid damage to another person that's a good thing,” Ms Stoeckel-Clayton said.
"It's a step in the right direction.
"We'd like to see all police trained."
Prone restraint not banned
The WA government recently banned another potentially deadly restraint, known as "folding up", in youth detention.
The restraint, also known as a hogtie or "figure four", involves guards forcing a handcuffed child onto their stomach, crossing their legs behind them and sitting on them.
The Department of Justice said the restraint would be replaced with an alternative method after a report by ABC TV's Four Corners aired CCTV and body-worn camera footage of the restraint.
The department has not revealed what the new method of restraint will be, but it was due to be in effect by December 14.
WA Police did not endorse a recommendation from the coroner that police training manuals should tell officers to always avoid applying downward pressure on a person in the prone position.
Commissioner Blanch said WA Police were still allowed to use the restraint when needed.
"We're always going to have to try our best, we don't want to put people in a prone position and hold them there," Commissioner Blanch said.
"But if they are creating a danger for officers, we will continue to do that.
"The leg restraints are there as an option to reduce the risk of that occurring."
