A knife brandished by a patient at Canberra Hospital’s Behavioural Assessment Unit escaped detection during an initial police pat-down, triggering a multi-hour security standoff, according to ACT Policing Deputy Chief Police Officer Scott Lee.

Details of the Security Incident

The episode unfolded Wednesday afternoon after officers delivered a 35-year-old man to the unit for breaching a psychiatric treatment order. Police conducted a search upon apprehension and seized one knife before transferring him to the hospital.

Inside the unit, the man revealed a second knife he had concealed, prompting eight staff members to take shelter in a secure station. Deputy Chief Police Officer Lee explained that the pat-down targeted accessible areas, but the hiding spot rendered it undetectable.

“A pat-down search can locate items in easily accessible areas on a person’s body, but where he had secreted this knife, it was very unlikely that a pat-down search would have located it,” Lee stated.

Response and Tactical Measures

Australian Federal Police negotiators and a tactical response team arrived to manage the situation. After negotiations stalled, they deployed a single flashbang grenade to disorient the man, enabling officers to disarm him safely.

Lee noted that the device aimed to protect the man, officers, and health staff. He emphasized that strip searches were inappropriate given the mental health context and hospital environment, while metal detector wanding applies mainly to criminal cases.

Canberra Liberals leader Mark Parton raised concerns about search thoroughness, but Lee defended protocols suited to mental health responses.

Joint Review Launched

ACT Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith announced a joint review to examine the incident, including negotiation duration with a patient in severe psychiatric distress.

“One of the things we need to look at is the length of time that police spent negotiating with someone who was probably not in a position to logically negotiate,” Stephen-Smith said. She praised staff resilience and awaits review findings before further action.

The review also assesses the secure staff station’s design. Canberra Health Services deputy chief executive Liz Lopa highlighted prior staff concerns over its single entry and exit point, noting architects recently evaluated adding a second door.

“Ironically, we actually had architects in there only a couple of weeks before doing a design to see how we could put in a second door,” Lopa said.

Impact on Staff and Police Role

Staff endured three hours of confinement, emerging physically safe but psychologically affected. Lee described the event as traumatic and acknowledged its stress.

Police involvement in mental health calls faces scrutiny in the review to capture lessons without implying search flaws. Lee stressed ongoing consultations on response strategies, balancing risk, stigma from police presence, and escalation potential.

“Police will always continue to respond because we need to support other agencies,” he said. “We’re conscious that police attendance brings a stigma with it.”