Unrest is brewing inside Federal Police ranks about how former soldier Ben Roberts-Smith was arrested this week, with members criticising a decision to video the event and even mocking the Commissioner for wearing more service medals than the war hero.
On Tuesday the highly decorated veteran was charged with five counts of war crimes and refused bail after earlier being intercepted by AFP officers at Sydney airport in front of his teenage daughters.
This week the Nightly revealed the Victoria Cross recipient had made multiple previous offers to hand himself into the Australian Federal Police if they intended to charge him with war crimes.
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A source close to the former SAS corporal said his lawyers had offered in writing to make him available to authorities “at any place, at any time” to be arrested, but the AFP has declined to comment on the claim.
Serving figures inside the AFP are now privately questioning why their organisation arranged for a videographer to record the dramatic arrest and then distribute the vision to news organisations.
“There was no reason to film that arrest apart from grandstanding, it’s not like it is crucial evidence,” one long serving AFP investigator tells the Nightly, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of fear of professional retribution.
Former Australian soldier Ben Roberts Smith arrested over alleged war crimes. Credit: unknown/AFP
“The arresting officers could certainly have placed him on an Interpol alert list if they were worried about him fleeing the country, and if they had checked the flight manifest it would have been easy to see he was travelling with his daughters”.
“This is a serious misstep by Commissioner (Krissy) Barrett, and I imagine she is now having second thoughts about the way this has been handled and put in full public glare”.
Another senior officer claimed the idea to video the arrest of Ben Roberts-Smith “surely had to have been cooked up in the Commissioner’s office, but it was clearly the wrong call”, adding that many colleagues wondered if the AFP would oppose any move to grant bail.
The concerns are shared also by Australian veterans of the Afghanistan war such as former commando Heston Russell who has questioned why the AFP chose to take such a dramatic step in public in full view of dozens of people.
“They waited for him to return from a flight at Sydney airport in public after the Easter long weekend with his two twin teenage daughters, I’m just disgusted by that as an Australian citizen and it really makes wonder; what is the motive here, why are we pushing for drama?”, Mr Russell said.
Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett and OSI Director Investigations Ross Barnett speak to media during a press conference following the arrest of Ben Roberts-Smith. Credit: Australia Federal Police/Australian Federal Police
The Nightly has also seen several derogatory messages and images that are being shared between AFP members criticising the Commissioner’s press conference after Tuesday’s arrest and mocking the number of medals she has worn on her uniform.
One image circulated widely among AFP members shows Commissioner Barrett displaying at least 10 medals earned during her twenty-five-year career, compared to Ben Roberts-Smith wearing half as many decorations following his Afghanistan service.
In a statement an AFP spokesperson declined to comment on internal criticism of the way Tuesday’s arrest was handled, saying “this matter, a joint operation between the AFP and OSI (Office of the Special Investigator), is before the courts.”
This week former Labor defence minister Joel Fitzgibbon joined criticism over the arrest of Ben Roberts-Smith declaring it was having a profound impact on the Australian veterans’ community.
“It is having an enormous impact not just on the veterans’ community, but the community more generally,” Mr Fitzgibbon told Sky News while saying he “wouldn’t be surprised if at some point we see community rallies based around this cause.”
Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett has been mocked by AFP members for the number of medals she has worn. Credit: unknown/supplied
“If Ben Roberts-Smith transgressed, why wasn’t this picked up prior to his gallantry awards and why wasn’t any culture of brutality towards prisoners detected by his more senior officers, and dealt with quickly, rather than being allowed to fester, as has been alleged, for over a decade?”
The Australian Federal Police Association has also commended the “professionalism, dedication, and resilience” of investigators involved in the “complex” and “high stakes” war crimes investigation.
“This work demands patience, analytical expertise, and an unwavering commitment to due process. It also has a punishing effect on members physically and psychologically, and this must be recognised,” AFPA President Alex Caruana said.
“The investigators, many of whom are AFPA members, have demonstrated professionalism at every stage, managing complex information under intense scrutiny while upholding the highest legal and ethical standards,” Mr Caruana added.
Late on Friday the Australian War Memorial confirmed it had now updated the display dedicated to Ben Roberts-Smith to reflect the charges, with director Matt Anderson saying a panel was amended to “cover the facts” as they currently stood.
