A police officer caught on CCTV cameras in Canberra attacked a dog chained with pepper spray. The incident became an internal police investigation Canberra.
CCTV footage was taken in a raid on a home action in Canberra last month. In the show looks 3 police officers standing around a dog tied to a chain near the pond behind the house.
One officer seen taunting the dog before pepper spray.
The officer then stood up again and pelted the dog with a number of objects.
Other officers seen laughing at the incident, before finally emerging one of his fellow cops who then filmed the incident with his cell phone.
Dog owners were not home at the time, reported the incident to the police official.
"Treating animals as it is a cowardly act," said the attorney from the owner of the dog, Peter Woodhouse.
"The fact is they are police officers who should do the job properly,"
"We are worried about the Australian Federal Police AFP did not handle this case serus. Behavior of police in this case is outrageous,"
Woodhouse said the AFP professional standards initially classify the complaint as a matter of public service field level 1.
"At the urging of this, this problem has now been upgraded to level 3," he said.
"It is obvious forms of abuse of police power. Officer had crossed the line and he should be responsible.
"My client wants this issue fairly investigated and if appropriate, they wanted the officer was prosecuted for his behavior.
"Dog owners are very upset by what happened. I was told that the dog attitude changed since the incident,"
In a statement, police said it did not justify the ACT form of cruelty to animals in the form of apapu and has launched an internal investigation.
"All officers are required to report all use of violence, and to report the use of liquid pepper as part of this requirement," the statement said.
Given the investigation is still ongoing, ACT police are not willing to comment further.