Warning: This article contains an image of wounds sustained by a child attacked by a police dog.

A report by Western Australia's Corruption and Crime Commission tabled in Parliament Tuesday highlights steps WA Police have taken to address serious misconduct risks associated with the use of police dogs.

The 'Final Review of WA Police Action into Recommendations on the Deployment of Police Dogs' outlines actions taken by WA Police in response to two key recommendations made by the Commission in its 2022 report, 'A report on the deployment of Police Dogs'.

The first recommendation was to develop and implement policy, procedure or guidelines to govern police dog use; the second to explore and address reasons for the higher representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in police dog deployments.

The CCC's 2022 report found 61 per cent of all police dog deployments in 2020/21 were targeted at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

In March 2023, the then Corruption and Crime Commissioner, John McKechnie, told a Western Australian parliamentary committee that the policies governing the use of police dogs were "not racist in intent, but are racist".

"The word complex does not begin to describe the issue of juvenile offending and its causes and solutions are difficult," he told the committee.

"But at the end of the day, are we a people who are content to unleash dogs on children? I think we're better than that."

The comments came months after 13 year-old Indigenous boy Jayden Abraham was hospitalised and required surgery after being mauled by a police dog in Boorloo/Perth.

At the time, then Aboriginal Legal Service of WA chief executive Dennis Eggington said that "any reasonable person" looking at the boys' serious facial injuries caused by police dog bites "would be absolutely horrified".

"The barbaric use of police dogs has resulted in a very disturbing pattern emerging over the past decade," said Mr Eggington.

"What we have seen is that there is a disproportionate use of police dogs which are being set upon First Nations people."

On Tuesday, Noongar human rights law expert Dr Hannah McGlade told National Indigenous Times it is a positive development that since the CCC investigated police use of dogs that there have been "notable improvements; including less incidents".

"Aboriginal children in particular have suffered severe and life-threatening injuries as a result of police dog attacks," she said.

Dr McGlade noted that the CCC "also urged (WA Police) to address systemic discrimination towards Aboriginal people, but it's not clear what steps they are taking, if any, in this regard".

The Commission's report is the second and final review of WA Police's response to the recommendations. The first review determined that the initiatives taken by WA police were still in their early stages and unable to be sufficiently reviewed at the time.

In its final report, the Commission found WA Police have made "considerable improvements" to the Canine Unit, ranging from structural changes in its operation to implementing new policies and standard operating procedures.

The CCC said these changes have "reduced ambiguity and risk surrounding the use of police dogs, leading to significant positive outcomes including a reduction in incidents involving police dogs".

WA Police also engaged Edith Cowan University's Sellenger Centre to assist with research into police dog use, specifically in relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons.

As a result, a series of recommendations are being implemented by WA Police. The steps taken include consulting with Aboriginal organisations, simplifying the verbal police dog warning, ongoing training for canine handlers, policy amendments, and development of a master database on police dog use.

Current Corruption and Crime Commissioner Michael Corboy SC acknowledged the "significant progress" achieved by WA Police in implementing change to the policies, practices, and oversight of the Canine Unit.

"The use of police dogs as a force option carries inherent risks, and the recommendations made in the Commission's 2022 'A report on the deployment of Police Dogs' were important to address and reduce associated serious misconduct risks," he said.

"The actions of WA Police in response to the recommendations demonstrates a commitment to understanding and mitigating these ongoing risks, and it is encouraging to note WA Police has already seen a reduction in the number of incidents involving the deployment of police dogs following the implementation of the recommendations."