No action over WA strip search injuries

The West Australian police officers who punched a woman and broke her finger during a strip search at the East Perth Watch House will not face criminal or disciplinary action.

Joanne Therese Martin, 33, was arrested for disorderly behaviour in April 2013 after she was attacked while trying to help her boyfriend during a fight.

A Corruption and Crime Commission (CCC) investigation found that when Ms Martin refused to remove her underwear during a strip search at the watch house because she believed it was a violation, she was punched with "distraction strikes" to her arm and had "hammer fist" blows to her shoulder blades.

Officers also tried to remove Ms Martin's ring, leaving her with a broken finger that later required the insertion of a rod.

But Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan said the officers - two of whom were no longer on the force - would not face criminal or disciplinary action because of the amount of time that had passed.

"We believe that Ms Martin escalated the use of force that was required in that incident, which is one reason why we believe that the process used by the police was lawful," he told reporters.

Mr O'Callaghan denied claims Ms Martin was walked through the reception area naked while being relocated to a padded cell, saying she was covered in a blanket.

He said strip searchers would soon start to be replaced with scanners, which would be less invasive.

While the CCC said the case was the result of "institutionalised failure" by the WA Police to correctly apply the law and procedures, Mr O'Callaghan said it was an old incident at a watch house that was now closed.

"Many of the issues which were raised in this particular report and which were problematic back in 2013 are no longer problematic because in about April 2014, we moved to the new watch house," he said.

"The new watch house has better access, it has areas where people can be properly searched, it is easier to keep an eye on prisoners (and) we have a different management structure."