The controversial devices have been the subject of robust discussion within the ACT Legislative Assembly, with the territory one of the few remaining jurisdictions where they are used. It was revealed last year in estimates a hood was fitted to a 16-year-old girl in custody in the ACT.

The Australian Federal Police Association, which advocates for the rank and file officers in ACT Policing, had argued strongly for their use to continue so as to provide officers with the best possible protection against blood and saliva-born diseases.

This position had been strongly supported by officers who work in operational and custodial environments like the watch house.

However, after an AFP internal review, the police senior executive ruled in favour of the ban, saying in a statement "police always need to ensure reasonable force is used against individuals who are assaulting law enforcement".

The ACT Greens' police spokesperson Andrew Braddock, who had argued consistently against the devices being used in the ACT, welcomed the decision.

"The ACT police have acknowledged that spit hoods are ineffective in protecting against transmissible diseases, and therefore there is no justification for the use of these devices, which have proved dangerous and are implicated in the deaths of vulnerable people," Mr Braddock said.

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The mesh-fabric hood were designed to cover the face of a person in custody to stop them from spitting and biting, and the AFP review set out to establish whether using spit hoods was a "reasonable and proportionate response" against those who assault police officers by spitting saliva or blood.

In a statement released on Friday, the AFP said it would provide equipment and implement procedures "to better protect members from spitting and biting".

Police officers who are contaminated by saliva or blood must undergo three months of regular, mandatory testing for infections, which has a knock-on effect on their personal lives and their operational effectiveness.

South Australia became the first state to criminalise spit hoods in 2021 after the 2016 death of a man who died in a prison van after he was placed facedown with a spit hood on his head.

Queensland police also banned spit hoods in watch houses last year, but still use them in prisons and other correctional centres.

The Northern Territory fell into line with other Australian jurisdictions in October last year, banning the hoods on youths in police custody but they continue to be used on adults in watch houses.

- with AAP