Updates and latest news

The Victorian Parliament’s IBAC Committee will commence Public Hearings this week as part of it’s historic Inquiry into the external oversight of police corruption and misconduct in Victoria.

These public hearings represent the first time parliament has looked seriously at this critical aspect of police accountability in many decades and have been welcomed by community, legal and human rights groups.

The Haile-Michael case, in which the men alleged police had engaged in racial profiling, was settled by agreement on the eve of an eight-week trial. It’s a testament to the tenacity of the men, who despite years of vehement denials and strident opposition, never gave up in their struggle for justice.

The Police Accountability Project has called the State Opposition Police in Schools Program (PIS)a ‘terribly flawed and outmoded’ concept.

“It generates what is known as a ‘schools-to-prison pipeline”, Anthony Kelly, Executive Officer of the Flemington Kensington Community Legal Centre said today.

Media coverage of crime involving African young people is in hyper-drive in Victoria at the moment. If you are wondering what all the hype is about and whether we really are in the grip of an ‘African Youth crime wave’ as some media outlets are claiming, then here are 10 points to consider.

More reflective, better researched and ethical public commentary around these issues will go some way towards reducing the racial perceptions of crime across media and society.

Journalists seeking fair, accurate and ethical reporting on these issues can consider the following guides.

Liberal MP Jason Wood, the Federal member for Latrobe, is trying to trick us. His release of certain statistics this weekend (Sudanese youth crime surges in Victoria, 19/11 Herald Sun), prior to the outcome of the federal ‘Settlement Outcomes Inquiry’ is a deliberate ploy to mislead Victorians. So many people, including many journalists who should know better, are…

The spraying of horse trainer Saab Hasan by a Melbourne Cup day highlights the growing misuse of OC Foam by Victoria Police, according to a specialist legal centre based in Flemington which is currently researching the use of the substance.

In the lead up to our Police Accountability Practice Forum we thought it would be useful to public extracts of the More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same report we published in 2015.

Vice-chair of the HRC, Dr Anja Ms Siebert-Fohr speaking to Australia’s non-compliance with the Horvath decision, reflected on the “massive police brutality” involved in the case, in which “Australia denied responsibility under the Covenant”. She queried: “What are the mechanisms in place to ensure victims have effective access to these remedies?

A coalition of 56 Australian non-government organisations have called upon all Australian state and federal governments to adopt measures to track and record racial profiling throughout Australia. Read more…

NEW DATE! The Police Accountability Project is presenting a unique full day professional development training for law practitioners, community & youth workers. Wednesday 15 November 2017

It is understandable and appropriate that we are seeing widespread community outrage about the video taken on Friday showing a twelve-year old boy being physically held down by two police members and a Protective Services Officer outside the Bendigo Train station (Victoria).

The community have a right to expect police to treat all children with dignity, respect and the greatest…

A Parliamentary Inquiry examining how police complaints about misconduct and corruption are handled in Victoria has received over 40 submissions.

88% of publicly available submissions call for the establishment of an independent body that would see expert investigators from outside the force examine police misconduct investigations.

The Loddon Campaspe Community Legal Centre (LCCLC) has made submission to the Parliamentary inquiry into the external oversight of police corruption and misconduct in Victoria. The submission draws attention to the experiences of complainants who may be considered ‘marginalised Victorians’ by virtue of their living in regional, rural or remote parts of the state.

Assistant Commissioner Brett Guerin, head of Victoria Police’s internal investigations unit is quoted in the recent Fairfax article (Police complaints process overhauled after a decade of criticism, 17 September 2017) that the “vast majority of complaints … relate to service delivery issues.” One of the examples he provided is “police pushed me when they didn’t need to.”

The ‘Make Victoria Safe Again’ protest event on Sunday 17th September 2017 provides the latest example of how law and order populism and racialised perceptions of crime are being used by the far-right in Australia as a means of mobilizing and building political strength.

I became involved in the Peer Advocacy team because I wanted to end racial profiling and be the voice for those whose voices aren’t heard…

Victoria Police must take urgent steps to monitor racial profiling by members in police stops, say experts in a report released today

“Victoria Police have policies against racial profiling, but have no measures in place to track or measure monitor when it occurs,” said report author Tamar Hopkins.

Monitoring Racial Profiling – Introducing a scheme to prevent unlawful stops and searches by Victoria Police
A report of the Police Stop Data Working Group
Executive Summary & Key Findings

All Victorians are stakeholders in ensuring a robust, effective and human rights oriented police accountability system. In this updated Briefing Paper, we seek to give voice to the experience of many Victorians we have assisted navigate the current police oversight system.

This exciting event features Police Accountability Project founder, and now PHD Candidate, Tamar Hopkins, along with former Police Accountability Project volunteer, PHD Candidate, Tallace Bissett presenting before a talk by visiting Professor Ben Bowling from the United Kingdom. This is a not to be missed event.

This is your chance to let Parliament know what you think is needed for a fair, impartial and human rights compliant investigative model in Victoria.

The recent Melbourne nightclub shooting shows exactly why we need independent investigations of critical incidents involving police.
Yesterday’s tragic police shooting in Inflation nightclub in King Street (8 July, 2017) has sparked intense public speculation with significantly differing accounts being reported from police spokespeople and from nightclub staff and management.

The Victorian Parliament’s IBAC Committee has announced an Inquiry into the external oversight of police corruption and misconduct in Victoria.

This very welcome initiative is the first such parliamentary review in several decades. This is your chance to make a submission.

My passion lies with helping those that are most underprivileged and those who experience inequities due to their race, religion, gender, and ethnic backgrounds.

While the NSW LECC model is likely to significantly improve some aspects of police oversight and accountability, there are serious gaps and weaknesses in its structure which do not bode well for the urgently-required reform of police culture, and that risk undermining the overall effectiveness of the overhauled complaints system…

The “Horvath Test” is simple. If Corinna Horvath’s 1996 assault by Victoria police occurred again today, (and many assaults of a similar nature are reported to us regularly) would a new model of police investigation ensure justice or come close to meeting the requirements of the UN Human Rights Committee’s decision on Horvath.

A new study from the United States suggests that police officers are more likely to speak to white community members with a higher level of respect than black community members…

A number of Pasifika youth around Melbourne have shared their experiences, their thoughts and opinions of racial profiling and recorded them on a CD titled ‘I Am Not My Skin”.

Making a police complaint in Victoria is a long, costly and often fruitless experience. Daniel Haile-Micheal speaks about his experiences in this new video launched by the Police Accountability Project.