Police Racism & Racial Profiling
TOXICPOLICE.COM - A UNIQUE DATABASE OF AUSTRALIAN POLICE MISCONDUCT
You don't have to research Australian police toxic behaviours for long before it becomes obvious that racism is one of the most reported and discussed topic of them all in this country in the twenty-first century. As an example, a serving police officer posted on Facebook about a New South Wales Greens MP of Asian ethnic background " 'it is cause I so Asian','2 dolla sucky sucky lub u long time' and 'her daddy was a swamp monkey' ".
It's readily apparent from the published materials, covering the last twenty years or so below, that nothing has changed in practice: our police forces harbour a significant number of racist individuals and the perpetual Boys Club culture ensures that even those that aren't racist don't speak up. Although a few do, and, anecdotally, those who can't handle being part of it (and the sexism etc) are leaving the forces, or reluctant to join.
And the endemic police racism goes hand in hand with verbal and physical violence practised by some cops, especially (but not only) in relation to indigenous Australians. In one case below, a police officer publicly displayed a symbol linked to far-right extremists as his Facebook photo for three years. Police leadership has taken some steps to address this issue but as long as racists are recruited into our police forces there's little evidence of any concerted efforts by police leadership to address racism in their ranks.
SIX WA POLICE OFFICERS SANCTIONED OVER TREATMENT OF ABORIGINAL MAN WHO DIED IN KALGOORLIE PRISON - 2026 WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Six WA Police officers have been given managerial sanctions over their treatment of a man who later took his own life in Eastern Goldfields Regional Prison. An ABC investigation last year revealed how a constable dismissed the man's warning that he was going to kill himself. The Aboriginal Legal Service of WA's legal services director Peter Collins said the managerial sanctions given to the officers involved in Linton's custody were inadequate.
WA POLICE STANDS BY MODERATION STRATEGY DESPITE RACIST COMMENTS ON SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS - 2026 WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Racist comments are being published on WA Police social media posts with little moderation. Indigenous West Australians have expressed outrage that the highly offensive comments are not being removed. The WA Police Force says turning off comments is not, and will not be, standard practice.
QPS STAFF MEMBER CHARGED, BRISBANE - 2026 QUEENSLAND
A 50-year-old man from the Queensland Police Service’s Protective Services Group has been charged following an investigation into hate crime related offences. The man has been charged with 41 counts of using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence.
https://mypolice.qld.gov.au/news/2026/01/05/qps-staff-member-charged-brisbane-2/
QUEENSLAND POLICE SUED AFTER OFFICER CAUGHT DESCRIBING INDIANS AS 'PERVERTS' WHILE INVESTIGATING RIDESHARE DRIVER - 2026 QUEENSLAND
Queensland police investigated a Punjabi man for a year – over charges that were eventually withdrawn – despite knowing one of the arresting officers had been caught on camera describing Indians as a “bunch of fucking perverts”.
QUEENSLAND POLICE EMPLOYEE FACES COURT OVER ALLEGED ANTISEMITIC ONLINE POSTS - 2026 QUEENSLAND
A Queensland Police Service employee has been charged over what prosecutors allege to be antisemitic online posts and comments. Muamer Nukic allegedly made an offensive comment in response to a post which included a picture of the child killed in the Bondi terror attack.
ICAC REPORT CLEARS NT POLICE OF IMPROPER CONDUCT IN ARRESTING ZACHARY ROLFE OVER FATAL SHOOTING - 2025 NORTHERN TERRITORY
(REFER "AUSTRALIAN INQUIRY SAYS RACISM BEHIND POLICE SHOOTING OF INDIGENOUS TEEN - 2025 NORTHERN TERRITORY" BELOW)
Senior police who made the decision to arrest and charge former constable Zachary Rolfe in 2019 have been cleared of improper conduct allegations by the Northern Territory's corruption watchdog. Mr Rolfe was acquitted of the murder of Warlpiri man Kumanjayi Walker by an NT Supreme Court jury in 2022. An Independent Commissioner Against Corruption (ICAC) delegate found police acted appropriately in their investigation, though failed to keep formal records of key meetings where the decision to charge Mr Rolfe was made.
MECHELLE TURVEY LEADS CALLS FOR MORE INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY LIAISON OFFICERS IN WA POLICE FORCE - 2025 WESTERN AUSTRALIA
There are more Aboriginal police officers serving WA Police than ever before, according to the state's top cop, despite calls to bolster the number of community liaison officers on the beat. It comes amid confirmation the Warakurna police station is no longer Aboriginal-led, after once being the only precinct of its kind in WA. Police Commissioner Col Blanch said he hoped to lobby the state government for funding to employ more community liaison officers.
ARCHITECT OF NT POLICE ANTI-RACISM STRATEGY DESCRIBES 'HARDEST JOB' OF HER LIFE - 2025 NORTHERN TERRITORY
In 2024, Leanne Liddle was tasked with developing an anti-racism strategy through her role in the Northern Territory Police Force. The Executive Director of Cultural Reform Command has described the role as one of the hardest jobs of her life.
SYSTEMIC RACISM, POLICE VIOLENCE AND INDIGENOUS REPRESENTATION IN AUSTRALIA - 2025 NATIONAL
On June 1, 2020, a disturbing incident occurred in Ward Park, Surry Hills, Sydney, where Constable Ryan Barlow employed excessive force against a 16-year-old Aboriginal teenager, resulting in significant injuries. The teenager’s identity is protected for legal reasons. After a thorough investigation, Barlow was convicted of assault occasioning actual bodily harm in May 2023, sentenced to an 18-month community correction order with supervision in December 2023 and lost his appeal in November 2024. Despite this conviction, he remains employed by the NSW Police Force as of July 2025. This incident is not an isolated occurrence, but part of a broader pattern of systemic racism and violence against Aboriginal Australians, rooted in the colonial history of Australia and perpetuated by ongoing socioeconomic disparities. This comprehensive analysis seeks to unpack these complex issues by integrating historical context, statistical data, case studies and policy recommendations. By incorporating the corrected figure of 3.8% for the Indigenous population as of July 10, 2025, we aim to reflect the demographic realities and advocate for systemic change.
'UNCONSCIOUS RACISM' INFLUENCED POLICE OFFICER'S DECISION NOT TO CALL AMBULANCE FOR INDIGENOUS PRISONER, INDEPENDENT WATCHDOG FINDS - 2025 NEW SOUTH WALES
Senior officer engaged in ‘serious misconduct’ in regional town when man was self-harming. He thought Aboriginal people tried to ‘manipulate the system’
IF I AM STOPPED BY POLICE, CAN I BE SURE IT IS NOT BECAUSE OF MY RACE? - 2025 NATIONAL
Experiences of racial profiling, over-policing, violence, harassment and inequitable treatment based on race create fear and distrust of police.
FIRST NATIONS AND DIVERSE COMMUNITIES DISPROPORTIONATELY STOPPED AND SEARCHED - 2025 NEW SOUTH WALES
New data obtained has found First Nations and diverse communities were disproportionately represented in New South Wales police searches between 2020 and 2023.
SYSTEMIC RACISM AND MISCONDUCT IN NSW POLICE: A CONTINUING CRISIS FOR ABORIGINAL AUSTRALIANS - 2025 NEW SOUTH WALES
The recent findings by the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (LECC) regarding the treatment of a vulnerable Aboriginal man in NSW Police custody have once again brought to the forefront the longstanding issues of systemic racism and misconduct within the force.
https://newpoint.com.au/en/when-you-hear-australia/9658
AUSTRALIAN INQUIRY SAYS RACISM BEHIND POLICE SHOOTING OF INDIGENOUS TEEN - 2025 NORTHERN TERRITORY
Coroner’s finding comes five years after acquitted policeman Zachary Rolfe fatally shot 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker.
On Monday, the NT Coroner handed down the findings of her inquest, saying the officer was racist and that the NT police bore the hallmarks of institutional racism. The coroner referenced strong racist and offensive language used by police.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2O_TnXzlAU
NT Police complete Kumanjayi White death in custody autopsy, with brief of evidence handed to prosecutors - 2025 NORTHERN TERRITORY
NT police confirm external police review into Kumanjayi White death in custody complete - 2026 NORTHERN TERRITORY
NT Police has confirmed that an investigation into the use of force by police officers involved in a death in custody incident has been completed. Kumanjayi White, 24, died in an Alice Springs supermarket nearly a year ago, and there's been no clarity to whether or not charges will be laid over the matter.
AUSTRALIAN INQUIRY CITES RACISM IN INDIGENOUS SHOOTING - 2025 NORTHERN TERRITORY
An Australian police officer who shot and killed an Indigenous teenager was a racist drawn to "high adrenaline policing", a landmark inquiry fInds.
NT SERGEANT PUBLICLY DISPLAYED A SYMBOL LINKED TO FAR RIGHT EXTREMISTS AS HIS FACEBOOK COVER PHOTO FOR THREE YEARS - 2025 NORTHERN TERRITORY
The image, which is prohibited on police uniforms in Victoria, NSW and Queensland, was taken down after inquiries from the ABC's Indigenous Affairs Team. A leaked NT Police email reveals members have been asked to "take immediate steps" to ensure the symbol is not displayed on police property.
INDIGENOUS FAMILY TAKES NSW POLICE TO HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION, CLAIMING RACIAL DISCRIMINATION - 2025 NEW SOUTH WALES
An Aboriginal family is taking NSW Police to the Australian Human Rights Commission over claims of racial discrimination against two boys.
The boys' mother says her sons were the target of excessive bail checks by police because they are Indigenous.
POLICE SHOWED NO SENSE OF URGENCY IN SEARCH FOR MISSING FIRST NATIONS MAN, FAMILY SAYS - 2025 QUEENSLAND
Family believes the police demonstrate similar lack of urgency across many indigenous missing persons cases, inspiring the co-founding of the Disappeared Project, which helps families with missing relatives to conduct their own data collection and research.
'WE'RE NOT THE PROBLEM, THEY ARE': RACISM IS RIFE IN ACT GOVERNMENT, POLICE - 2025 AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY
Racism is widespread in areas of the ACT government, according to a review into the over-representation of Indigenous people in the territory's criminal justice system. The major independent probe recommended urgent systemic racism reviews of ACT Policing and Canberra's jail.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7UW7eaHF1g
'LOSS OF FAITH IN POLICE': INDIGENOUS VICTIMS OF CRIME FEAR NOT BEING BELIEVED, VICTORIAN STUDY FINDS - 2024 VICTORIA
Conducted by researchers at RMIT’s Centre for Innovative Justice in partnership with Djirra, Dardi Munwurro and Elizabeth Morgan House Aboriginal Women’s Service, the study found First Nations people are disproportionately victimised but received “inadequate support” throughout the criminal justice process – from reporting to navigating the court system and accessing support services afterwards.
FORMER NSW POLICE OFFICERS SAY RACIST CULTURE LEADING TO HIGHER INDIGENOUS INCARCERATION RATES - 2024 NEW SOUTH WALES
Two former officers have warned that a racist culture within NSW Police is contributing to high Indigenous incarceration rates.
New data from the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research show a record number of Indigenous adults in custody in New South Wales.
ACCOUNTABILITY AGAINST RACISM IS NEEDED TO REFORM AUSTRALIAN POLICE FORCES' RELATIONSHIP WITH INDIGENOUS PEOPLE - 2024 NATIONAL
While racism in policing has long been denied by authorities, we’re now witnessing revelations of racist policing across Australia, particularly from coronial inquiries into the deaths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
https://www.reconciliation.org.au/dr-hannah-mcglade-the-racist-heart-of-australian-policing/
INDIGENOUS POLICE OFFICERS ALLEGE COUNTLESS INCIDENTS OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION - 2024 NORTHERN TERRITORY
A group of Aboriginal community police officers are claiming they were subject to decades of racial discrimination and vilification within the NT Police Force.
REVIEW FINDS SYSTEMIC DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN AND FIRST NATIONS PEOPLE - 2024 QUEENSLAND
Racism has been justified as "banter", according to those who contributed to a damning review of the Queensland Police Service (QPS).
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-12-10/police-qhrc-diversity-review-discrimination/104702536
MAN ACCUSES POLICE OF RACIAL PROFILING AFTER VIOLENT PETROL STATION ARREST - 2024 QUEENSLAND
Man arrested at service station has arm broken and claims excessive force used.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-08/queensland-police-accused-racial-profiling-ipswich/104183962
FIRST NATIONS CHILDREN STRIP-SEARCHED BY POLICE AT DISPROPORTIONATE RATE - 2024 NEW SOUTH WALES
First Nations people in New South Wales are subject to 45 per cent of all "uses of force" by NSW police despite making up only 3.44 per cent of the population, a new accountability dashboard has revealed.
CCTV WILD SHOPPING CENTRE BRAWL PROMPTS FRESH INQUIRY INTO ALLEGATIONS OF UNREASONABLE FORCE - 2024 NEW SOUTH WALES
That day, a woman confronted police officers outside the shopping centre and filmed the interaction on her mobile phone."How many Black kids are you going to assault, you pigs?" she asked officers. One replied: "Heaps".
LANDMARK SENATE INQUIRY INTO MISSING AND MURDERED FIRST NATIONS WOMEN DELIVERS FINDINGS - 2024 NATIONAL
Discrimination experienced by First Nations people at the hands of police and criminal justice systems "manifests in substandard (racist, sexist, disrespectful, unprofessional and negligent) responses to missing persons reports and homicide investigations"
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-16/landmark-inquiry-into-missing-and-murdered-first/104233086
ACTIONS OF POLICE CALLED INTO QUESTION AT INQUEST INTO TAMMY SHIPLEY'S DEATH IN CUSTODY - 2024 NEW SOUTH WALES
NSW Police have argued their actions in the lead up to an Aboriginal woman's death in custody are "too remote" to be examined in a coronial inquest. In December 2022, 47-year-old Tammy Shipley, who had previously been diagnosed
with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, died while in custody after drinking 20 litres of water.
REPORT FINDS NO NEW EVIDENCE OF RACISM SINCE 2015 - 2024 NORTHERN TERRITORY
An investigation into allegations of racism within the NT Police Force has found no further evidence of racist behaviour since 2015 and concluded the matter be closed. It also found there was "no admissible evidence" to charge or further investigate five police officers who swore statutory declarations refuting allegations of racism within the Territory Response Group (TRG).
Operation Beaufort - Allegations of racism within NT Police Territory Response Group
Statement by the Office of the Independent Commissioner against Corruption (NT)
NT POLICE COMMISSIONER DELIVERS APOLOGY TO FIRST NATIONS PEOPLE AT GARMA AND PLEDGES TO 'ELIMINATE RACISM' - 2024 NORTHERN TERRITORY
NT Police Commissioner Michael Murphy has used a speech at Garma Festival to apologise to First Nations people for a history of "injustices" involving NT police. The NT Police Force has come under scrutiny in recent months after evidence of racism was uncovered at a coronial inquest into the death of Kumanjayi Walker.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-03/nt-police-commissioner-apologises-at-garma-festival/104179438
INQUESTS EXPOSE RACIST HEART OF POLICING IN AUSTRALIA - 2024 NATIONAL
While racism in policing has long been denied by authorities, we're now witnessing revelations of racist policing across Australia, particularly from coronial inquiries into the deaths of Aboriginal people.
A SENIOR NT OFFICER SHARED A PHOTO OF AN ABORIGINAL WOMAN. HIS PUNISHMENT WAS REVERSED BY THE TOP COP - 2024 NORTHERN TERRITORY
A Northern Territory police Sergeant shared an explicit photo of an Aboriginal woman accompanied by “inappropriate and racist language” to a group chat with other officers in Alice Springs, an inquest has heard. The NT Police Commissioner Michael Murphy confirmed the officer was disciplined by the Professional Standards Command in relation to the incident in 2022. The officer was demoted and transferred to Katherine, but after being contacted by the NT Police Association to review the decision, Commissioner Murphy told the coroner he “rescinded” the demotion.
CANBERRA MAN ACCUSES POLICE OF RACIAL PROFILING AFTER ARREST FOR TRESPASSING AT HIS OWN HOME - 2024 AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY
A 38-year-old man has accused ACT Policing of racial profiling after he was arrested on suspicion of trespassing at his own home. Tuck says he was sitting outside at the pool area of his complex in south Canberra last week when police arrived.
VICTORIA POLICE SAYS WRONGFUL ARREST OF FORMER IMMIGRATION DETAINEE OVER SEXUAL ASSAULT WAS NOT RACIAL PROFILING - 2024 VICTORIA
Victoria Police has denied racial profiling after a former immigration detainee was wrongfully arrested over a sexual assault in Richmond.
POLICE ACCUSED OF RACIAL PROFILING FOR UNLAWFUL ARREST - 2024 NEW SOUTH WALES
Civil court finds police officers guilty of assaults, batteries and false imprisonment of two men of African and one of Indian ethnicity.
https://obriensolicitors.com.au/case_study/police-accused-racial-profiling-unlawful-arrest/
NT POLICE COMMISSIONER SAYS 'BLACK MONOPOLY' EMAIL CIRCULATED AMONG OFFICERS IS 'VERY CONCERNING' - 2024 NORTHERN TERRITORY
An image of "Black Monopoly", where every property square is marked "go to jail", was reportedly shared by members of Northern Territory police in 2008. There is an ongoing joint investigation by the NT Police Force and the NT's corruption watchdog into allegations of racism within the force. What's next? NT Police Commissioner Michael Murphy said he expects more racist material to surface as investigation continues.
VICTORIA POLICE PRESENTATION ON YOUTH CRIME CRITICISED FOR 'RACIST' FOCUS ON 'AFRICAN GANGS' - 2024 VICTORIA
An internal Justice Department email flagged a Victoria Police presentation about youth crime as “very racist” — the complaint and its circulation were reported publicly, illustrating concerns about racist framing in police training/briefing material.
INVESTIGATION ANNOUNCED INTO NT POLICE RACISM CLAIMS FROM ZACHARY ROLFE DURING KUMANJAYI WALKER INQUEST - 2024 NORTHERN TERRITORY
NT Police Commissioner Michael Murphy has confirmed "inquires will be undertaken" into claims the force has as an ingrained culture of racism. Former constable Zachary Rolfe made explosive allegations of widespread racism in giving evidence at the Kumanjayi Walker coronial inquest on Monday.
FAMILIES ACCUSE QUEENSLAND POLICE OF RACIALLY PROFILING INDIGENOUS CHILDREN AFTER ALLEGED ASSAULT BY VIGILANTES - 2024 QUEENSLAND
The families of three Indigenous children allegedly assaulted by a pair of accused vigilantes claim they were “racially profiled” and treated like criminals by Queensland police. In a complaint to the force, a family member of one of the children claims the police who responded to the incident took the side of the alleged vigilantes, telling the families that their children had been placed under a “citizen’s arrest”. Police allege that on 23 December the men used dog collars as makeshift handcuffs to restrain the boys, who they accused of trespassing on private property.
INSTITUTIONAL RACISM IS AT WORK IN AUSTRALIA. HOW DOES IT AFFECT INDIGENOUS PEOPLE? - 2023 NATIONAL
Despite just making 3.8 per cent of the total Australian population, Australia's prison population is 32 per cent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. More than 500 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have died in custody since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. Inquiries have found racism to be present among working police forces, most recently in Queensland.
NO ACCOUNTABILITY FOR POLICE NINE MONTHS AFTER SECRET RECORDINGS LEAKED - 2023 QUEENSLAND
It's been revealed Queensland police failed to adequately hold staff to account nine months after leaked recordings.
POLICE OFFICERS RECORDED MAKING VILE RACIST REMARKS ALLOWED TO KEEP THEIR JOBS - 2023 QUEENSLAND
Queensland Police officers exposed for making horrifically racist comments about killing and “outbreeding” Indigenous, African and Muslim people allowed to keep their jobs.
POLICE OFFICER GUILTY OF ASSAULTING INDIGENOUS TEEN WITH LEG SWEEP - 2023 NEW SOUTH WALES
A New South Wales police officer has been found guilty of assaulting an Indigenous teenager during an arrest in Sydney in 2020.
Video of the incident shows Constable Ryan Barlow holding the 16-year-old's arms behind his back and using a "leg sweep" to take him to the ground.
INDEPENDENT WATCHDOG SLAMS POLICE USE OF DOGS AGAINST YOUNG ABORIGINAL PEOPLE - 2023 WESTERN AUSTRALIA
The Corruption and Crime Commission has criticised WA Police for its use of dogs against young Aboriginal people, describing its policies as unintentionally racist. But the Police Minister's rejected the comments, saying the animals are used effectively, and help keep the community safe.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFZ8T7o8Qk4
VICTORIA POLICE CHIEF COMMISSIONER SORRY FOR FORCE'S RACIST ACTIONS, 'COVER-UPS' - 2023 VICTORIA
Shane Patton conceded policing of Aboriginal people was influenced by systemic or structural racism within Victoria Police. Victoria’s top cop has formally apologised for the state police force’s racist actions towards Aboriginals and attempted cover-ups by officers.
OFFICER ACCUSED OF MAKING RACIST COMMENTS TO A NEWS REPORTER - 2022 NEW SOUTH WALES
An ABC journalist has accused a NSW police officer of racism after an incident in Parramatta in Sydney’s west.
SENIOR POLICE OFFICER REVEALS THE RACISM THAT BROKE HIM - 2022 NORTHERN TERRITORY
Indigenous officers ‘walk two worlds’ and survive by being seen to fit in with police culture.
THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE KILLED BY POLICE IN AUSTRALIA - 2022 NATIONAL
After recent trials in which police officers have been acquitted, Indigenous Australians ask ‘when are they going to stop killing us’?
https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2022/6/9/the-aboriginal-australians-killed-by-police
POLICE TEXTS ANOTHER SORDID EXAMPLE OF SYSTEMIC RACISM IN AUSTRALIA'S LEGAL SYSTEM - 2022 NATIONAL
Last week, the inquest heard details of several text messages between members of the NT police. The texts contain derogatory and racist comments about Aboriginal people.
CAREER OFFICER SAYS RACISM IS FORCING HIM TO QUIT POLICE SERVICE - 2022 QUEENSLAND
A veteran Queensland police officer has quit after issuing a scathing letter and condemning the racism within the organisation as worse than when he joined 26 years ago.
SHOCKING RECORDINGS OF RACIST & SEXIST POLICE OFFICERS - 2022 QUEENSLAND
Queensland Police is again in crisis after leaked recordings expose officers using violent, sexist and racist slurs on the job. The shocking tapes coming a day before findings are handed down from an inquiry into the culture of the force.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHsHjxlsyE4
OVER-POLICING OF INDIGENOUS CHILDREN IN AUSTRALIA: A SYSTEM THAT CRIMINALISES ABORIGINAL CHILDREN - 2021 VICTORIA
Systemic racism and racial profiling by police is an ongoing issue for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children across Australia today.
https://www.penalreform.org/blog/over-policing-of-aboriginal-children-in-australia/
HARROWING SHORT INTERVIEW WITH INDIGENOUS POLICE OFFICER - 2021
Told by his senior officer to put his food in a different police station fridge from the non-indigenous officers.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/0jSjkYeRu3E
VICTORIAN ANTI-CORRUPTION WATCHDOG REVEALS FULL EXTENT OF FORMER POLICE OFFICER'S 'OFFENSIVE' TROLLING - 2021 VICTORIA
The former head of Victoria Police's ethical standards department used three aliases to publish dozens of homophobic, racist and offensive posts on social media, Victoria's anti-corruption watchdog has revealed.
IBAC has recently handed down its report into racist, sexist and homophobic comments by the former head of Victoria Police’s ethics department, Assistant Commissioner Brett Guerin.[ref]https://www.ibac.vic.gov.au/publications-and-resources/article/operation-turon-special-report-october-2021[/ref] Called Operation Turon, IBAC’s investigation found damning evidence of online misconduct by Mr Guerin. But once again, this has been lost opportunity to identify and tackle systemic racism within Victoria police. The Police Accountability Project (PAP) is disappointed in IBAC’s failure to identify the structural racism that allowed Mr Guerin to express offensive views, and still and rise to the top within Victoria Police. We are equally troubled by IBAC’s finding that Guerin’s racist and homophobic stance didn’t compromise his decision-making as Assistant Commissioner, or that of the beleaguered police complaints body that he led.
AN INTERNAL REPORT REVEALS CLAIMS OF RACIAL PROFILING BY WA POLICE. THIS FORMER OFFICER IS SHOCKED BUT NOT SURPRISED - 2021 WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Exclusive: Documents obtained by SBS News under freedom of information laws show a WA Police Force senior constable was accused of targeting people of Aboriginal, Indian or Pakistani background for roadside drug tests.
RACIST SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS BY QUEENSLAND POLICE OFFICERS INVESTIGATED - 2021 QUEENSLAND
Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll says an investigation is underway and disciplinary action will be taken against officers behind racist social media posts, if necessary. Queensland's police commissioner says the administrators of a private police officer Facebook group where racist, sexist and homophobic posts have been made will be "spoken to" and further disciplinary action is possible.
WA'S CORRUPTION WATCHDOG SLAMMED FOR NOT TAKING COMPLAINTS ABOUT POLICE - 2020 WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Almost all complaints of excessive force by WA police are referred back to internal affairs units by the state's corruption watchdog, further fracturing the relationship with Aboriginal communities. But the state's police union president has told a parliamentary hearing there is no systemic racism in WA's police force and officers are already heavily scrutinised. Since July 2016, WA's Corruption and Crime Commission has probed just eight of the 289 complaints it received claiming excessive use of police force, with the vast majority referred to the WA Police internal affairs unit.
THE INHERENT RACISM OF AUSTRALIAN POLICE - 2020 NATIONAL
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are the most incarcerated people on Earth. Then there’s First Nations deaths in custody, which are ticking fast. And there has never been a single conviction of a police officer or prison guard in relation to any First Nations custody deaths going all the way back to the beginning of the Australian colonial project. Plus overpolicing. The mother of a teenager, who’d been subjected to police violence and subjected to “extra obligations to answer to people” on the street regarding what they’re up to simply because they’re Aboriginal.
SYSTEMIC RACISM, VIOLENCE, AND THE OVER-POLICING OF MINORITY GROUPS - 2020 VICTORIA
Jude McCulloch argues that contemporary styles of policing divide communities into “those to be protected, and those seen as a threat”, and that this boundary is often demarcated by race.
SENIOR POLICE OFFICER DEMOTED FOR SERIOUS MISCONDUCT DURING ARREST OF AFGHAN WOMEN - 2020 NEW SOUTH WALES
A Law Enforcement Conduct Commission report recommended disciplinary action be taken after two officers belittled and threatened two Afghan women during a traffic stop in Sydney's west. One is Senior Constable Andrew Murphy
AUSTRALIA CONFRONTS POLICE RACISM TOWARDS INDIGENOUS PEOPLE - 2020 NATIONAL
The encounter began like so many others between a white policeman and an Aboriginal teenager.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-MEdRhnot0
POLICE FORCE RACISM AGAINST ABORIGINAL PEOPLE, EX-COP SPEAKS OUT - 2020 NATIONAL
Former Western Australian police officer Jim Taylor speaks out about what he says is the systemic racism in the police force against Aboriginal people and other ethnic minorities. Derogatory jokes and targeting the Aboriginal people to meet their arrest quotas are just some of the examples of racism in the police force that Jim Taylor witnessed during his eight years of service.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6VY38lfgns
NSW SUSPECT TARGET MANAGEMENT PLAN SHOWING DISPROPORTIONATE TARGETING OF INDIGENOUS YOUTH - 2020 NEW SOUTH WALES
The STMP has particularly concerning negative impacts for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people who experience intensive monitoring and over-policing.
https://piac.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/17.10.25-YJC-STMP-Report.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com
POLICE ENGAGED IN MISCONDUCT BY RACIALLY ABUSING AFGHAN WOMEN, COMMISSION FINDS - 2019 NEW SOUTH WALES
Two NSW police officers found to have engaged in serious misconduct by racially abusing two Afghan women at a traffic stop in Western Sydney.
Two police officers have been found to be unfit for their jobs after their bodycams revealed what happened during a routine traffic stop.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGyr08RPTpg
CALLS FOR BRETT GUERIN INVESTIGATION TO BE RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC - 2019 VICTORIA
Police accountability advocates have called for the release of IBAC’s 18-month long investigation into Brett Guerin, the former Assistant Commissioner of Victoria Police Professional Standards Command. Brett Guerin resigned in disgrace after he was discovered to have published deeply offensive homophobic and racist comments online under the cloak of a false name.
JENNY LEONG TAKES LEGAL ACTION AGAINST NSW POLICE OVER 'UNLAWFUL' FB POSTS - 2018 NEW SOUTH WALES
Greens MP Jenny Leong has taken legal action against NSW Police over a series of allegedly racist Facebook posts. In March 2016, a serving police officer posted comments on Facebook making reference to Ms Leong's race and ethnic background, in response to a bill she introduced aiming to repeal the police sniffer dog program. They included: "It is cause I so Asian?","2 dolla sucky sucky lub u long time" and "her daddy was a swamp monkey".
RACIST EMAILS: 4 AUSTRALIAN POLICE OFFICERS SACKED - 2018 VICTORIA
Melbourne: Four Australian police officers were sacked and disciplinary action initiated against 15 others over the circulation of emails mocking a video showing an Indian man getting electrocuted while riding on the roof of a train in India, the Press Trust of India reported on Sunday.
VICTORIA POLICE ROLLING OUT RECEIPTING PILOT PROGRAM TO STOP RACIAL PROFILING IN STOP-AND-SEARCH PROCEDURES - 2015 VICTORIA
Victoria Police is about to roll out Australia's first stop-and-search receipting pilot program, spurred by a Federal Court case in 2013 concerning racial profiling.
The police force agreed to the program in the court settlement, when it acknowledged any policing involving racial discrimination is unacceptable.
POLICE OFFICERS FACE SACK OVER RACIST EMAILS - 2015 VICTORIA
A series of offensive emails shared among Victoria Police officers are too shocking to ever be released publicly, the state's police chief says. Up to 100 officers are being investigated and could face the sack for sending the emails on work computers. The emails are extremely racist, homophobic and pornographic, officers have told media outlets.
VIC POLICE SETTLE RACIAL PROFILING CASE - 2013 VICTORIA
Victoria's police force says it is not racist but will hold an inquiry to ensure racial profiling does not occur, the chief commissioner says. Victoria Police will review procedures for stopping and searching people on the streets and the multicultural training offered to officers as part of its settlement with a group of African-Australian men. Mr Lay said Victoria Police had spent more than $3 million on the case but had avoided spending an additional $3 million by settling before a lengthy trial.
VICTORIA POLICE OFFICERS SUSPENDED FOR RACIST INCIDENT - 2013 VICTORIA
Two female Victorian police officers have been suspended after reportedly being photographed posing in a derogatory fashion behind a Sudanese man who they had under arrest. Police say the two constables, one from northwest metro region and the other from transit safety, have been suspended with pay in relation to inappropriate email use.
THE BANALITY OF POLICE RACISM - 2013 VICTORIA
Racism is a problem of police culture, and not individual attitudes. It is a problem of systems and structures, not a few bad apples.
https://rightnow.org.au/opinion/the-banality-of-police-racism/
RACIST EMAIL SCANDAL DISGUSTS AUTHORITIES - 2010 VICTORIA
Australia's High Commissioner in India says he is disgusted by reports that a racist email showing the electrocution of an Indian man was circulated among members of the Victoria Police force. According to a Herald Sun report, the email contains video footage of a man being killed after touching overhead wires while standing on top of a crowded train in India. The newspaper says one of the alleged comments added to the email as it was circulated was: "This might be a way to fix the Indian student problem".
BOY FACES COURT OVER STOLEN FREDDO FROG - 2009 WESTERN AUSTRALIA
A 12-year-old Western Australian boy has made a brief appearance in the Northam Childrens Court charged with receiving a stolen chocolate bar. Aboriginal Legal Service spokesman Peter Collins says the charges are over the top. "The fact of the matter is he's 12 and these are the most trivial charges imaginable. It can hardly be a justification for this kid to be brushed up against the courts to teach him a bit of a lesson," he said."It's hard not to imagine that if this had have happened to a non-Aboriginal kid from an affluent Perth suburb with professional parents that we wouldn't be in this situation."We're strongly of the view that Aboriginal kids in Western Australia are chronically over-policed."
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-11-16/boy-faces-court-over-stolen-freddo-frog/1143830
REPORTS OF POLICE BRUTALITY, EXCESSIVE USE OF FORCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES ARE NOT NEW - 2005 VICTORIA
From around October 2005, the Flemington & Kensington Community Legal Centre received a huge number of reports of human rights abuses against African and Afghani Australians in the Flemington and surrounding regions.
POLICE RAIDS AND BEHAVIOUR BREACHED THE RACIAL DISCRIMINATION ACT RESULTING IN RECORD $30M CLASS ACTION PAYOUT - 2004 QUEENSLAND
The 2004 Palm Island death in custody incident relates to the death of an Aboriginal resident of Palm Island in Queensland, Australia which led to civic disturbances on the island and a legal, political and media sensation that continued for fourteen years. An Australian police officer was charged with a criminal act but acquitted by the jury in June 2007. Police raids and behaviour following the community riot were found to have breached the Racial Discrimination Act 1975, with a record class action settlement of A$30 million awarded to victims in May 2018.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Palm_Island_death_in_custody