Done By Law

Police Violence and African Young People

On Thursday 18 March , a coalition of Community Legal Services  released a damning report into the police mistreatment of African young people.

The report details the experiences of African young people from three regions of Melbourne: Dandenong, Braybrook and Flemington.

The research found that across Melbourne, African young people are over-policed, including the disproportionate use of stop  and search powers and in some cases extra-legal violence.

Furthermore, the work has found that some of the ‘community policing’ oriented attempts at intervening-  such as community-police soccer games and camps- have not only failed to address the issues, but may in some cases actually be making matters worse.

Tonight we will talk to Daniel Haile Michael, one of the participants in the research and Shane Reside, one of the reports authors.

The research, funded by the Legal Services Board, was jointly managed by Springvale Monash Legal Service, Fitzroy Legal Service and the Western Suburbs Legal Service.

Watching the Detectives: DBL 28 April 2009

Tonight on Done By Law we take a look at police accountability. We hear a live recording of Flemington resident Ahmed Dini, speaking to a forum at Flemington Community Centre about his experiences with police on the Flemington housing estate. We also chat to Musicians Against Police Violence about an upcoming benefit gig for Fitzroy Legal Service.

For a  comprehensive look at what makes an effective police complaints system, download a copy of a report by Tamar Hopkins from Flemington and Kensington Community Legal Centre.

Done By Law is broadcast on 3CR 855AM (Melbourne, Australia) on Tuesdays at 6PM.