Done By Law

Occupy Melbourne: 23 October 2011

On Friday 21 October 2011 the Victorian Police acting on instruction of Melbourne City Council moved to forcefully evict the Occupy Melbourne movement which had been camped in City Square for the previous week. The Occupy Melbounre Legal Support Team have collected statements that officers attacked and assaulted protesters and arrested over 80 people, the majority without charge. We talk to members of the Occupy Melbourne Legal Support Team about the reports of police violence and brutality as well as legal questions concerning whether it was lawful to evict people from public land, the powers and authorities of Melbourne City Council enforcement officers and legal questions surrounding the confiscation and destruction of camp property by Melbourne City Council.

DBL:Vic Police Taser FOI:19 October 2010

Tonight on Done By Law we will be speaking with Sarah Nicholson, formerly from the Federation of Community Legal Centres, in relation to the Federation’s recent work about police use of force and Tasers. The Federation recently launched a report Taser Trap -  Is Victoria falling for it? that brings together internal Victoria Police documents, publicly available information and the experience of CLCs. Sarah will speak about the lengthy process involved in obtaining the Victoria Police documents and what has happened with previous independent recommendations related to police accountability. For more information see www.communitylaw.org.au.

Fatal mistake? VicPolice taser trials: 27 March 2010

In February this year Victoria Police announced a trial of taser stun guns in Bendigo and Morwell. The trial will start in July 2010 and run for a year. Currently, only two specialist police units, the Special Operations Group and Critical Incident Response Teams, part of the Force Response Unit are authorised to use tasers. Previously both former Police Commissioner Nixon and current Commissioner Overland had ruled out the expansion of tasers to general duty police. Therefore this trial represents a signifcant shift in the manner in which police can deploy force.

In 2009 an Office of Police Integrity report which investigated Victoria Police’s use of force recommended that officers not be given taser stun guns. There are substantial dangers that tasers can kill or harm if used on vulnerable groups, such a young people, people with heart conditions, people experiecing mental illness, or if the taser is used in particular ways. The data suggests around 73% of taser use in Victoria was against people in mental health crises and that 85% of subjects were affected by prescription or illegal drugs. Evidence from overseas and increasingly from Australia suggests that tasers are prone to misuse. 

Done By Law discusses these trials with Emma Ryan, a Monash University lecturer and PhD researcher.

Local Law 8 Repealed or Not?

On November 24th last year Done by Law spoke to Fitzroy Indigenous elders about Local Law 8 - a Yarra city council provision intended to ban public drinking, listen to the show here.

Last week Yarra Council repealed the law at a special council meeting addressed by a number of prominent Indigenous leaders in the area.  The following day, the council reinstated the law on a technicality.

Meghan Fitzgerald from Fitzroy Legal Service joined us to talk about whats happening with the law, and what some of the provision’s effects have been.

DBL 24 Nov: Local indigenous leaders speak out against local law 8

Last month on Done By Law, we examined the recent decision by Yarra Council to place a ban on public drinking through the introduction of Local Law 8, which will give police the power to pour out opened drinks and issue on the spot fines of $100.

This week we speak to three Indigenous leaders from Collingwood about what impact they think the laws will have, and how they intend to fight these provisions (see our news section for the details).

We also speak to Fitzroy Legal Service advocate Meghan Fitzgerald about new laws being introduced to give police the power to move people on.

Rachel Herzing at the Imprisoned People and Social Justice Forum

Two weeks ago, the Imprisoned People and Social Justice Forum was held at the Koori Heritage Trust down on King Street.

The forum was organised by the Decarceration Working Group, with support and collaboration from Flat Out, Sisters Inside, the Centre for the Human Rights of Imprisoned People and the Aboriginal Family Violence Prevention Legal Service.

The day aimed to facilitate discussions on systemic issues in imprisonment, strategies for decarceration and social justice for imprisoned men and women in Victoria, with input from national and international speakers including formerly imprisoned people.

Rachel Herzing, an activist from the US with almost 20 years of organising experience, came to the forum and gave a talk about the work and politics of two US prison abolitionist organisations: Critical Resistance and Creative Interventions.

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.

FEATURE: Should the Victorian Police be using tasers?

Done By Law speaks to Emma Ryan, a PHD student who specialises in the use of “tasers” around the world and by the Victorian Police. We examine exactly how a taser works, and its consequences for people incapacitated by the weapon. We find out which Police are using tasers around the country. We look at instances where tasers have amounted to lethal force and consider how tasers may impact on policing more generally.