The Rethinking Strip Searches by NSW Police report, commissioned by Redfern Legal Centre and prepared by UNSW Law academics Dr Michael Grewcock and Dr Vicki Sentas, is being launched in Sydney today. The report says that the law is failing to provide police with clear guidance on conducting this invasive search procedure.
Redfern Legal Centre is calling for immediate amendments to NSW strip-search laws, as research reveals an almost twentyfold increase in strip searches in almost 12 years.
The report, which is the first of its kind in Australia, looks at the operation of strip search laws across the country, exploring concerns around safeguards and transparency, and highlighting opportunities for law reform.
“Updating police education and training material will not suffice. Clear guidance about police strip search procedure needs to be driven by clear and rigorous law. Without law reform, we will continue to see insufficient training and poorly informed decision-making from police conducting strip-searches,” said Samantha Lee, Head of Police Accountability at RLC.
The UNSW report recommends that the law must be clearer about when and how police should conduct a strip search and that strip searches of children in the field should be prohibited unless permission is obtained through a court order. The report recommends that the law should be clear that police cannot ever search genitals or breasts.
Read the full article here (UNSW Newsroom, 22 August 2019)
