Today, Redfern Legal Centre (RLC) launched the Police Accountability Dashboard - a groundbreaking tool and the first of its kind in Australia.
The dashboard allows the public to access insightful, comprehensive data about the use of NSW Police powers. The dashboard provides six years' worth of NSW Police data from 2017 to 2023.
The dashboard has interactive statistics on strip searches, use of force, and move-on directions, broken down by police area command, location, age, and gender.
Samantha Lee, supervising solicitor at RLC, says, “The dashboard is another step towards ensuring the use of police powers is more transparent. It offers extensive data obtained from NSW Police through freedom of information laws.
It analyses the use of police powers and serves as a resource for the public, lawyers, policymakers, and academics to understand how these powers are used.”
"Increased transparency around police powers leads to greater accountability in their use. The statistics tell a compelling story, highlighting the disproportionate use of police powers against First Nations people," she said.
Monica Lam, a senior analyst with Data4Good, worked with RLC on a pro bono basis to develop this interactive Police Accountability Dashboard.
RLC will consistently update and expand the statistics in the dashboard to ensure it remains a valuable resource.
Law Enforcement Powers and Responsibilities Act 2002 (LEPRA) definitions
Strip searches (s.3 LEPRA)
strip search means a search of a person or of articles in the possession of a person that may include—
(a) requiring the person to remove all of his or her clothes, and
(b) an examination of the person’s body (but not of the person’s body cavities) and of those clothes.
Use of force (s.230 LEPRA)
It is lawful for a police officer exercising a function under this Act or any other Act or law in relation to an individual or a thing, and anyone helping the police officer, to use such force as is reasonably necessary to exercise the function.
Move-on directions (s. 197 LEPRA)
Police have general powers to give directions. A police officer can give a direction to a person in a public place if the officer believes on reasonable grounds that the person’s behaviour or presence in the place:
- is obstructing another person or persons or traffic, or
- constitutes harassment or intimidation of another person or persons, or
- is causing or likely to cause fear to another person or persons, so long as the relevant conduct would be such as to cause fear to a person of reasonable firmness, or
- may be for the purpose of unlawfully supplying, or intending to unlawfully supply, or soliciting another person or persons to unlawfully supply, any prohibited drug, or
- is for the purpose of obtaining, procuring or purchasing any prohibited drug that it would be unlawful for the person to possess.
Police officers can give different kinds of directions, but the direction must be reasonable for one of the following reasons:
- reducing or eliminating the obstruction, harassment, intimidation or fear, or
- stopping the supply, or soliciting to supply, of the prohibited drug, or
- stopping the obtaining, procuring or purchasing of the prohibited drug.
