A report published by the University of NSW and commissioned by Redfern Legal Centre reveals that the number of strip searches conducted in NSW has risen to a staggering 5483 in 2017-18, up from just 277 in 2014-15.
Redfern Legal Centre solicitor Samantha Lee says the “extraordinary rise” demonstrates that the laws are “not being applied as parliament intended – as a last resort.”
The report warns that unlawful use of the practice is “potentially widespread” due to the imprecise legal thresholds defining when an officer is able to conduct a search.
It also cites evidence of officers using invasive searches to “punish and humiliate” people, claiming police use strip searches to “intimidate targeted groups in the knowledge that there is rarely a serious sanction in the event of an unlawful or imprecise exercise of power.”
Read the full article here (Music Feeds, 22 August 2019)
