Recommendations to the Police

Last week various gay groups meet with the public at a forum to draft recommendations in regards to police behaviour at LGBT events. These will then be presented to the New South Wales state gov. It's looks like they're in line with what people were saying all along after the Mardi Gras; that the cops were heavy handed and aggressive, the ridiculous use of sniffer dogs in venues, under-trained police, among others. 

A series of draft recommendations on police conduct and training were released at a community forum at ACON’s Surry Hills offices on Thursday night, giving community members the chance to give input into the recommendations before gay advocacy groups ACON, the Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby (GLRL) and the Inner City Legal Centre present their demands to the state government. 

The recommendations include an end to police sniffer dogs, the establishment of an independent body to receive and investigate complaints made against police officers and a wide-ranging review of police procedure during public drugs and weapons searches. 

The draft also called for increased LGBTI-awareness education for police officers during training, closer coordination between NSW Police and Mardi Gras organisers, and a reduced police presence at major LGBTI events such as Mardi Gras, both in overall numbers of officers and in the deployment of ‘heavy’ units such as riot squads and mounted police. 

NSW GLRL co-convenor Justin Koonin stressed that the draft recommendations were subject to community oversight and review before being ratified for presentation to the state government and NSW Police. more