Redfern Legal Centre has launched a new campaign to prevent the high number of strip searches NSW police are conducting, at music festivals and otherwise.
The campaign, titled ‘Safe & Sound’, launches during the Summer festival season which is around the bloody corner, and it is seeking the support of major Aussie artists.
The extensive campaign will feature a website and a mobile app, aimed at informing festival goers of their legal rights, as well as a commissioned report prepared by two academics at the University of NSW’s Law School.
The campaign serves as a direct response to some pretty astonishing statistics regarding strip searches. Recent figures have been released that show that strip searches doubled during 2016-2017, and 64% of strip searches that were prompted by sniffer dogs delivered no results.
The head of RLC’s Police Accountability practice, lawyer Samantha Lee, says that the service has been contacted by loads of people who experienced a strip search with no results, and that police officers weren’t following the correct procedure.
“The law in NSW governing the use of strip searches is vague and legalistic, making it susceptible to wide interpretation,” she said in a statement.
“This campaign aims to improve the law and procedures to ensure better safeguards for the public and improve guidance for police.”
“Like police, we all want young people to be safe. It is important young people feel safe to approach police if help is needed. But the overuse of strip searches is making young people feel unsafe. Safety comes from sound policing.”
Find out more info here.
