Rethinking Strip Searches
A new study commissioned by the Redfern Legal Centre has found that over the past 12 years, the number of strip searches conducted by NSW police increased 20 fold.
Strip searches are meant to be a last resort for police in serious circumstances, but the report found that police are conducting strip searches in situations where they are not necessary. They are also employing humiliating and illegal practices such as making individuals squat and cough or strip searching them in public places.
What can be done to make sure that the police are not going beyond their powers? We spoke to one of the report’s authors, Dr Vicki Sentas, a senior lecturer in law from UNSW.
