FDS Insight Newsletter Jul-Sep 2020

20 statement from Harm Reduction Australia. NSW Police has been widely criticised over the past decade for their heavy- handed tactics with party-goers, from the deployment of sniffer dogs, strip searches, heavy penalties for carrying drugs for personal use and more. The numbers back it up. A research report published last year by University of NSW into police power in the state found that 5,483 strip-searches were conducted in the 12 months to June 30, 2018, up from just 277 searches in the 12 months to November 30, 2006. The Australian Festival Association (AFA), whose members include the producers of Splendour, has called for more harm minimisation strategies to be rolled out and supported by all levels of government and pitched for a Music Festival Regulation Roundtable with regulators, medical experts, promoters, emergency service providers and law enforcement. Speaking after the LECC recommendations were made, Samantha Lee, Solicitor, and Head of Police Accountability at Redfern Legal Centre was far from impressed. ‘Why on earth are children allowed to be strip-searched in the first place? It needs to change,’ Lee said. Samantha Lee, Solicitor, and Head of Police Accountability at Redfern Legal Centre NSW Police issued its own statement, in which it said the force is ‘committed to continuous improvement and has developed initiatives to standardise operational orders and enhance compliance.’ Well, it’s official … I finally found Rock Bottom