NAIDOC Week Oration NSW Police

NAIDOC Week OrationNSW Police

8 July 2009

Tom Calma

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner

• Produce two annual reports: the Social Justice Report and the Native Title Report that explore the extent to which Indigenous Australians enjoy their human rights.

• The reports assess government policies in relation to Indigenous health, housing, education, land, essential services, representative structures and other issues - using a human rights framework

Indigenous imprisonment

• Indigenous adults = 13 x more likely to be imprisoned than non Indigenous adults

• Indigenous juveniles = 23 x more likely to be detained than non Indigenous juveniles

• Indigenous women = 23 x more likely to be imprisoned than non Indigenous women

Indigenous imprisonment

• 48% increase in Indigenous imprisonment since 1996

• 34% increase in the Indigenous female imprisonment population between 2002-2006

Offender characteristics

• Many offenders are also victims of violence or abuse

• 70% of Indigenous female prisoners had been sexually abused as children

• 78% Indigenous female prisoners physically abused as adults

Offender characteristics

• High levels of substance abuse, mental health problems and cognitive disabilities

• Drug Use Monitoring Australia- 90% of juvenile detainees vs 40% of non Indigenous juvenile detainees tested positive for drugs in police custody

Offender Characteristics

• Indigenous young people in juvenile justice 4-5 times more likely to have an intellectual disability

• Up to 80% of Indigenous young people in juvenile justice have mental health issues

Indigenous community perceptions of Police

• Rooted in a long history of colonisation

Indigenous policy is everyone’s business

• Competency in Indigenous policing will strengthen the entire Police Force

Community Policing Partnership Project

• Supports the development of local partnerships between Police and Muslim communities

TRUST poster with NSW Police

• Treat, • Record,• Understand,• Supply, and • Train Guidelines to improve

monitoring and response to racial and religious hatred

Crime Prevention

• Police crime prevention work with Indigenous young people breaks down barriers and increases pro-social activities

Discretion and public order offences

• Indigenous people 17 x more likely to be in police custody than non Indigenous people

• Nearly a quarter of Indigenous people in police custody were being held for public order offences

Indigenous community partnerships

• Night patrols:– Community owned– Can defuse conflict– Greater efficacy when linked in with

sobering up shelters, mental health resources, safe houses etc

Indigenous family violence

• 18.3% of Indigenous women experienced physical or threatened abuse in the past 12 months vs 7% of non Indigenous women

• Social Justice Report 2007 presents best practice in Indigenous family violence and child abuse

Mildura Family Violence and Sexual Assault Awareness campaign

NSW Police Aboriginal Employment Strategy

• Flexible pathways in

• Aboriginal Employees support and mentoring

Justice Reinvestment

• Calculates the expenditure on imprisonment and diverts a proportion to local communities where there is a high concentration of offenders.

• The money that would have been spent of imprisonment is reinvested in programs and services that address the underlying causes of crime in these communities.

Thank you

• Further information:• www.humanrights.gov.au/social_justice/index.html