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The title for the 12ft link to the SMH article is “Police should not be responsible for Closing the Gap targets, says commissioner”, which is accurate, but even after a quick skim of the actual report, seems to very much understate the problems. This quote buried in the report is an example:

“The Commission considers that any future NSW Police Force Aboriginal strategy requires the NSW Police Force to look at its own influence on over-representation. A strategy that purportedly aims to reduce over-
representation but does not encompass the impact of proactive policing is neglecting a key factor.”

The full 86 page Aboriginal Strategic Direction (ASD) monitoring report by the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (LECC) is a garbage PDF as usual. But it contains some interesting data, and as far as public government reports go, is pretty damning. Pages 35-50ish are the meaty parts - make no mistake, this is an inter-department shitfight padded out with professional pleasantries.

Necessary knowledge

The Aboriginal Strategic Direction 2018-2023 (ASD) is the NSW Police Force’s own self-made overarching plan and framework to address Aboriginal overrepresentation in the criminal justice system as part of requirements in the government’s commitment to the “Closing the Gap” agreement. The LECC monitors their progress as an outside agency.

My favourite professional shade from the report

there is little evidence to support the statement contained in the ASD that:
“The ASD is a living document subject to ongoing review to ensure its relevance and currency to reflect emerging issues and to enable the development of innovative solutions”

Highlights

Aboriginal Community Liaison Officers (ACLOs) hired by the police are underpaid (max. $86k not incl. super) with no room for career or pay progression beyond that.

The LECC says that (paraphrased):

  • the police didn’t achieve their own goals / outcomes, and,
  • that’s the leadership’s responsibility,
  • the police made/use a framework that is internally incoherent, partly based on problematic assumptions and not evidence, not up to standards,
  • they sometimes take actions that contradict their own goals,
  • there are a lot of police who think community relationships are not compatible with law enforcement,
  • the police aren’t measuring and/or aren’t providing required measurements for the LECC to review,
  • the police are just using Wikipedia, if there is any listed source, for local community information and history instead of talking to their communities,
  • the police may be using their discretion and powers in harmfully discriminatory ways,
  • both the NSW government and police are avoiding dealing with goals that require their work if the agreements they signed are to succeed

And the LECC is pretty fucking sick of telling them their shit is broken, that they are required to fix their shit, and how to fix their shit over and over again.

Table 2 shows 0 police from Kings Cross or Surry Hills have completed “Working with Aboriginal Communities” training (because training never was provided, even though it’s mandatory for everyone other local police dept?). Surry Hills is also ten times more likely to search an Aboriginal person and covers the largest Aboroginal populationin Australia, so, you know, what even is that about?

Appendix C shows that the Nepean and Orana Mid-West police have never gone to a consultative committee meeting with their communities even though they were required to. Table 3 also shows that no Orana mid-west police have completed locally focussed training either.

Appendix F and G show brief logs where you can see the Coroner’s Office and LECC specifically being ignored or palmed off repeatedly, but the LECC being ignored is all through the report too.