Apparently some Australian women are unhappy over the way police are arresting them for domestic violence. They’re protesting against alleged police brutality, but the police are saying the woman arrested in the incident was violent.
I’ve no idea who is right and who is wrong, and since these are Aboriginal women, racism could be an element here. But it sounds as if the women feel the police are taking a heavy-handed, overly interventionist role, and are interfering unnecessarily in people’s family lives. Imagine that…
Women seek to confront police over domestic violence arrests
Jul 3, 2007
ABC News, Australia
A group of women from Alice Springs town camps want to confront the Territory Police Minister over the way officers are carrying out domestic violence arrests.
The women have met at the Tangentyere Council in support of a camp resident who claims she was kicked in the ribs by police.
Police say they had to use force with the woman because she became violent, but deny she was kicked.
Eileen Hoosan from the Mount Nancy camp says the women are not happy with the way police are carrying out domestic violence raids on camps.
“We were willing to work with the police, but now I think we have to confront the police, confront the Minister for police and say, ‘is this the way police are going to act?’,” she said.
“I think the police and whoever they’re going to bring in from the other states, they need to deal with Aboriginal people at their level.”
In a statement, the Territory Police Minister, Chris Burns, says there are robust and transparent systems in place to deal with complaints involving police.
He says anyone who has a grievance should pursue those options.
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