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Beacroft, Laura --- "Policing in Queensland" [1987] AboriginalLawB 15; (1987) 1(25) Aboriginal Law Bulletin 7


Policing in Queensland

by Laura Beacroft

High arrest and imprisonment rates for Aboriginal people show the problem of overpolicing, especially where disorderly conduct occurs in towns. However Aboriginal communities in Queensland also complain that they are underpoliced on their own land.

What is at the heart of the current dispute over policing Aboriginal communities is the priorities of policing, and who should foot the bills. The Queensland Aboriginal Coordinating Council (ACC) wants the Queensland State Police to administer a special unit of indigenous police but with major policy involvement from Aboriginal people. On the other hand the State Police wants to retain the old, ineffective community policy system-revamped by some training and new powers of arrest.

An understanding of the problems of the Queensland community policing system requires some background. Reserve policing in Queensland dates back to the mid 1800's. Early attempts to attract Aborigines into the police force were unveiled attempts to ensure effective European domination rather than consultation with Aboriginal communities.

Aboriginal trackers were (and still are in the Northern Territory) without the career opportunities of other police. Their duties are ill-defined and completely determined by the officer-in-charge. New systems of indigenizing the police, such as police aids schemes of Western Australia and Northern Territory have not improved the situation in important matters such as equality of status of officers. Without really being part of the police force, indigenous police nonetheless experience alienation from their own communities, and are perceived as European agents[1]. An additional problem for police aides working amongst traditional communities is conflict between their duties to be fair as police officers, and kinship obligations[2]. Not surprisingly retention rates for Aboriginal police aid schemes, both in Australia and overseas, are not high.[3]

The situation in Queensland has become worse in recent years. The Community Services (Aboriginal) Act, 1984 allows Councils to replace old, paternalistic by-laws, some of which contravene human rights.[4] However Queensland's Crown Law Office has refused to gazette some of the new by-laws proposed by the Aboriginal Councils and intended to clarify community police powers.

After heavy pressure Queensland's police minister has recently conceded that Community Police need to have powers of arrest for street offences. But the ACC says increased powers will only be welcome if Aboriginal people have a better say in the overall administration of policing, including the proper function of police on Aboriginal land. They want more emphasis on sensitive policing of minor disturbances, and community education. In the past Queensland Aboriginal people have encountered the same problems with white policing as indigenous people in Canada have encountered:

Non-native policing priorities ... are the enforcement of non-native laws and the pursuit of native criminals.[5]

Services are unreliable for the daily worries of Aboriginal people, such as drunken behaviour on reserves. Yet police services are frighteningly efficient in cases like the so-called 'Goondiwindi riots'.

The ACC has asked for equality of status for community police and substantial input by Councils on selection criterion, general policy issues, and research. Their proposal is in these important respects similar to the more successful native controlled police programs in North America such as the Amerindian Police Program.

The retention rate of the officers is high in this program and community co-operation is higher than in non-native police programs.[6]

These North American models do of course have problems, for instance one study suggests the Amerindian pro ram could better achieve crime prevention.[7] Disenchantment with the program on such policy issues has led or rparticipating community to break away and form a locally controlled program - the Kaknawake Mohawk Peace Keepers.

Such police programs demonstrate the advantage of establishing programs based on the principles of equality of employment, and Aboriginal participation in police management. The ACC is seeking recognition of these principles by Queensland's State Police. More locally based policing may be an option some Aboriginal communities will prefer once Aboriginal input on State Police Department policy has removed the assimilationist policy behind community policing.


[1] Australian Law Reform Commission Report Vol 2 pp 98 and 100.

[2] ALRC Vol 2 p 102.

[3] For an overview of indigenous policing models see Solictor General Canada, Native Policing in Canada: A review of Current Issues, 1986-46.

[4] The Human Rights Commission identifies several contraventions, including a contravention of Article 17 of International Covenant on Civil & Political Rights in the by-law dealing with police powers of entry. See p 40 Aboriginal Reserves By-Laws & Human Rights. OCC Paper 5 1983.

[5] p 138 Solicitor General Canada. Native Policing in Canada: A Review of Current Issues No 1986-46.

[6] pp 57-58 ibid.

[7] p 68 ibid.


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