This monitoring and reporting project has now closed. A detailed report, COVID-19 Policing in the Pandemic’, analysing the interactions between police and people during the pandemic’s first year in 2020 is now available at the link below. Thank you to everyone who submitted accounts of police interactions and to all the organisational and academic supporters around Australia.
READ THE FINAL REPORTUntil police across the continent release data of the number of stops and fines being issued, the reasons for these stops and fines, and the post-code locations they are happening in – sites like this are the only way to build an independent picture of how COVID-19 restrictions are being policed, whether they are being enforced fairly, and to identify any trends in policing.
The CovidPolicing.org.au website was launched on Monday 6th April, 2020 to track the extraordinary expansion of police powers in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic and the unequal patterns of enforcement that may arise as a result. We stress that the public health measures introduced in Australia on the basis of medical advice to prevent the spread of coronavirus are vitally important...
Now in its second week of operation, the Covid Policing website has had and additional 32 reports concerning police interactions.
14 April 2020 Published here. Amnesty International Australia and the Grata Fund call on State and Territory governments and all relevant bodies to publicly release guidelines used by police to enforce COVID-19 social distancing regulations. A growing list of organisations are now calling for improved police accountability to maintain public trust as COVID-19 health regulations are enforced. To...
Monday 13 April, 2020 At the end of its first week of operation this new website has had 28 reports of inappropriate or concerning police interactions. With publicity for the site only now starting to build we expect this number of reports to grow. Reports were received from Queensland (1), Tasmania (1) South Australia (1), NSW (5) and Victoria (20). Each week we’ll do a ‘round-up’ of the...
By Rangi Hirini, NITV News 11 Apr 2020 Over the past week I have been seeing a number of posts popping up on social media by prominent Noongar activist, Herbert Bropho. Uncle Herb has been going down to visit a group of rough sleepers, located just blocks away from Perth’s main train station since the coronavirus pandemic broke out in Australia. “I’ve been going to the city since Australia got...
Published at NSW Police: Wednesday, 08 April 2020 03:41:31 PM These breakdowns are released daily by NSW Police – for more see here. Police have charged one person with offences under the Public Health Act 2010 (NSW) and issued 15 COVID-19 related Penalty Infringement Notices (PINs) since the last update. Charges: About 8.40pm yesterday (Tuesday 7 April 2020), police from Tuggerah Lakes...
A Melbourne teenager says she was shocked when police issued her with a hefty fine for going out for a driving lesson with her mother on the weekend.Learner driver Hunter Reynolds, 17, who is completing her last year of school, told radio station 3AW she had been driving with her mother on the Peninsula Link in Frankston when she was pulled over and issued a $1652 fine for being “too far...
Osman Faruqi is the editor of 7am, Schwartz Media’s daily news podcast. He was previously the deputy editor of ABC Life and an award-winning reporter with the ABC’s flagship audio documentary program, Background Briefing. His analysis of NSW Police data for COVID-19 fines and arrests is worth following on Twitter. The top 4 local government areas with the most locally acquired COVID-19 cases...
Benjamin Millar is a journalist and writer in Melbourne’s west.
Not really sure what this chat is about as there is no sound with the vision. Kicking a footy with more than one person you don't live with? pic.twitter.com/qlKntLtCUL— Benjamin Millar (@BenjaminMillar) April 5, 2020