CLA Director Richard Griggs writes: It’s a very big step for our State Government to be proposing new laws to enable groups to be banned from wearing identifying badges. It’s a big step because up until now what we choose to wear has been exactly that – our choice. For our parliament to now be considering given itself the power to regulate in this area of personal choice is quite a remarkable departure from our traditional legal system
A B Greer is out of jail after 25 years, but there is more doubt now than there has ever been about whether he should ever have been in jail. His conviction occurred during the peak period of WA police bastardry, a time which has generated many cases of wrongful convictions. WA’s two most senior criminal barristers, Percy and McCusker, both believe in his innocence. A miscarriage of justice in which the wrong person is convicted is as much a tragedy for the victim’s family as it is for the family of the wrongfully convicted person.
Police in Florida USA have crept in to a funeral home to enlist the help of a corpse they created to unlock the man’s mobile phone. Avoiding the man’s fiancee, who was at the funeral home at the time, they have tried to use the dead man’s fingers to gain access to information. So far, the phone has stayed mute. Meanwhile investigations continue over how fellow police came to shoot the man dead in the first place, over the ‘crime’ of having illegal tinted windows on his car.
Protest laws around Australia are being beefed up against the citizen as police seek ascendancy over the people in a dangerous shifting of the democratic power balance in society. 19 April 2016
Police always think they’re right: it’s Copper 101. Watchers of Ch 10’s morning program, where police protesteth too much, might recall they’re wrong every time someone is acquitted, which is very regularly. 9 Mar 2016
‘Misguided enthusiasm’ may see inventive police park the bus illegally in trying to combat the drug scourge in rural communities. We need to stay alert to protect our liberties. 26 July 2015
Insidiously, fundamental justice cornerstones of our society are being eaten away as government Acts and actions diminish respect for, and operation of, the Rule of Law, Lou Coutts says. 4 June 2015
AFP guidelines currently provide little restraint on police handing Australians over to potential death by execution overseas. Police should instead be forced to adopt and promote our human rights principles. 4 May 2015
The proposed new Australian Border Force – never publicly justified – will be a costly mega-agency destined to produce a mistrustful workforce and officer persecution, based on departmental histories. 23 April 2015