By CAM LUCADOU-WELLS
GREATER Dandenong’s Inspector Bruce Kitchen has said he is “willing to try” a criticised business-card-style receipt system.
Under a trial up to the end of the year, police and PSOs in Greater Dandenong will issue receipts when they stop a person.
The initiative came in the wake of a 2013 Federal Court settlement over Victoria Police members allegedly ‘racially profiling’ six African-Australians – that is stopping and searching them more often on the basis of their race.
The receipts have been criticised by the Police Association for creating more paperwork.
Springvale-Monash Legal Service community development worker Kei Judd said the receipts should have recorded the ethnicity of people stopped by police.
“Without that data, it will be difficult to determine if racial profiling is still occurring.”
She said there were benefits such as encouraging police to have a “reasonable excuse“ – and to give clear reasons – for stopping people.
Inspector Kitchen said he was unable to comment on the design of the receipts.
“I’m willing to try any initiative that will increase the confidence of the multicultural community in the police.
“My thinking is it will help the police better understand the community, and vice versa.”
The receipt includes the date, time, location and reason for the police contact, the police member’s registered number and police station.
Springvale-Monash Legal Service is also running a website, stopwatchvic.org.au, for people to give feedback when they are stopped by police.
