This news article is about the reaction to the release of the NSW Police Force's Aboriginal Strategic Direction 2024 and the role of the NSW Police Force in meeting Closing the Gap outcomes 10 and 11.

Patrick Begley, 'Police had a plan to help reduce Aboriginal incarceration. Then this happened …' Sydney Morning Herald (Online at 29 July 2024)

The law places limits on how police operate. Within those limits, police have a large amount of discretion about how they act. The way police use their discretion shapes people’s experiences with the criminal legal system and has been repeatedly linked to the over-representation of Aboriginal people in custody.

Police discretion

Diversions are options that police can use to prevent people from entering or continuing in the criminal legal system. Law and policy place some conditions on when diversions can be used. Police also have discretion about whether to use diversions. Research shows that diversions are underused for Aboriginal people, especially...

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Patrick Begley, 'Police had a plan to help reduce Aboriginal incarceration. Then this happened …' Sydney Morning Herald (Online at 29 July 2024)

Police discretion

Policing and diversions