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Release date: Thursday, 17 October 2024
The NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) has launched a new Policing Activity Dashboard to provide ongoing access to previously unavailable information on the use of police powers and compliance activity.
To improve community safety and enforce the law, NSW Police are granted considerable powers to conduct searches, move people on, and monitor compliance with bail and apprehended domestic violence orders. For the first time, the Policing Activity Dashboard offers visibility on the use of these powers which is an important feature of transparency and accountability.
According to Jackie Fitzgerald, Executive Director, NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, “The dashboard is a significant step forward in providing comprehensive and ongoing public access to data across a wide range of policing activities. It gives visibility over police actions that are of public concern, such as the number of young people subjected to a strip search, the over-representation of Aboriginal people among those subject to police powers, and the number of people tasered by police. State and local area statistics are now available on person, strip and vehicle searches; move-on directions; bail compliance checks; ADVO compliance checks and non-criminal domestic episodes.”
Key results:
Strip searches: NSW Police conducted 2,218 strip searches in 2023/24, down 41% from the 3,751 strip searches in 2019/20. Weapons or drugs were found in 45% of strip searches conducted in 2023/24. In the most recent 12-months to June 2024, NSW Police strip searched 48 young people aged under 18-years, which is half as many as five years ago (98 in 2019/20). Of the 48 young people strip searched, 42% were female and 29% were Aboriginal. In 2023/24 weapons or drugs were found in 46% of strip searches involving young people.
Person searches: 116,835 person searches were conducted by NSW Police in 2023/24. This is down 30% from the previous year (166,099 in 2022/23) and down 52% from five years ago (242,878 in 2019/20). Weapons or drugs were found in 15% of person searches conducted in 2023/24. The number of young people subject to a person search has also halved over the last five years (down 56% from 32,338 in 2019/20 to 14,210 in 2023/24). In 2023/24 weapons or drugs were found in 11% of person searches conducted against young people.
Taser use: NSW Police discharged a taser at 290 people in 2023/24; this is unchanged from the previous year (284 in 2022/23) but a 9% increase since 2019/20 (n=265). Of the 290 people tasered in 2023/24, 25% were Aboriginal, 86% were male and 3% were aged under 18 years.
Aboriginal over-representation. Aboriginal people comprise 3% of the total NSW population but are over-represented in multiple policing activities. In 2023/24, Aboriginal people accounted for:
Dashboard: https://policingactivitytool.bocsar.nsw.gov.au/
For comment contact: Jackie Fitzgerald, Executive Director, NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics & Research
Phone: +61 423 139 687 Email: jackie.fitzgerald@dcj.nsw.gov.au
16 Oct 2024