Police found nothing in 88 per cent of the 211,000 personal searches conducted under the force's quota-based system in 2018, prompting concerns the regime is leading to an abuse of police powers to meet targets.
, with a target of 242,000 across NSW in 2018-19.
"Officers performing general duties form the frontline for responding to calls from assistance from the community, and the pendulum should not swing so far to proactive strategies that it compromises the ability to meet first response agreements," he said. "There are additional safeguards for children and vulnerable people with which police must comply. Officers are trained to deal with the public in a respectful and empathetic manner, and to be aware of potential cultural sensitivities."
"Ultimately you've got to question why they're doing it, I can't see how a quota system fits into that scheme of having reasonable grounds for a search," Professor Lee said. Personal searches include both general searches, which can involve a frisk or requiring someone to remove outer layers of clothing, and strip searches, in which all the person's clothing may be removed.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Police raids as families of Islamic State still stuck in freezing Syrian campPolice have raided homes in Sydney and Melbourne in an attempt to gather evidence against some of the 67 family members of Islamic State fighters living in a Syrian refugee camp
Read more »
New NT Police Commissioner reveals plans to restructure the forceAll new police recruits in the Territory will now serve at least two years in a remote community
Read more »
Police allege driver on wrong side of road before fatal crashTwo people are dead and another is in hospital with serious injuries after a head-on collision in Palmerston overnight.
Read more »
70 more coronavirus cases confirmed on Diamond Princess cruise shipNearly 10 per cent of the people on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship are now known to have coronavirus, with the total now sitting at 355.
Read more »
Man fatally shot in chest in south-west SydneyPolice are hunting for a gunman after an 18-year-old man was shot in the chest and left to die on a road in Sydney's south-west on Saturday night, in what police are describing as a targeted attack
Read more »
Australia to offer Pacific funds to PNG for ambitious plan to get power to the peopleThe first project supported by Australia's $2 billion Pacific infrastructure aid bank could be an electrification program in PNG, where only 13 per cent of citizens currently have an electricity connection.
Read more »