These experts pointed out that people are more likely to comply with rules where they regard them as morally right and reflecting social norms, rather than because they fear fines and other sanctions. Heavy reliance on enforcement contrasts, for example, with the United Kingdom, where the policing of COVID-19 measures early in the pandemic was independently assessed by policing experts as “ taking place at the margins”. The Australian approach isn’t the only possibility. It is even more critical that policing does not amplify those inequalities by prioritising punishment over keeping people safe. The social and economic costs of the pandemic have greater impacts on precarious and low-wage workers and marginalised people. Mick Tsikas/AAP How could COVID be policed? Police have recently been deployed to patrol parts of western Sydney under lockdown. And, as we explain elsewhere, questions remain about their lawful basis. Most obviously, increased police contact through personal searches could increase the risk of transmission. An old-school public order approach of stop and search, and fines, undermines public health because of the social harms of criminal justice contact. They also support concerns that the pandemic has intensified the policing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.ĬOVID policing appears to rely on longstanding criminalisation strategies at odds with public health. Whatever the precise level of over-representation, these findings are consistent with the broader, long-standing experience of the over-policing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.Ĭonsidering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples comprise around 3% of the population, these data alone show disproportionate use of search and arrest powers. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were even more disproportionately subject to coercive police powers following a stop, making up 15% of arrests and 10% of people searched. Our research in NSW found Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander peoples comprised 9% of the stop incidents in which Indigenous or non-Indigenous status was recorded. In Victoria, a parliamentary inquiry found people in lower socioeconomic areas were twice as likely to be fined as those in higher socioeconomic areas. We also know COVID policing has affected some communities more than others. Although the public health relevance of conducting a search is unclear, police searched 45% of all people stopped for a COVID-related incident. Select data we obtained from New South Wales Police indicate that from March 15 to June 15 2020, the most common police action was to search those stopped. Yet our exploratory research suggests fines are merely one way in which police are using their powers during the pandemic. Beyond the police state to COVID-safe: life after lockdown will need a novel approachįines have been a key method of policing COVID restrictions.
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