Release: Police out of line strip searching teens

Release: Police out of line strip searching teens

The Australian Taxpayers’ Alliance, the nation’s largest grassroots advocacy group representing taxpayers, today condemns the NSW police for inappropriate strip searches.

“Normally when a man with a gun tells a sixteen year old girl to strip down naked, we call the police. But the NSW police are doing just that at music festivals,” says ATA Communications Manager, Emilie Dye. “There are very few situations when strip searches are called for; unarmed teenagers at music festivals should not make the cut.”

“The NSW police officer guilty of searching 19 music festival attendees, admitted the searches may have been illegal. According to the law, officers are to strip search individuals only when the situation is urgent and serious. Even if these kids were actually carrying alcohol or weed (which they weren’t), these searches were out of line.”

“Drug dogs are wrong 74 percent of the time. Meanwhile cops are searching kids based on body language, whether they are fidgeting, and if they seem wary of drug dogs. However, it seems odd that so many underage girls are forced to undergo these searches.”

“Earlier this year police faced a national outcry against strip searches in Central station. When police assume ordinary citizens are criminals, Australians have a problem. Strip searches are in themselves a punishment, but no crime needs to be committed. Let's make the wild assumption that people are innocent until proven guilty.”

“Taxpayers spend $3.356 billion a year to fund the police force. They expect the police to protect their kids not humiliate and traumatize them with strip searches.”