Overview
- People perceived as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander were 15 times more likely to be searched in 2024, with far lower detection of prohibited items than among white people.
- The analysis reports First Nations people were about 10 times more likely to experience force or threats, and 13 times more likely to face taser use or threats.
- People perceived as African faced sharply higher risks, including roughly nine times the search rate, more than seven times the use of force, and about 24 times the likelihood of a police pursuit.
- The Centre Against Racial Profiling based its findings on Victoria Police data obtained under freedom-of-information laws, using officers’ ‘ethnic appearance’ entries for searches without a warrant recorded on L19C forms.
- Victoria Police rejected key assertions, noting ethnic appearance is not recorded for all searches and that force and taser figures include threats or drawing a device, as legal and community groups pressed for an independent police ombudsman.