NCJ Number
186262
Journal
Queensland Criminal Justice Commission Research Paper Volume: 6 Issue: 2 Dated: April 2000 Pages: 1-8
Date Published
April 2000
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This document reports on use of force by the Queensland Australia Police.
Abstract
These data were taken from the 1999 Queensland Defendants Survey, carried out at eight magistrates courts throughout Queensland. Twenty percent of respondents reported that police had used some kind of force against them, the most common forms being grabbing, shoving, wrestling, and putting on handcuffs too tightly. Approximately 4 percent of respondents claimed to have been punched or kicked by police and approximately 2 percent reported being struck by a baton or other implement such as a flashlight. Approximately one-quarter of respondents who reported some kind of police physical action acknowledged that they had resisted arrest or there had been a “general fight or struggle”, and more than half admitted that they had been either moderately or seriously affected by drugs or alcohol at the time. Physical action was most likely to be taken against respondents who were young, male, and had been in conflict with police in the past. Respondents subjected to physical action were much more likely than other respondents to express dissatisfaction with how they had been treated by police. Figures, notes, tables, references