Hi Keith,

In answer to your question why there were/are so many Police in this town is because that many are needed.

I'll be honest with you Keith, effective Policing in this town, at least the way I think you mean, simply was not possible. I lost count of the number of 'do gooders' that came to this town with great ideals of making change (and the best intentions), only to leave days/weeks later with their tails between their legs, driven out by the community themselves.

Some of the more serious problems in this town and I dare say they are similar to many a town were; alcohol and drug abuse, violence as a whole but domestic violence in particular and one that was rampant but never spoken about, and that was child assault, both physical and sexual. Please don't think I'm trying to inflame this discussion or habour a dislike for Aboriginals, because it wouldn't be true.

Alcohol and drug abuse is a well know problem in Aboriginal communities. Violence is also pretty well know, especially as a result of the first two problems. Violence and Domestic violence in this community at least was not only accepted practice, but encouraged by a vast majority of the community.

The problem that I think is far more serious (physical and sexual assault of children), was simply ignored by the community and thus implicitly condoned. Numerous attempts were made to raise and address these issues by Police and Education personnel, but every time it was raised we were called racist and told to mind our own business as it had nothing to do with us.

So I think you can see why I say 'effective' policing of this town was not possible. All we as Police could do was clean up the aftermath and arrest the offender. I don't know how many times I was called to a Domestic assault, usually by the female, only to be set upon by her when she became aware that we were going to arrest 'her man'.

Um I think I missed something here.

Some posts are saying that people should be responsible for their actions.

Too True!

It is no good blaming others.

The copper that beat Cameron Doomagee to death is responsible for his actions.

Copper Hurley has the privelege of 'Whiteness', and education, and had the status of power.

He IS very clearly resposible for his actions. He should have been charges and held in custody as soon as the coroners report was handed down.

To the posts that attempt to blame Cameron for his own death,
this is too pathetic and reinforces the point that the article was making.

The (ex)coppers amongst the post adequately demonstrate the negative bias that the police have for Indigenous Australians.

Scary stuff.

"The (ex)coppers amongst the post adequately demonstrate the negative bias that the police have for Indigenous Australians....Scary stuff."

Why is it acceptable and correct for you to jump to conclusions but uneducated, abhorrent and dare I say racist if anyone else does? Is it just because they disagree with you, or is there some factual basis for your opinion?

I'm in no way condoning certain behaviour by certain Police over the years, but do the actions of a few make us all like that? If so then surely the actions of a few Aboriginals make 'you' all like them? What a stupid, uneducated and ill informed statement.

This is the sort of blatant bias I've run into over many years. You do yourself and your cause no favours by adopting such a stance.

I note that, while Quiggley and o sung wu have made valuable comments from the law enforcement side of this debate, they have both remained silent on the vital issue of the disparate treatment, on the one hand, of the policeman who has been found by the Coroner to have brought about the death in custody that directly sparked the Palm Island riot, and on the other of the alleged participants in that riot.

As I recall, the police union stridently attacked the Coroner for making such a finding. Is this just more of the same old police culture of protecting their own in the face of strong evidence of probably criminal behaviour? Seems like not all that much has really changed since the good old days of Joh, Lane and Lewis.

Quiggley

So who determinded the number that was needed and what was the basis for their decision?

Effective policing where I reside would be a greater deterant for petty crimes ie higher solving and arrest rates for petty crimes such as break and enter and less emphasis on traffic breaches. I can't comment on what effective policing would be in that small country town but I think like me the local people would probably be more aware of what was needed. My point is if you were told to buggar off in relation to domestic's perhaps you were being told that your 'effective policing' wasn't. You know, today in parts of Queensland,there are much more edffective ways of dealing with public drunkeness, and domestic violence, than the traditional police practise.
In white communities such things still exist and the police practise in dealing with them is acceptable to the community. I don't think just shifting the same practise to small indegenous communites could be similarily effective or suitable and acceptable to the communities involved.
It seem from all accounts the problem of policing child sexual abuse in white communities suffered from a similar lack of transparency...especially in our churches and schools.

And your atitudes so openly displayed here do show you seem to not understand the nature of the policing problems indigenous people experience and protest.

I hope this little missive helps. It is critical I know but the attitude you've displayed is the one that has been on display within police forces for many years and many facets of it were still and especially evident in the latest killing in custody in Queensland.

Keith

To AKA...

I've read and re-read you piece, and have come to the conclusion that any logical discussion with you on this matter, would essentially be unproductive. You've apparently engaged in the spurious notion that police are unanswerably to the law. That is simply nonsense. It's been stated herein, the matter is now before the coroner. The coroner will decide on the specifics of where culpability lies, absolutely. There are more auditory processess of police, in the discharge of their duties, then any other occupation or vocation in the country. AKA, walk a shift or two, in my boots. How would you handle crime, that has been perpetrated by Koories? Soooo easy to level criticism from afar. But unlike you apparently, I have a far more sanguine view of the future, with respect to mutual understanding between Koories and Law Enforcement, in this country.

In my experience, critics of the police have very little understanding or appreciation of the complex issues, confronting contemporary policing of some of these more marginalized folk. Nor are most coppers biased, or misanthropic toward others. The average copper has enough worries, just trying to cover their posteriors, from our bosses. Remember good people, we all bleed when we're cut...it's as simple as that.
Kind regards...O Sung Wu.