Boy 12 to fight Freddo Frog charge:
http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/news/national/national/general/boy-12-to-fight-freddo-frog-charge/1678648.aspx?src=rss

http://greensmps.org.au/content/media-release/freddo-frog-case-confirms-need-urgent-justice-reform

I don't have any faith in the police at the best of times. I'd love to have faith in them as I believe in a strong rule of law, that applies equally to all. But it seems to me that you just cannot know what to expect from the police, at any time, regarding any matter.

Just this morning I went into Casino police station to report the most absurd and dangerous antics imposed upon me on the open highway by a driver towing a horsefloat for goodness sake!

I was in and out of the police station wthin five minutes, having given all the necessary details, that were written down by an officer on a piece of scrap paper. I presume I'll never hear from them again even though they said that they would call me in due course.

On other instances, that sort of thing has taken a long period of time, including filling out forms and giving a full written statement.

So to the freddo frog matter. Ok so the cop is sticking to his principles and upholding the charge. Well, if all cops did the same, then fine. If we had a zero-tolerance policing system, then ok. If we had a system that applied approximately equally to all and in which we had a pretty reasonable idea of what to expect then it would be ok.

But we don't. Faaaaaar from it!!

We just CANNOT have a system whereby trivial issues like this are officially dealt with while much more serious matters, such as some of the driving that I have experienced and reported over the last ten years, go unpunished.

Why do the police have wide-ranging powers of discretion if not for the better use of their own judgement about what is serious enough to pursue and what isn't?

Ludwig

<< I was in and out of the police station wthin five minutes, having given all the necessary details, that were written down by an officer on a piece of scrap paper. >>

They'd have a file on you by now, Ludwig, you've made so many of these reports! They're probably writing this one off as just another case of the boy who cried wolf. :)

Seriously, what do you expect them to do about it?

<< We just CANNOT have a system whereby trivial issues like this are officially dealt with while much more serious matters, such as some of the driving that I have experienced and reported over the last ten years, go unpunished. >>

I don't see lack of consistency as the problem, I see racism as the real issue here. As the retired judge, John Fogarty said, if this boy had been a white kid, he'd have been let off with a warning, which is of course the only sensible course of action for a person of this age and over a matter so minor.

The backlash of anger over this within the aboriginal community will just be another setback for the process of reconciliation. It's quite possible that this incident, and his stint in jail, will set the kid on a course of crime he may not otherwise have embarked on. A kindly talking-to and a word of encouragement from the police could well have had a positive impact. We'll never know that now though.

The first article you linked to contains a damning statistic. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youths, aged 10 to 17, are nearly 30 times as likely to be in detention on an average day than other children, and in WA it's 45 times.

I heard a suggestion recently, made by an aboriginal elder, that Australia should consider setting up an aboriginal run prison in some of these hotspot areas. The use of aboriginal law and wisdom, and the greater cultural sensitivity in such a place, could well have a reforming impact that the current system is failing to achieve.

Bronwyn
Clearly the naughty corner for him. You gotta watch those criminal master mind children, today a freddo and a novelty then a car. Before you know it's a plane..... Then is a trillion or so dollars and the country will go broke.
But wait, isn't that why we have CEO's. Clearly he displays the prerequisite skills and attitudes of a budding cold selfish entrepreneur ....obviously, he's been taking advice from Col and our other resident self serving Liberals.

I blame those evil thought put out by the female incarnation of beelzeebobet herself do I dare mention her name and risk summoning up the evil incarnate herself...all that ethereal malicious incompetence.

Maybe he's a refugee in disguise? Some maniacal midget terrorist? how do we know he's indigenous? Because they said so? After all it is a Labor state, the police are therefore corrupt.
Obviously covering up for a high power socialist plot to undermine our country's morals in order to get control introduce mandate gay marriage.

Here fishy fishy fishy (he he)

OK ..... I know, (sigh)the naughty corner :-(

Hey Bronwyn I heard a great idea recently that we should get rid of the queen as head of state and replace her with an aboriginal royalty. It would be cool! I have no idea of weather they have such a concept, but maybe we could find the most pure of aboriginal lines and assign them royal status. It would bring the aboriginal people into their proper place as the first people of the country.

Also, KRudd loves a symbolic gesture so he'd surely be up for it. He does seem a bit worried about his 70 odd percent approval rating dropping to 68 though. It must be hard to make brave decisions in such a climate.

And think of the Womans day and New Idea having our very own royals to interview and follow around reporting on every time they take a dump!

But we said 'sorry', I thought this type of thing wouldn't happen any more! Yeh, right!
Seriously though, you lot just can't help but make anything you can into a racial issue.

When it comes to coloured kids, you simply can't win. Danmed if you do and danmed if you don't.

If they had let him off they would have been accussed of giving him a break in order to keep the peace and, as he has been charged, in your eyes they are racists!

How can they win?

'Seriously though, you lot just can't help but make anything you can into a racial issue.'

We're whistling for CJ.

'How can they win?'
Win? There's no winning. When it comes to aboriginal issues you can either be culturally insensitive and racist, or preventing them from integrating into modern society and standing by watching the abuse of children. Take your pick.