'Immense breach of human rights': WA strip searches double in three years
Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
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- Strip searches by Western Australia police have more than doubled in three years, with nearly half of those searched being Indigenous.
- Critics argue the surge indicates racial discrimination and human rights abuses, while police attribute it to increased arrests.
- Concerns are raised about the impact of these searches on minors and calls for alternative methods like body scans.
The number of people subjected to strip searches by police in Western Australia has more than doubled over the past three years, according to figures presented in parliament. This surge has sparked criticism, with advocates asserting it points to racial discrimination and human rights violations.
Aboriginal people including Aboriginal women are significantly over-represented in police strip searching. That is a cause of concern and unfortunately it poses the question of racial profiling.
Data reveals that in 2021-22, WA police conducted 24,246 strip searches. By 2024-25, this figure had risen to 49,362, an increase of over 50 percent. Alarmingly, nearly half of those strip searched in 2024-25 were Indigenous, despite Aboriginal people comprising only 3.3 percent of Western Australia's population. Human rights advocate and Noongar woman Dr. Hannah McGlade stated this over-representation raises serious questions about racial profiling.
This is an immense breach of human rights.
Furthermore, hundreds of individuals under the age of 18 have also undergone strip searches. Jacqueline McGowan-Jones, the WA Commissioner for Children and Young People, described these searches as an "immense breach of human rights" that subject children to "shame and trauma." She suggested that body scans could serve as a less intrusive alternative, noting that police possess such a device at the Perth Watch House.
Police can strip search if they reasonably suspect a person has anything relevant to an office, it's a pretty broad discretion.
WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch defended the increase, attributing it to a rise in arrests. However, prominent Perth lawyer John Hammond described strip searches as "a gross intrusion of someone's rights," emphasizing the invasive nature of the procedure, which can include inspection of intimate areas. He noted a growing sentiment within the legal community that strip searches should be abolished entirely. The figures also show that the searches were overwhelmingly conducted at police stations or watch houses.
a gross intrusion of someone's rights
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by ABC Australia. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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