Military-style police raid on town camp

Saturday, October 25, 2008 - 11:00

The following statement was issued by the Intervention Rollback Action Group, Alice Springs, on October 11.

On the night of October 9, a large number of police raided the Kunoth Town Camp in Alice Springs. The raid has terrified the local community. Police jumped over fences, displayed rifles, pushed and abused residents and trained a red laser light on the chest of one man, perhaps from a taser or a gun.

"This little girl was sleeping and the police just came in and shake the humpy (where little girl is sleeping), and we live in the humpy, the police come in with rifles, pointing them at my uncle, they was like a sniper with red light, laser come on his chest, pointed, just for no reason. Like soldiers, just like a soldier", said Robbie Petrick, Kunoth resident.

Police claimed they were looking for weapons, following a tip-off from the fire brigade that there were guns in a car that drove back to the camp. A miniature toy gun was later found on the dashboard of the car.

The Northern Territory intervention is being blamed for the incident. It has given police new powers to enter "proscribed areas" without warrant. Many police have been brought into town who have no experience dealing with local communities.

This criticism comes following accusations that heavy-handed behaviour by intervention police was responsible for the death of a young man in Arnhem Land recently. NT justice minister Chris Burns and the Australian Police Federation have also recently criticised intervention police for culturally insensitive behaviour.

"We've got two [police] out there also at Utopia from this intervention thing … They don't know what they're doing out there. They don't know what their role is, they don't know who to talk to. They don't ask either, the intervention just put them there and that's it. That's how that one died up there in Arnhem Land. They don't know who to talk to", said Eva Kunoth from Utopia, who witnessed the raid.

A protest was held outside Alice Springs police station on October 13. Kunoth residents were supported by local community members in making a complaint against the police force.

[Abridged from http://rollbacktheintervention.wordpress.com.]