IPCA report riddle with inaccuracies, say students

A report by the Independent Police Conduct Authority into the policing of student protests in 2012 is riddled with inaccuracies, say students who laid the original complaint with the IPCA.

The report, released today, has taken over 2 years for the Authority to complete and release, leading students to question the competency of the IPCA.

The report largely relies on police testimony, and the IPCA shows itself to be incredibly reluctant to criticise police behaviour, despite finding the police breached numerous protocols.

The report also fails to adequately address rights to protest under the Bill of Rights and fails to define the limits of what is "reasonable" in terms of the use of force against demonstrators.

The report fails to criticise the use of "open palm strikes" and the "mastoid thumb pressure control technique" which involves "exerting pain by applying pressure with the knuckle of the fingers to the cavity in the head between the mastoid process and the jawbone" on the demonstrators.

The report claims, based on police testimony, that students were allowed to march on the street and the first arrests did not occur until students sat down on the road and were told by police to move.

However video evidence provided to the IPCA in 2012 shows, prior to the protest, police telling protestors they would be allowed to march on the street, but the video evidence goes on to show that the first arrest was made before the protest march had begun, when police arrested a demonstrator who was announcing the beginning of the march, and leading it on to the street.

The report also claims, in justifying the presence of 50 police officers, that approximately 300 students were part of the march, however the protest was in reality made up of approximately 100 students, with the claim of 300 used by police to justify their over the top presence, and this inaccuracy repeated in the IPCA's justification.

"The IPCA has taken police claims at face value despite video evidence to the contrary, calling into question its independence and competency," says demonstrator Guy Cohn.

"This report raises significant issues around the competency of the IPCA, in terms of numerous inaccuracies and a failure to adequately address people's right to protest," says Cohn.

"Anyone who witnessed the protest will clearly see that the police response was unreasonable, violent, and disproportionate," says Cohn.

ENDS

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