The Victorian Government is obliged to ensure Victoria Police acts lawfully and without discrimination.  However, it has created no independent agency to ensure that the police use their everyday powers lawfully and fairly. In particular there is no independent body monitoring the lawful and non-discriminatory use of all stop, question, search, move on, arrest, caution powers, use of force, responses to missing person notifications and family violence arrests. Furthermore, Victoria's police complaint system fails to independently investigate or monitor the experience of different racialised groups in making complaints. 

The Racial Profiling Data Monitoring Project provides evidence that, in spite of Victoria Police's racial profiling ban, Victoria Police's search without warrant powers are, likely, being exercised unlawfully (without reasonable grounds) and in a racially discriminatory manner producing racially discriminatory outcomes.  This community based project however, has

• no power however to ensure police data is thoroughly or accurately collected.  
• no power to expand the range of police powers where data is collected and monitored.  
• no power to ensure police use their powers lawfully with regard to reasonable grounds thresholds and without discrimination.

A. We call on the Victorian government to enact legislation to establish a body capable of independently monitoring of these critical policing practices, and ensuring fair, lawful and non-discriminatory practices. Let Victoria set the standard for the entire nation by monitoring police powers, pro-actively preventing discrimination and fostering transparency in law enforcement actions.

B. In addition, and to further foster transparency, we seek legislation requiring Victoria Police to publicly and freely release annual online excel spreadsheets as part of their annual reports setting out data that includes the perceived race/ethnicity, age, gender and location of all activities including:

stops, vehicle stops, search, move on, arrest, caution, use of force, responses to missing person notifications and family violence arrests.

C. We also seek legislation requiring the Victorian Police to make the Victorian Police Manual publicly and freely available.

Please, add your name to our petition to call on the Government to ensure transparent, lawful and non-discriminatory policing for everyone in Victoria, Australia.