Wanna know more about your legal rights when facing the police, then attend ACON and the Inner City Legal Centre’s Legal Rights Forum.

LGBTIQ community members will be able to learn more about their legal rights and how to submit complaints about policing practices at a free forum in Sydney

Topics will include:

•       The use of drug detection dogs

•       The ins and outs of reasonable grounds

•       Guidelines around strip searches

•       The use of recording equipment

•       Charges and the court process

•       Official police complaints

•       Where to go for support/help when needed

Acting ACON CEO Nicole O’Brien says the forum is designed to help people increase their confidence and knowledge when dealing with the police and the legal system.

“Members of our community have indicated that they would like to better understand their legal rights, how they can safely respond to police and how they can make complaints about police and policing practices,” Ms O’Brien says. “This forum will enable community members to deal with these issues from an informed perspective.”

ICLC Director Dan Stubbs says the most effective way to address concerns about policing practices is to understand one’s rights and responsibilities in relation to a range of issues.

“For example, some of the policing practices which concerned community members during the recent Sydney Mardi Gras involve alleged homophobic and abusive behaviour on the part of some police, incidents of possibly illegal searches, inappropriate use of drug detection dogs, and coercive conduct designed to intimidate and humiliate people,” Mr Stubbs says.

“It’s important that people know their rights so they can respond appropriately when experiencing a policing issue. It’s also important that they know how to make a complaint if they feel the behaviour of police has been inappropriate, unethical or illegal. A key way we can affect change is to follow official complaint processes and this forum will give community members an opportunity to inform themselves about these processes.”

WHAT               Legal Rights Seminar

WHEN              Thursday 11 April 2013