Police brutality

Police brutality can be defined as using excessive force that is intentional without reason or appropriateness, which often results in police officers physically assaulting someone. In most cases police use excessive force in order to intimidate people and get results where evidence is not present. Another reason for police brutality could be that this is a way for them to remain superior and therefore police go on a power trip to show that they are the law and what they say goes without any question.



Police will always make up a story to cover up the use of excessive force!!!

A very recent example of police brutality is the death of Steven Bosevski, who was allegedly hit in the head with a baton by police without any good reason witnesses say. Police were called to St George Leagues Club in Kogarah after celebrations got out of control and turned into a “brawl” that Mr Bosevski was not involved in. However, many witnesses said that the police used excessive force, such as the use of tasers, batons and capsicum spray in order to break up the alleged brawl. Several witnesses said that Mr Bosevski had not been involved in the brawl and that he wasn’t even drunk. However, “the Police Commissioner, Andrew Scipione, said Mr Bosevski hit an officer in the face while holding a bottle and police decided to use their batons to bring the person to the ground so they could affect the arrest'' (Toovey 2010).


The following newspaper articles are from the Sydney Morning Herald and The Australian, which portrays both sides of the story that being the victim’s and police. It also shows a video shot by a witness on their mobile phone where several police officers are huddled up and what looks to be like they are hitting a person on the ground and using excessive force. At this stage it is reportedly evident that Mr Bosevski was actually handcuffed and there was no reason to use such excessive force, which resulted in his horrible death.

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/footage-shows-batons-used-in-deadly-brawl-20101012-16hsr.html?autostart=1
 
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/police-to-investigate-leagues-club-death/story-e6frg6nf-1225933776344
 

As a result of Mr Bosevski’s family and a public out cry that he died due to police brutality, “police have formed a critical incident team to investigate the death” (Minus 2010). In my opinion if there had not been witnesses in this incident to suggest police used excessive force without reason and the media following the story so heavily then there wouldn’t be any investigation. Now that police are investigating the death of Mr Bosevski I think that the truth will never come out as the police protect their own and an innocent bystander’s life was taken without reason to do so.

Other headlines of police brutality around the world include: ‘Police shoots a 15 year old mental disable kid’, ‘Police shoot and kill a man after traffic stop’, ‘Police kill a football fan in Brazil’, ‘LA police officer beating and strangling a man lying on the ground’. These are only a very small number of articles about police brutality and without the media reporting on such things the public’s perception of police would only be a positive one. Police need to have more rigorous training when dealing with minor offences and not always resort to using excessive force when it can be avoided.

References

Minus, J 2010, ‘Police used excessive force, say Bosevski brothers’, The Australian, 4 October.

Toovey, J 2010, ‘Footage shows batons used in deadly brawl’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 13 October.