Family of Aboriginal boy say he was racially profiled by ACT Police

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Canberra's first nations community is speaking out after a case of mistaken identity led to police apprehending a 17-year-old Aboriginal boy at gun point. The boy's family has accused ACT police of racial profiling and are demanding a full investigation into the incident.

Transcript

00:00The boy's family says this is a cut and dry case of racial profiling.

00:07They say the boy was catching a bus to go and see family in Woden last week

00:12when police stormed the bus, apprehended the boy at gunpoint,

00:16pulled him off the bus and pushed him onto the ground face down

00:20before kneeling on him.

00:22They say that at the time the boy was saying words like

00:25I can't breathe and I've done nothing wrong

00:28and it was at this point that police realised their case of mistaken identity.

00:33They say they compared a photograph of the person they were actually chasing

00:38with the boy that they had detained.

00:40It was just after this though that the boy was searched completely by police

00:45and then he was put back on the bus and allowed to go again.

00:49This incident is not just misconduct, it is evidence of a systemic failure.

00:55The same system that continues to over-police, over-target and over-harm First Nations children.

01:02And now the consequences fall entirely on our nephew.

01:06He is scared to leave the house alone, he refuses to catch a bus

01:11and he lives in fear of police and that fear was created by your officers.

01:17The boy's family say that he is completely traumatised by this incident.

01:22He's barely left the house and he's scared to catch public transport again.

01:26He's hurt and confused by what has happened.

01:29His family say this is just the latest instalment by ACT policing

01:33which they say has a culture of systemic racism.

01:36Police have offered what they say is an explanation about the context of the incident.

01:42At the time they were chasing a person who had violently assaulted people inside cars

01:47in attempted carjackings and had also allegedly robbed shops at a nearby shopping centre.

01:53They say that eyewitnesses had directed them to the bus station and the bus

01:57saying that the person they were chasing matched the description of the boy

02:01who was eventually detained on the bus.

02:03And they say that's why this incident was confusing.

02:06I want to be clear that I have reviewed the body worn camera of this matter from the bus

02:11and also based on that body worn camera review and the briefings that I have received

02:18I support the actions of our members in responding to a dynamic violent incident.

02:25They have though acknowledged the distress that this sort of incident caused to the boy,

02:29to the people on the bus and the boy's family and they have apologised.

02:34An independent investigation is also underway.

02:38One line of enquiry in that investigation is exactly why the boy was searched

02:43after it was realised that he was not the person that police were chasing.

02:48In the meantime police and the family of the boy have met.

02:52It does seem to be an ongoing conversation.

02:54It seems as though the family was not particularly satisfied with the initial meeting

02:59that they had with police earlier in the week.

03:02A formal complaint has also been lodged with ACT policing.

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