Dogs on the nose
ANDREW M. POTTS
New Mardi Gras (NMG) has clocked close to 200 complaints over the “over-the-top” police presence at Sleaze this year.
In an email circular NMG co-chairs Nick Parker and Steph Sands said they would seek urgent meetings with police and politicians to ensure “more proportionate policing” at future events.
“Many of you are angry, not only as attendees of our parties, but also as Australian citizens who feel their rights are being eroded,” it stated.
“You raised particular concerns about the police conducting searches in very public areas, conducting searches without a reasonable level of suspicion and violating the privacy of the medical area. Such behaviour does not accord with the protocols agreed between New Mardi Gras and Police NSW.”
Partygoers were made to run a gauntlet of sniffer dogs and heavy rain to enter the party. Dogs were taken into the venue and on to the dancefloor.
According to witnesses, police strip searched some people in public areas while others were taken to a shed.
Surry Hills LAC’s Supt Donna Adney said she did not believe public searches occurred. But one person searched in the shed told Sydney Star Observer he was asked to remove his clothes in a public area and was only taken to the shed when he refused.
Supt Adney said the individual was not subjected to a body cavity search.
People were also strip searched in a disabled toilet, a police van, and in another shed on site.
Parker said he followed a team of seven officers and a dog for 45 minutes.
“I saw a number of people questioned and detained and led away for searches [but] did not see the dog sit down once,” he said. “In most cases the police that were following people reached out to patrons to question them before the dog gave any indication that seemed to be consistent with a detection.”
Police confirmed 33 people were searched on the night, with 17 charged with drug possession.
“Over-zealous policing has the potential to undermine one of the key events in the NSW calendar,” the NMG email stated. “Because of this we intend to initiate a number of initiatives to seek more proportionate policing in the future, while reaffirming our zero tolerance to intoxication, substance use or other illegal activities.”
THE FULL MESSAGE FROM NMG TO MEMBERS
Message from Nick and Steph
Thank you to the many of you who took part in the Sleaze Ball survey. Well over seven hundred completed it and overall we were delighted with the results.
Your responses clearly identified areas that we have to work on, but the headline figures are very encouraging with 43% saying they thought the party was very good and 41% saying it was good.
Respondents had the opportunity to write in further comments about the party and we received several hundred of these. Approximately half related to the police presence at the party.
This comes as no surprise. Both on the night and in the days that followed the party a major focus of the feedback we received was about the policing of the event, the presence of sniffer dogs on the dance floors and what many of you felt were quite arbitrary searches of our patrons.
Over and over you told us that you felt the police presence was an “invasion of privacy”, “intimidating”, “intrusive” and “over the top”. Your comments make clear that many of you are angry, not only as attendees of our parties, but also as Australian citizens who feel their rights are being eroded and as taxpayers who feel they are witnessing a misallocation of police resources.
You raised particular concerns about the Police conducting searches in very public areas, conducting searches without a reasonable level of suspicion and violating the privacy of the medical area. Such behaviour does not accord with the protocols agreed between New Mardi Gras and Police NSW.
More broadly it is clear that the Police’s increased presence both outside and inside the party is having a major impact on our audience’s enjoyment of this and other events. We make every effort at our parties to create a fantasy world, a place for people to relax and have fun. To have sombre-faced officers in reflective clothing roaming around the dance floor with sniffer dogs clearly makes our task much more difficult.
This is a major issue for New Mardi Gras. Sleaze Ball – like Mardi Gras Party and the Mardi Gras harbour party – are fundraising events for the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras. Any impact on ticket sales to these events has a very direct impact on our ability to sustain the Parade, the Mardi Gras Season and organisation as a whole.
Over-zealous policing has the potential to undermine one of the key events in the NSW calendar and one that brings in an estimated $30 million new dollars into the state through overseas and interstate visitation each and every year.
Because of this we intend to initiate a number of initiatives to seek more proportionate policing in the future, whilst reaffirming our zero tolerance to intoxication, substance use or other illegal activities.
We will be raising our concerns in a number of quarters, with our senior police contacts, with the Office of the Lord Mayor, with Events NSW and the Premiers Department representatives we liaise with as a NSW Hallmark event. We will also ask our members and patrons to share their views and experiences with those bodies and their members of parliament.
We have already commenced discussions with community health, legal and rights bodies and we will work with them closely to form a united community front on this issue and instigate additional programs to assure the highest levels of safety and protection for our community at our events.
We will establish a program to ensure our rights are well understood and respected, and we will endeavour to provide volunteers with legal expertise at our events to ensure that members and guests are fully aware of their rights if confronted with intimidating or over-zealous handling by police.
We will also raise the bigger question about the cost and benefit of operations like this. Was the commitment of taxpayer dollars to enforcement at Sleaze Ball worth the 18 minor personal possession offences reportedly recorded?
The Police themselves came out last week to say that Sleaze Ball “was probably the highlight of the night, where behaviour was concerned.” We will be asking the Police to match this behaviour with less intrusive police operations based on the presumption of innocence of our patrons and a respect for our rights and for published protocols.
Finally, if you would like to volunteer your legal or other skills to assist in this rights protection initiative, or wish to share your experience of policing at our parties or elsewhere around the world please email us at[email protected].
Steph and Nick, on behalf of the NMG Board
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It is obvious that the global war on drugs does not stop people from consuming illegal substances and sure you can vilify the illegal ones, but regardless of legal status, any substance can be prone to abuse.
Anna Wood is a good example of a victim of this war, she is a victim of a lack of proper education (she died from cerebral edema – water intoxication which most likely could have been prevented through appropriate hydration), and she is a victim of a legal system which deterred her friends from seeking medical attention in a timely fashion due to their fear of prosecution.
The focus should be on harm minimisation and education about responsible usage, coincidentally, this was one of the recommendations made by the coroner’s report on Anna’s death.
Some other things to note:
Portugal decriminalised all personal drugs in 2001 and studies have now shown that rates of overdose and HIV and been reduced dramatically.
The Netherlands has a lower than average rate of drugs use than many other countries in the EU and drug related deaths are lower that the EU mean. They have lower rates of usage in all categories than the US.
Mexico, Argentina, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela provide a few more examples of this kind of reform.
I wish the Australian government would examine these models and stop blindly implementing policy that causes more social harm than good in the misguided belief that I need to be saved from myself.
To equate “illegal” drug taking to “illegal” home invasion and theft is abit absurd and insulting to many people quite frankly.
Why do I need an “alarm” in my house (to follow your metaphor) to protect me from other people taking actions affecting only themselves?
If thieves only robbed their own houses then yes, I would blame the alarm company for having to install an alarm in my own house.
@ Andrew Potts
I have passed on your details to my friend, in the hopes that he wishes to contact you directly.
Hope this helps.
I’m not, and never have been, into drugs but to me the all those police resources (think of the overtime costs alone) to catch 17 people with a pill or two seem way over the top.
Do drugs expect to get busted.
Gyas are no different to anyone else.
I one accidently stepped on a sniffer dogs tail when it was sitting down. I show no remorse and I actually wish I stepped on it harder. Stupid Mutt. I prefer cats insted.
If you were searched by police and you weren’t in possession of drugs then don’t blame the police. blame the people WHO TAKE DRUGS! The police aren’t there without realiable information! That’s like blaming the alarm company for you having to install an alarm in your house! it’s not their fault it’s the person breaking in and stealing things. And to equate “illegal” drug taking to “illegal” homosexuality is abit absurd and insulting to many people quite frankly. People take drugs to get out of it. Can’t say the same thing about people who are born gay.
My 2 friends (each male, over 40, mature responsible party goers, experienced & loyal MG members-been going to Sleaze&Mardi Gras for 30 years) were each charged with possession of a pill. Apart from the charge – what really hurt them was that Mardi Gras appeared to join in this action with the police (who were unnecessarily harsh & aggressive – one of my friends was taken to a disabled toilet, locked in with 2 officers & roughly searched) – to the extent that the NSW police then CONFISCATED their Sleaze tickets ON BEHALF OF MARDI GRAS! So they were denied entry to the party (one of them having flown up from Melb that afternoon to be there). The police had no right to take the tickets unless they were acting on behalf of MG. The police told my 2 friends they had Mardi Gras’ authority to take their tix so that they lost their pill, were charged with a crime & then denied entry to a party they had paid to attend. So put to one side the police presence – did Mardi Gras enter an agreement nominating the NSW police as its agent in relation to ticketing or entry matters? If so, will they do so again? (maybe we’ll soon be able to buy our MG tickets from the local police station!). If not, is MG concerned to hear that NSW police have been acting as MG rep’s?! Will MG do something about this situation? My friends complaints to MG have fallen on deaf ears. They feel betrayed & sold out by an organisation they thought was supposed to support them. They’ve also been advised that MG has changed its drug policy from ‘harm-minimisation’ to ‘zero tolerance’. If this so, when was this policy introduced, what was the process of consultation with members, why is this not being publicised & where can members obtain a copy?
This is the very reason WHY I didn’t go to Sleaze!As a performer at Inquisition this year, I was horrified by the Police presence that night. For about 3 hours they were there. Not everyone was searched because of the dogs. If your look that night appeared to be “out of it” then u were stopped as well. We wanted to go 2 Phoenix Rising but the dog squad went there too and equally obnoxious if not worse??? There was a straight music/dance party also held recently to Sleaze with alot more people. Did they get the same treatment? The same ratio of police? An example … Sleaze Party – 1,000 [one thousand] people, 50 Police 10 Dogs DOES Straight party/concert – 10,000 [ten thousand] people have 500 Police 1,000 dogs??? Do we have a landmark case of Discrinination based on sexual Orientation and Sexual Preference? Something to Ponder
If you need drugs to have a good time then there is something not right.
For the record, I do not drink or take drugs, but I do take my civil rights seriously.
As a law abiding citizen going peacefully about my business I resent the idea of being stopped and subjected to an invasive search by the Police. What is this, Nazi era Germany? Where does it stop, am I soon to be subjected to interrogation on suspicion of having ‘unaustralian’ thoughts?
The violations of civil rights described above are grossly disproportionate to the danger presented to the community by recreational drug users.
An independent review of drug sniffer dog searches conducted a couple of years ago determined that 74% of such searches turned out to be false detections. That’s 74% innocent people subjected to an invasive search for no reason. Absolutely outrageous.
The State Government ought to cease using the Police as a cheap tool to win votes from the excitable masses and focus on actually governing NSW properly (public transport anyone)?
And whats more NMG should not be accepting/inviting the NSW police into the MG parade until they can stop their appalling behaviour towards the G+L community.We are not living in Nazi Germany you know.Perhaps when NMG do something useful and make a stand we will be able to go forward with G+L rights.We supposedly have the biggest gay festival in the world here,well some good its done.You want me to start naming the countries that have gay marriage like 5 years ago.Again NMG start doing your job properly,take a stand for once and maybe we will see some proper progress.
Here we go again…its such an easy target to bump up police statistics.. go to a dance party and find people with a tablet.OH and sorry use a dog to make it look really good.What a joke!!And what a waste of our taxpayers money.And whats even more of a joke is the police numbers at these gay and lesbian events(see Inquisition et al)What an easy and fun night,lets watch the queens carry on and arrest a few.PLEASE.Where are you NSW police when things are a bit hard to investigate like..um burglary..um assaults,um gay hate crimes on Oxford street um just round the corner from your police station.What a disgrace.GO do your jobs properly like everyone else.Sorry but thats maybe thats just too much hard work.
@Corey: I was searched without reasonable cause at Inquisition and the police found no illegal substances. As a result of this unjustified and humiliating police behaviour who are just “doing their job” I didn’t go to Sleaze and will not go to future big gay parties. I imagine a lot of other people who police have no reason to search will also stop going. How many big gay parties do you think we will have then?
i was arrested at sleaze for a pill.
nmg supplied the search area inside the party and facilitated the arrests of its own members. the supplied area was there apparently to be monitored according to nmg. it was not
nmg now reckon they have a zero tolerance policy as advised in their enewsletter. it is not readily available on the site (ie if you find it, please post it) and repeated requests for this policy have not been responded too. no request for the policing for sleaze that was advised by nmg to me to be on their site is to be found, nmg 3 weeks later are yet to supply the links to this on their site. nmg advise it is part of the ticketing, reqeusts for this link are yet to be responded to.
the police, illegally, took my sleaze ticket, on advice they said from nmg. nmg say this is not their policy. it is yet to be reported anywhere that this is what police did. nmg are yet to apologise in any way for this ‘confusion’
i witnessed strip searches, threats of cavity searches, we were not allowed to comfort other arrestees, all police were without ID visible, my friend taken off and strip searched in a disabled toilet near the hidden police van outside the party. response from mardi gras to this advice from me? nil.
the problem is two fold. 1 prohibition and 2 the current nmg silence on anything specific related to my arrest
thankyou chris for your response, we were all once illegal. in uganda it is illegal to be homosexual. does that mean drew that it is wrong?
questions: when did mardi gras adopt zero tolerance? why do they appear to be so disinterested in those arrested?
Supt Adney is wrong, ill informed, or lying. I had to request not to be searched in full view of all patrons.
Lies from Police, and silence from mardi gras to requests simply for information.
a less than happy sleaze.
here’s a challenge, email mardi gras and ask them for their zero tolerance policy. if you get a response, send it to sso editor to print.
–> “Silly Queens…if the police dont get you, the overdose will. LOL p.s. Im so over dumb drug fucked Queens bitching at the police.”
I’m so over bigoted homo-phobes, but I guess we all have to tolerate some things in life, don’t we?… :-(
Mark, I would very much like to speak to this person that you are aware of being cavity searched and am happy to guarantee their anonymity if that’s what it takes. My email is apotts “at” starobserver.com.au
Police aren’t stupid you know,They know who would be a hot candidate for a drug search so they only did their job by weeding the suss looking ones.
Personally I couldn’t give a Shit who,s on drugs (Especially Ice) then they have un-protected sex after a major dance party as Most gay men do.
Its people who drive after the major party’s home while high on Cloud 9 that are giving the gay community a bad name.Also the dickheads who O>D Why should the Doctors at ST.VINCENTS waste their time on them? Why should my taxes be being spent on these Rejects Of Society? If they want to pop pills all night while mixing it with Booze turning themselves into time-bombs gawd go dance in the traffic instead.
Thanks
If you are stupid enough to take drugs to the party,then expect that you may get searched and arrested. If you swallow your whole supply to avoid getting arrested – that’s your own stupid fault. Stop whining and complaining like a bunch of victims and take responsibility for your own actions. The police have a job to do, let them do it. We should ask ourselves as a community why we need to involve drugs and alcohol to such an extent in our culture in-order to have fun.
Drew… You silly queen..
‘.DRUGS are illegal…so if you get caught thats LIFE ‘.
and i repeat…so was homosexuality in NSW until 1984!!!!!!
I am aware of someone who was not only strip searched, without the dog sitting down, in a public area, with people walking though who was also subject to a cavity search!
possibly due to his miss understanding of his rights and the over zealous actions or distortion of perception of those rights by NSW Police.
Last time I checked, you must have a court order to preform a cavity search unless at an airport, and even then it must be conducted after an initial X-Ray, BY A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL in the privacy of a hospital!
Some untrained officer could cause physical harm just getting up to the elbows and having a fish around (no pun intended)
Spray bong water around the venue and grounds the day before… that’ll fk the dogs up. Worked on trains in San Fran.
DRUGS are illegal…so if you get caught thats LIFE .
Silly Queens…if the police dont get you, the overdose will.
LOL
p.s. Im so over dumb drug fucked Queens bitching at the police.
What everyone has to realize is that, Police are only trying to make it safer for the general public, If you didn’t have the police there you would end up with a situation where you would have the dealer’s there selling, people taking more drugs than what they would normally take.
Simple, If you don’t like the police there doing their job, don’t go.
Realistically Everyone Has OPTIONS
Peter “they are illegal after all”
so was homosexuality in NSW UNTIL 1984!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If people stopped taking drugs it wouldn’t be a problem.
they are illegal after all!
Yes, overzealous Policing has caused medical problems in the past too… People panicking and swallowing their entire weekend’s supply that then end up being carted out at the start of the party by Ambulance.
While I can’t condone their possession of small quantities of ecstacy or similar, these people weren’t drug dealers – just simple party goers..
The principles of Drug Harm Minimisation in this country are to tackle (1) supply reduction, (2) demand reduction, and (3) harm reduction … Did the police bust any big time dealers in their efforts to make the party deeply unpleasant for patrons? Did they have any effect on demand or harm? Or did they (as has happened at prior gay parties) cause more harm than good by going overboard?
It’s a shame that Sydney Police don’t have an incident like Melbourne’s Tasty Nightclub class lawsuit in their past to help temper their over-the-top approach to things.. What/who are they really out to get?…
Yes, but look at it from the other point of view, that’s 50% of INNOCENT people who were subjected to such searches. what kind of police state are we living in these days? the 78ers would be appalled that we’re taking this lying down.
Whatever the excesses on the night, the reality is drug sniffing dogs will be at dance parties (straight and gay)in the future.
NMG might be able to get more reasonable behaviour, but party goers should not think that means the removal of drug sniffer dogs.
Wow 33 people searched and 17 charged with drug possession,that says it all doesn’t it.