‘AJ’ is a rough sleeper and StreetCare member with first hand experience of the so-called Protocol for Homeless People in Public Places, a code of conduct designed to ensure homeless people are treated appropriately.
In this audio interview, AJ talks to Lou Schetzer from the Homeless Persons’ Legal Service about the policing of homelessness and the protocol’s effectiveness.
‘I find that homeless people are still getting searched on a regular basis. It seems to be commonplace. It’s not just a random thing that happens to one or two people that are living on the street; it happens to everybody living on the street,’ AJ says.
‘Some of the police I’ve talked to, in the suburban places, have no conception of what the protocol is about. I don’t think the the police understand exactly how they should approach a homeless person.’
Read the Protocol for Homeless People in Public Places.
Listen to AJ’s experience of the protocol or download a pdf version, printed in Parity, Volume 25, issue, 2, 2012.
Find out more about the Homeless Persons’ Legal Service.
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