The report also confirmed Aboriginal people continue to be significantly over-represented in the application of the Suspect Targeting Management Plan (STMP).
Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) has called for reform on the “harmful” STMP programme, including stopping its use on children and youths.
PIAC argue once a person is placed on the STMP, they are targeted for “pro-active attention”. This increased attention from police and created risks of oppression and harassment.
PIAC CEO Jonathon Hunyor said over 70 per cent of young people subject to the STMP identified as Aboriginal, a statistic he described as “unacceptable”.
“Aboriginal communities continue to be targeted by unfair and discriminatory over-policing. The LECC raised concerns about the over-representation of Aboriginal young people on STMP target lists in 2020, but the numbers have been getting worse,” he said.
“We know from years of experience that increasing interactions with police is harmful for young people. It increases the likelihood that they are criminalised and sets the course for on-going interactions with the justice system.”