What we're talking about

Christine on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' isn't it funny how DHS don't recognise the psychological effects of domestic violence on children and continue to allow ... more
Warrior princess on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' There is a family In the Cairns Area who are Foster Carers.Atherton Child Safety have threatened the carers and own ... more
duncan on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' i have spent time with this family. it is a house full of love. "mum", grandfather and older sblings.this cannot be an issue ... more
Tracey on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' Family Law is different from the rest of the law in this country.. Ie. Family Law is based on probability: ie if it might ... more
carol annetta on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' having known this family for some time i am disgusted with the treatment she has received. it seems more of a witch hunt ... more
Maureen Hillary on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' Derryn,I have counselled traumatized parents as a result of DHS staff.There are great staff workers who care but they ... more
Janet Tavener on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' I am a visitor to this country.My attention was drawn to the case of these children and their foster mother by a relative of ... more
sam on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' Happening in Tasmania also.Wewon a court case over 8 months ago and due process still hasn't been done.We spent 17,000 ... more
Anne Glover on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' I just cannot believe what the DHS has put the Foster Mother, and the children through - I thought the DHS was supposed to ... more
Tracey on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' DHS are the most disgraceful organization I have ever had the displeasure of becoming involved with. They are so ... more
Vicki on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' Hi Derryn,I have known this carer since primary school, she has always put others above herself. Being a carer myself I know ... more
Gran'ma Pam on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' As any of us with any sense know, these children should NEVER have been taken from this lady (mum) in the first place, they ... more
Dominic Lombardo on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' I see my daughter every six months DHS are conducting a vendetta against me I have not been told why I can only see her ... more
cassy houghton on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' Hello Derryn,Firstly i would like to thankyou for your support and the willingness to help this beautiful family.I ... more
Warrior princess on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' Im a carer also in Qld. I see this happen way too much from our Government. They are starting to use Carers own children as ... more
paul on "I'll pay the fee," says Hinch I believe what Liberal Party has done is stupid. But I feel for candidates like Joh Bauch and James Buonopane who want to ... more
Andrea on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' Why are these public servants allowed to blatantly flout the law without the same consequences the rest of society faces? I ... more
birth mother on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' i am the birth morther of these 4 children and i just want to say dhs dont care they just want the kids in care so they can ... more
Frances Goff on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' Derryn, Firstly, Happy BirthdayHaving worked in a primary school for 15 year I have seen some terrible things regarding DHS ... more
Karen on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' Hi Derryn, I have known these children through "the system".for all of their lives. I have had regular contact with them ... more

Hinch Blog: 'Copping abuse'

Posted by: Derryn Hinch | 16 March, 2010 - 3:16 PM

Let me say right off: Being a cop is a tough job. Not only the dangers involved. Not only the chance that when you leave for the office in the morning you may not make it home in one piece. If at all. There's also the growing lack of respect for the Police uniform especially amongst young people.

Especially in gangs and especially when booze is involved.

You get taunted. Called a pig. Called a Nazi. Get spat on. At protests even have bags of urine thrown at you.

That's tough. Takes a lot of discipline not to respond in kind. But that's what makes you a good cop.

That is why it is disturbing to read a report today that accuses some Victorian Police of racist comments and violent behaviour towards youths of African origin in places like Flemington and Baybrook and Dandenong.

They have been accused of calling them 'monkeys' and 'black c---ts'.

There was one allegation that after one verbal confrontation with a young group police came back, out of uniform, to bash them in a public park.

A 15-month survey was funded by the Legal Services Board in 2008 and managed by three community legal centres which, to put it nicely, have an antagonistic attitude towards police.

But, no matter what the provocation police must not use racial epithets.

Chief Commissioner Simon Overland has reacted by saying: "There will be a small number of police who clearly have racist attitudes and occasionally act on those racist attitudes and what I'm saying to them is where we find you we will deal with you in the strongest possible terms."

He also admitted that 'clearly there are some tensions and there is some more work we need to do out there'.

There's one area of the report that I think is a bit rich. It is reported that young Africans claim police often became aggressive or violent or arrested them if they refused to respond to informal questioning or asked officers to identify themselves.

And that they get questioned sometimes m ore than once a day. Well if you hang out in a gang and swagger around as if you own the town and you are in a high crime area you'd better get used to be questioned.

I don't condone the racial slurs but maybe the gangs were more comfortable with the touchy-feely approach in the Christine Nixon era. Back when we were told African gangs didn't really exist. Yeah, right.

Blog comments

I support the police!!
I've seen sudanese youth when working as an intern last year in a family waiting area in one of our hospitals were hanging around in their tax payer funded bling eating nuts and dumping the shells all over the floor - the friend they were waiting to see that day was blind with booze and had fallen while running to catch a train. Earlier she had asked me what the difference between doctors and nurses - obviously Kevin hasn't been assimilating these youth into Australian society well enough. It's time to start saying no and deporting people when they break the law - if they can follow the law - they can go back to Africa.

Jackie Thursday 18 March, 2010 - 1:31 AM
How about asking the police what these African youths say to them?
Why is it always one way?
I have been abused and taunted by black African youths.

Will anyone ask me??

Joe Logan Wednesday 17 March, 2010 - 4:41 PM
Stop this cotton wool crap, build a bridge and get over it.

Nick Wednesday 17 March, 2010 - 2:12 PM
Where do these stories come from? Sick of all this "racism" moaning! Where is the actual evidence? If it's not sexism, then it's homophobia. If it's not homophobia then it's racism. There used to be a time when PC stood for Police Constable - now we know what it means today! Simon Overland's over-the-top reaction is typical of this careerist more concerned with some squeaky clean image than with actually fighting crime. His comment that a small number of police "clearly" have racist attitudes is an insult to his own members! Where is this small number Overland? Where does it exist? Show us the actual proof! HOW ABOUT DEFENDING YOUR OWN OFFICERS FOR A CHANGE!

I'm just a member of the public who lives in Dandenong that has a high proportion of Sudanese. There is not a particular problem with any violent Sudanese "gangs" - in fact the home-grown white bogan trash is often a bigger problem to law and order than anything from Africa - but there is violence within the Sudanese community itself that often spills out onto the street. And yes, it is mainly alcohol fuelled as you would expect. I have personally witnessed the cops being called time and time again to the same places and having to cuff and hold some Sudanese on the ground while they're screaming death threats to another Sudanese group, wriggling and struggling to get at them. And during these incidents I have NEVER seen or heard any cop behave in any racist way. On the contrary, these offenders are treated with kid gloves usually with cops being called and arriving armed with clip boards and spending hours trying to diffuse alcohol fuelled anger without making any arrests at all.

nipper Wednesday 17 March, 2010 - 9:07 AM
Support the Police unless you wish for total lawlessness in your city. Otherwise don't call for help when your a victim!

kerry Wednesday 17 March, 2010 - 12:40 AM
And if I want to walk through the parks or gardens at any time or sit with my wife and kids I have to understand when a gang of 10 africans talking and acting like LA ganstas with filthy music blaring out of their bklasters ar there filthy language thast its just a group of young people "hanging out" and its a cultural thing right?
let that woman sit or walk near these thugs and listyen to the filth and the degrading of women with their "bitch" f%$#$# this and that openly and seee if she fels intimidated. See if she can aproach them and have a meaningful dialouge with them lol. What a joke. wake up these africans are imitating the sasme black culture of USA and if you think for one minute they respect woman or men in public places then talk to the police and security guards and shopping staff at the major centres and ask them if its just a cultural thing. in a decade the 6,7 8 year old african kids will be the most dangerous and biggest problem we have in this country mark my words but blame the coppers. let them cry and tell their lies and side of the story and blame the cops and us the public. Yoyur a fool I tell you. Its coming.

fitzyroyboy Tuesday 16 March, 2010 - 10:58 PM