Around the Commonwealth

 Australia

The Queensland Premier Peter Beattie and Police Minister Judy Spence announced that the State Government is preparing draft legislation that would give the police service the power to widen its phone-tapping powers. The Police Minister said that the state government wanted to give police the same powers as their interstate counterparts "but not without appropriate accountability". (03/04/2007)

 Bangladesh

The UNDP's Police Reform Programme held a workshop entitled 'Towards Pro-Women Policing' in Dhaka on Wednesday 18th April. The Police Reform Programme is designed to help improve the performance and professionalism of Bangladesh police officers, bringing the police into closer alignment with the government's broader objectives and community expectations. (19/04/2007)

The Chief Advisor of Bangladesh has stated that the current caretaker government is committed to building a service-oriented police force that is sensitive to issues of human rights and democratic values. Chief Advisor Fakhruddin Ahmed emphasised that the government has identified police reform as a major priority, highlighting the issues of transparency and accountability as key in establishing a police force that is able to effectively serve the people. (11/04/2007)

 Canada

The British Colombia police complaints commissioner has cleared Vancouver Chief of Police Jamie Graham of allegations that he stayed in hotel rooms courtesy of an influential businessman who was angling for more influence over the Vancouver police board. The decision is good news for Police Chief Graham, whose force has also been battling numerous complaints of police brutality against the homeless. (16/04/2007)

Hundreds of people attended a demonstration against police brutality and demanded higher levels of police accountability in relation to Montreal police violence. After the demonstration officially ended, several participants continued the protest and subsequently blocked an intersection and vandalised several local businesses. Riot police arrived at the scene and made several arrests. (19/03/2007)

 Cyprus

Over 200 residents gathered to block the Nicosia-Larnaca highway on Tuesday 17th April, protesting over the development of the highway and the brutality that many villagers claim they have endured at the hands of police. One resident has stated that the police used teargas against them and then needlessly arrested the wife of a prominent community leader. (18/04/2007)

Ghana

The US State Department released a report on Human Rights Practices in Ghana earlier this month. The report highlights human rights abuses within the police force, chronicling cases with instances of excessive use of force and unlawful detentions and arrests. According to the report "security forces were responsible for several deaths during the year". (16/03/2007)

Guyana

Former New York Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik has taken up an advisory position with the Guyana government. Kerik will be tasked with providing security advice to the Office of the President and the Ministry of Home Affairs. The appointment has caused some concern as Kerik was implicated in tax fraud schemes in the US during his tenure as Police Commissioner. The government of Guyana is working towards implementing police reform by the end of the year. The reform process includes several initiatives such as the establishment of a modern forensic laboratory and the training of an anti-crime unit. (27/03/2007)

India

Protests against police brutality turned violent after lawyers and pradhans (village heads) vented their anger at shopkeepers and vehicle owners in Dumka. The demonstration was held in response to a police attack on pradhan president Brim Mondal. On 23 April, witnesses state that Mondal was accused of breaking the traffic rules and then mercilessly beaten by police officers that were patrolling the area in a police vehicle. (25/04/2007)

In a raft of directives introduced by the Supreme Court in September 2006, all state governments in India are required to implement institutional frameworks in order to increase transparency, accountability and civil participation in policing. Most states have complied on paper with the Directives, but as of 22 April, six major states continued to defy the Courts directives. (22/04/2007)

A production assistant for an events management company was beaten up and taken into custody by Dharavi police in Mumbai. Dibakar Kandy, 23, was beaten up by police outside a garage in Dharavi after officers suspected him of being involved in "planning something with someone." Kandy was then taken to the Dharavi police station where he claims officers continued to beat him with their belts. (20/04/2007)

Police clashed with angry farmers in Kolkata over proposed plans to build an industrial park on farming land. The farmers set fire to a government office and local police forces retaliated with tear gas and baton-charges. The situation is similar to earlier violence in Nandigram, which caused the federal government to delay its plans to establish several Special Economic Zones in the hope of attracting foreign investors. (15/03/2007)

Jamaica

Despite the establishment of a police Professional Standards Branch and Major Investigation Teams in order to modernise the organisation, the Jamaican Police have continued to be plagued with recurring and mounting charges of corruption and brutality. A poll conducted in January found that 55 percent of Jamaicans believed the police were corrupt. (22/04/2007)

Allegations of police brutality have been leveled at the Jamaican police after the fatal shooting of a man by officers in Olympic Gardens. The Member of Parliament for West Central St. Andrew, Andrew Holness, has demanded an urgent meeting with the Police High Command, accusing the police of improper conduct. (18/04/2007)

Kenya

Relief agency Action Aid has put a stop to all work in the conflict-ridden region of Mt Elgon. The decision to stop work in the area comes almost one week after police gunned down one of the organisation's staff members. Police have justified the shooting, maintaining that the aid worker had been identified as a member of the Sabaot Land Defence Force militia group. (21/04/2007)

Police officers and chiefs in Kenya will be trained in the provisions of the Sexual Offences Act. The effective implementation of the Act is dependent upon police investigating allegations of sexual offences in a prompt, impartial and thorough manner. This initiative is part of the wider programme of police reform that was launched last year. (16/04/2007)

Malawi

Police officers will be attending a two-week public order management and training course designed to help them act within the confines of the law when dealing with public disorder. Malawi Deputy Commissioner of Police Paul Kanyama has commented that it is necessary for the police to undergo this training, as the police have long been associated with "undemocratic and brutal actions when enforcing orders." (17/04/2007)

Malaysia

The Malaysian government has been presented with a report by the Royal Commission to Enhance the Operation and Management of the Royal Malaysian Police (otherwise known as the Police Commission). The report is the culmination of over 15 months of study, and the Police Commission has made 125 recommendations that deal with a variety of matters including the conduct and welfare of police, terms of service and issues regarding human rights, crime and corruption. One of these recommendations is the formation of an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC). (06/04/2007)

Maldives

Allegations of police brutality have again surfaced in the Maldives after the battered body of Hussein Salah was discovered in Western Harbour in Male. Salah was arrested by police on drugs-related offences and the major opposition party claimed that he died in police custody after being severely beaten. The government responded that Salah had been released from custody prior to his death and has circulated the results of a post-mortem conducted in Sri Lanka which concludes that Salah died from drowning and that his injuries could have been sustained in the water. (17/04/2007)

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has called for the resignation of Police Chief Adam Zahir and immediate reform of the Maldives Police Integrity Commission after recent police crackdowns on the island of Kindbidhoo. Residents of the island were protesting against the suspected corrupt activities of the island chief. The MDP estimates that over 30 people were beaten or arrested by police during the protest. (01/04/2007)

Namibia

The Inspector General of the Namibian Police Force, Lieutenant General Sebastian Ndeitunga, has spoken out against members of the police who have purportedly been abusing their powers. Ndeitunga was addressing the recent claims of police brutality at the opening of a two-year police training course in Human Rights and Institutional Development. (18/04/2007)

Charges of police brutality have been leveled at the Namibian police's Special Field Force (SFF) after claims that three men were arrested without warrants or charge and then tortured in police custody. (28/03/2007)

New Zealand

The New Zealand police have been 'slammed' by a Commission of Inquiry report after it uncovered hundreds of sex complaints made against police officers. The inquiry was ordered in 2004 to look at sex allegations against police, from the period between 1979 and 2005. The inquiry also explored how complaints against officers were handled. In response, New Zealand Police Commissioner Howard Broad issued a statement apologising unreservedly to the women caught up in the allegations. (03/04/2007)

New Zealand Police Minister Annette King has called for an urgent report from the police after several New Zealand police were implicated in a series of high-profile rape trials. The Minister has also urged the women who made the allegations to come forward and assist in a detailed investigation into the incidents. (27/03/2007)

Nigeria

Alhajie Nasiru Garba Dantiye, the member representing the federal constituency in Jigawa has told journalists that he was attacked by a "rampaging mobile policeman" who was deployed to his constituency by senior authorities. Dantiye also alleged that police deployed to the area had been harassing, intimidating and arresting innocent citizens. (26/04/2007)

Tension arose in the Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, after local women claimed that 15 people had been killed while 50 others were arrested by police during a peaceful demonstration. A police spokesperson has stated that full details regarding the incident are being obtained by the police investigation department. (30/03/2007)

Violence has erupted in Nigeria as news spread that police were involved in the deaths of eight students. Police allegedly shot the tyre of a station wagon carrying students from the Saki Campus of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, causing the vehicle to somersault and killing six passengers. As a result, students took to the streets in protest. Two protestors were shot dead by police and another four injured. (29/03/2007)

Northern Ireland

The Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman, Nuala O'Loan, and her aides are being investigated over allegations that they leaked information regarding ongoing investigations to the media. The action is potentially a criminal offence, and is the latest development in a bitter confrontation between O'Loan and the Northern Ireland Retired Police Officers Association. (25/04/2007)

Sinn Fein has held its first formal talks with the Northern Ireland Policing Board in Belfast, following the party's commitment to undertake police oversight duties once power is decentralised. Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams met with the chairman of the board to discuss police collusion with loyalist paramilitaries and issues of police accountability. (16/04/2007)

Pakistan

In an expression of state antagonism towards the media, Pakistani police destroyed the offices of private TV station, Geo News, in Islamabad on Friday 16 March, while the Pakistani media minister looked on helplessly. The media minister, Mohammed Ali Durrani, tried to intervene in the situation but police did not respond to him.

The police actions were in response to media attention on the suspension of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court on unspecified charges of misconduct. (17/03/2007)

South Africa

Zimbabweans living in South Africa have established a Humanitarian Fund aimed at assisting victims of police brutality. The fund will assist in providing food, medication and accommodation for the many Zimbabweans who are being needlessly terrorised by the police. (27/04/2007)

Coin security guards are planning to take civil action against the office of the national police commissioner, Jackie Selebi. The action comes after guards identified police officers for allegedly beating and torturing them. Fresh allegations of police brutality have been made by Metrobus drivers, who allege that they were also assaulted and tortured in the same premises as the guards following a recent Metrobus strike. (20/04/2007)

Tonga

The Tongan police are conducting an internal investigation into public allegations of police brutality made against three of its officers. Complaints were made about actions of police officers in connection with riots that occurred in November 2006. The allegations against police include beatings and brutal treatment of suspects detained in relation to these riots. Three police officers are now on suspension. (29/03/2007)

Trinidad & Tobago

Allegations of police brutality have been leveled at the Trinidad & Tobago Police Service after the death of a young man from the Morvant region. The Congress of the People (COP) Party has issued a statement calling for a full investigation into claims that the man was killed by police officers over the Easter holiday period. The COP statement also mentioned that there has been 'recent information from Amnesty International which shows a high level of police brutality claims not being officially reported.' (10/04/2007)

United Kingdom

Figures recently published by the UK Home Office have revealed that Sussex police officers spend more than one third of their working lives in training and doing paperwork instead of undertaking ‘front line tasks’ such as patrolling the streets. The Home Office has since set a time target for Sussex Police to reach in the hope of increasing time spent engaged in ‘front line’ duties. (16/04/2007)

The UK Conservative party has proposed that a new ‘Sandhurst’ style academy should be established for police officers. The proposal is a component of a new police reform plan that the Conservative party says is aimed at cutting ‘red tape’ and enhancing local accountability. These suggestions have come amid renewed controversy regarding the bureaucracy faced by UK police. (03/04/2007)

The UK police have launched the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA). The NPIA replaces both the Police IT Organisation and the Central Police Training and Development Authority. This new agency will manage improvement work for the English police services by providing core police processes, information and intelligence sharing and employee development. Chief Constable Ken Jones has stated that the establishment of NPIA “offers a one stop shop” for police reform. (02/04/2007)

The Sheffield police are facing an investigation into police brutality after a police officer was filmed attacking a teenager outside a nightclub in July 2006. The film shows the officer punching the teenager repeatedly while two other officers held the teenager down. (08/03/2007)