... and ain't i a woman?: Violent police

On November 15, Victorian police called to a domestic dispute in Wodonga shot and killed a Papua New Guinean woman outside her home. This was the 26th fatal police shooting in Victoria since 1988. There were nine in NSW in the same period. This case, as with other police shootings, highlights the problems of relying on the police to help resolve issues such as domestic violence. In recent years, some Reclaim the Night marches and other activities highlighting the problem of domestic violence, have focussed their demands on swifter police intervention in domestic disputes. The emphasis of these demands has been on removal of the perpetrator (rather than the victim or her children) from the scene in order to prevent further violence. In a similar vein, campaigns aimed at reducing the incidence of anti-lesbian and homophobic violence in cities such as Sydney have included demands for the opening of new police stations and increased frequency of police patrols, emphasising a heavier police presence to keep the streets safe. The issue of violence is complex. The reasons why individuals commit violent acts are multifaceted. But underlying both domestic violence against women and children, and homophobic violence against lesbians and gay men are social issues — sexism and homophobia. As with all campaigns that challenge (and, in the end, aim to overturn) institutionalised inequalities in this society, tackling the issues of sexism and homophobia involves using a wide variety of mechanisms including education and awareness raising activities, legal reforms, campaigns for democratic rights, and so on. Given this, it is important that the women's, and lesbian and gay movements look carefully at the demands they are making in relation to increased police powers. Increased police resources do not necessarily correlate with a decrease in sexist and homophobic violence. On the contrary, there is mounting evidence (like that in Victoria last week) that more police with more powers contributes to an escalation of violence, whether that is in the public or the private sphere. Reducing and eventually eliminating violence is the ultimate goal. Knee-jerk reactions based on fear usually produce short term, superficial solutions. Combating the structural problems that contribute to the continuation of violence is more difficult, but in the long term, it is the only avenue which has any chance of success. By Kath Gelber