A new report from Redfern Legal Centre (RLC) has revealed some damning statistics about police strip searches in NSW. The very detailed report calls into question the justification for traumatic intrusive strip searches, in the name of “drug supply reduction”. In the 10 years covered by the report, NSW Police strip searched 82,471 people. Of these, only 1,182 were convicted of supply — a mere 1.43%. That’s a lot of trauma inflicted, for very little supply reduction.

“Out the back they had the strip search tents set up, and a female cop waiting for me in one. She told me I had to take all my clothes off, and then said she needed me to squat and cough.”