Police, Victim and Co-victim Interaction: Insights from Australia
| Published date | 01 April 2024 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/25166069231218896 |
| Author | Amber McKinley,Colin Rogers |
| Date | 01 April 2024 |
Police, Victim and
Co-victim Interaction:
Insights from Australia
Amber McKinley1 and Colin Rogers2
Abstract
Interacting with victims and co-victims of crime and other calls for help are a
daily routine for police forces, and there have been many attempts to improve
this vital function of policing in modern democratic societies. However, some
groups in Australia remain unconvinced by police actions when they report
incidents and are suspicious of the response they receive. This article provides
insights concerning the way in which the police deal with victims and co-victims
in Australia, utilizing a particular focus on high-profile sections of the community.
These examples highlight some of the issues; the article concludes by suggesting
that policing in Australia needs to be refocused to ensure officers understand the
important role victims and co-victims play in reducing and detecting criminality,
whilst also supporting the legitimization of the police role.
Keywords
Vulnerable victims, co-victims, police
Introduction
Media commentary over the past few decades has highlighted fatal interactions
that Australian state and territory police have had with vulnerable people. Some
recent examples are the 2021 police shooting of ‘JC’ a 29-year-old Yamatji woman
Original Article
Journal of Victimology
and Victim Justice
7(1) 94–109, 2024
2024 The Author(s)
Article reuse guidelines:
in.sagepub.com/journals-permissions-india
DOI: 10.1177/25166069231218896
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1 Australian Graduate School of Policing and Security, Charles Sturt University, Barton, AU-ACT
Australian Capital Territory, Australia
2 Faculty of Life Sciences and Education, University of South Wales, Pontypridd, Wales, United
Kingdom
Corresponding author:
Amber McKinley, Charles Sturt University, Barton, AU-ACT Australian Capital Territory 2600,
Australia.
E-mail: amckinley@csu.edu.au
McKinley and Rogers 95
released two weeks prior from a Western Australian prison3 or the 2020 police
shooting of Mohamad Ikraam Bahram who was previously diagnosed with
schizophrenia prior to stabbing a Brisbane tourist with a knife4 or in the same year
Queensland police also shot and killed Raghe Mohamed Abdi, 22, who was armed
with a knife threatening life near a busy highway. Following all these incidents,
families, who regarded themselves as co-victims of the incident, friends, Coroners
and advocates have argued that the subsequent investigations were marred by
allegations of mismanagement, that victims and co-victims were marginalized
and that the mental health systems nationally are failing.
In many cases, police are called when a vulnerable person is negatively interact-
ing with others in a public space or when a family cannot negate their behaviours
within the home.5 Extant research tells us that if the initial communication by indi-
viduals with authorities is negative, victims will not proceed into the formal crimi-
nal justice system (CJS) and may disengage with no outcome to assist them in
healing altogether.6,7 The consequences of victim and co-victim disengagement can
be grave. Some examples of the impact of the victim not working through the
system with the police and courts are little to no physical or psychological end to the
crime that caused the authorities to be involved in the first instance. In addition, due
to a lack of accountability for the perpetrator, little deterrence for future or recidivist
perpetrators may exist. Further, faith in the capability of the CJS, effects on the
relationships between the police and the community they serve8 and a reluctance to
engage in the future with police may be an outcome.
Vulnerable people, whether victims or co-victims, are involved in 75% of police
interactions in most international jurisdictions.9 Family violence (where women and
children are mostly victims or witnesses of abuse) and counterterrorism (where reli-
gious minorities are often the subject of hate crime) are both placed high on police
agencies’ strategic priorities. These issues almost exclusively deal with vulnerable
populations. Although vulnerability is the common denominator across most polic-
ing matters there is a lack of evidence-based discussion or policy formulation that
includes consideration of community members’ vulnerabilities in everyday police
3 A. F. Fernandes, Lawyers Make Final Stand in Trial of WA Police Officer Accused of Yamatji
Woman’s Murder. Oct. 21, 2021, https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/lawyers-make-
final-stand-in-trial-of-wa-police-officer-accused-of-yamatji-womans-murder/8ukkhybi1
4 A. Hartley, Family of Man Shot Dead by Police in Brisbane’s CBD Questions ‘Extreme’ Use of
Force. , July 20, 2020.
5 M. Lyons & G. Brewer, Experiences of Intimate Partner Violence During Lockdown and the
COVID-19 Pandemic, 37 969 (2022), https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-021-00260-x
6 S. Meyer Seeking Help for Intimate Partner Violence: Victims’ Experiences When Approaching the
Criminal Justice System for IPV-related Support and Protection in an Australian Jurisdiction, 6(4)
268 (2011), https://doi.org/10.1177/1557085111414860
7 A. McKinley, Police Interaction with Vulnerable Victims in ‘Australian Policing: Critical Issues in
21st Century Police Practice’. (2020). Taylor & Francis.
8 P. C. Barata (2007). Abused Women’s Perspectives on the Criminal Justice System’s Response to Domestic
Violence, 31 202 (2007), https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-6402.2007.00353.x
9 I. Bartkowiak-Théron & N. L. Asquith, Policing Vulnerable People 1 (Tasmanian Institute of Law
Enforcement Studies 2020).
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