New South Wales Police Force strip search scandal (list of reported incidents)

A list of publicly reported incidents involving strip searches conducted by members of the New South Wales Police Force. Incidents are categorised in order of the date they were first reported.

2006

June: The New South Wales Ombudsman publishes a comprehensive 400-page review of the Police Powers (Drug Detection Dogs) Act 2001, legislation giving NSW Police the power to deploy specially trained drug detection dogs at large scale public events, licensed venues and on selected routes across Sydney’s public transport network. Figures published in the report reveal that during a two-year review period between February of 2002 and February of 2004, officers had conducted just over 10,000 personal searches resulting from positive drug detection dog indications. Most of those searches had either been a pat down search or a search of a person’s belongings, however in a rare number of cases, police had opted to conduct a strip search. The report mentioned two incidents which had been observed by the Ombudsman’s office, one involving a woman who had been stopped inside a pub and another involving a man who was stopped at a train station. Drugs and drug paraphernalia respectively had been found in both cases before a strip search was conducted.

In another incident, a complaint had been made after a man was allegedly stopped by a drug detection dog twice within the space of a one-and-a-half-hour period. On the second occasion, the man had voluntarily accompanied officers to a police station where he was “subjected to the humiliation of a strip search”. It’s alleged that one of the officers suggested to the man that he “might have sat next to someone on a train or bus that had been smoking cannabis” when no drugs were found during the search. The report also mentioned another case which had been recorded on the police database. In that instance, a commuter had been strip searched inside a train station toilet after an indication from a drug detection dog. No drugs had been found and the man was later allowed to leave.

2009

February: The New South Wales Ombudsman publishes a final review of the Law Enforcement (Powers and Responsibilities) Act 2002, legislation governing the powers given to police in New South Wales. One key aspect of the review were safeguards in relation to personal searches conducted by NSW Police. A number of case studies were referred to by the Ombudsman, including one incident involving a drug detection dog operation which had been monitored by the Ombudsman’s office. A summary of that incident read: “We observed frisk and ordinary searches performed on people attending a youth event who were indicated by a drug detection dog as they moved from the train station to the venue. On this occasion, police set up a number of tents, which provided six separate spaces in which searches could be conducted and advised us that this had been done to provide people with a level of privacy. Once an indication had been made, two police officers were introduced and the person was taken to a tent where the search was conducted. While we only observed frisk and ordinary searches, strip searches were also performed in the tents. We did not observe any searches outside the tents”.

2010

January 15: Writing on Reddit, a commuter recalls being strip searched by police at Redfern Train Station after being stopped by a drug detection dog on his way home from work. After initially being patted down and having his belongings searched, the man says he was escorted to a public toilet by three officers, who allegedly asked him to remove his clothes before instructing him to turn around, “bend over” and pull his buttocks apart. No drugs were found during the search, though the man admitted that he occasionally smoked cannabis. Writing in the comments he said, “I don't know... I might be wrong but what happened doesn't feel right”.

2011

No incidents reported

2012

January 25: The Hack program on Triple J broadcasts a half hour special on the topic of drug detection dogs and their use at music festivals in New South Wales and other Australian states. The program hears from a number of callers who were searched by police in the aftermath of a positive drug detection dog indication, including some who were strip searched. Many of the callers admitted that were in possession of small quantities of  drugs when they were stopped by police.

2013

March 7: A 53-year-old man tells news.com.au that he was strip searched by police while attending a Mardi Gras afterparty event at the Sydney Botanical Gardens. The man says he was stopped by a drug detection dog at the entrance of the event while picking up tickets for a friend. After being taken to a police search area, it’s alleged that he was first made to undergo a pat down search before being told to drop his pants and underwear. The 53-year-old says that there was a gap in the tarpaulin covering the area where search was taking place, leaving him exposed to onlookers while this was happening. “[They could see] my bare butt," he told news.com.au. "I was not comfortable with that at all”. No drugs were reportedly found during the search. Speaking about the incident, the 53-year-old said "It's a complete abuse of their powers ... I feel embarrassed and humiliated." The man subsequently launched legal action against New South Wales Police. The matter was later settled out of court for an undisclosed amount. The incident was one of dozens of alleged cases of police misconduct reported from the 2013 Mardi Gras Parade and subsequent afterparty celebrations.

2014

September 23 – A festivalgoer from the United States reports that a friend was strip searched after being stopped by a drug detection dog at the Defqon music festival in Sydney’s West. Writing on Reddit, the man says that he and his friends were preparing to enter the event when a member of the group was singled out and led away by police. When he returned some 20 minutes later, the man was visibly upset, telling the group that he was made to strip completely naked and bend over during the course of a search. Writing about the incident, the original author of the post described it as a “huge invasion of privacy”, stating that “coming from California this would be completely illegal. Only time you're strip searched is if you're literally going to jail” he wrote.

October 10 – An article published by Vice reports that NSW Police are routinely using drug detection dog indications as a justification for conducting strip searches, particularly at large scale events such as music festivals. In one instance, a 24-year-old man said he was strip searched while volunteering at the Stereosonic music festival in 2013 after being stopped by a dog at the entrance of the event. “They took me into a little tent. I took off all my clothes. They're like, ‘You don't have anything’” the 24-year-old recalled. “It was really humiliating. The fact that they didn't apologise was ridiculous and they were so aggressive with their questioning”. In another instance, a 23-year-old student alleged that he had been strip searched three times over the past three years, twice at music festivals and once at King’s Cross Train Station. On each occasion, he says he was in possession of a small amount of cannabis, which he claimed to have handed over to officers before the searches took place. In each instance he was reportedly asked to remove his clothes, turn his back to police and squat. “It happens at festivals all the time. They've got booths set up to strip search you. It's basically a known thing that where there's sniffer dogs, they'll be strip searches as well” he said.

The article also featured an account from a 39-year-old man who had allegedly been strip searched at the 2012 Mardi Gras Toy Box party after being stopped by a drug detection dog. The man says he had informed officers he was in possession of ketamine before the search was conducted. “I was taken down into the holding pen. It was a fenced off area, with black plastic around chicken wire fencing. I was basically told to strip down. It was very intimidating, because I had these three cops in my face. I was basically bare-naked”. Speaking about the issue, drug educator Paul Dillon, Director of Drug and Alcohol Training and Research Australia (DARTA) said: "I can remember one girl who was totally traumatised by the experience” … “She’d been strip searched and was mortified. The girl had no drugs on her, was not a drug user, but had been through a very traumatic experience. That event got me to question… is the benefit worth the potential risks to people who have no contact with drugs?”.

October 11 – Writing on Facebook in response to the Vice article, a woman recalls being strip searched at Ashfield Train Station three years earlier, alleging that she made to strip naked and “squat and cough” inside the stations toilets while she was on her period. No drugs were reportedly found.

December 2 – The Sydney Morning Herald reports that strip searches following drug detection dog indications have risen 32% since 2009. An article titled “Police in the Doghouse over Strip Searches” features firsthand accounts from two men who were strip searched by police after being stopped during separate drug detection dog operations. Both men had admitted to being in possession of illicit substances before being searched. One man was subsequently issued a cannabis caution.

December 2 – A 27-year-old festivalgoer tells the Australian edition of the Daily Mail that he was strip searched by police after being stopped by a drug detection dog at the Stereosonic Music Festival. “A sniffer dog sat down next to me and they took me off into a little booth” … “I had to take off my pants, shirt, shoes, everything”. The man says officers continued to question him while the search was taking place. “They were continuously asking me the same questions over and over again, and quite forcibly. '(They asked) "Do you take drugs?" "Do your friends take drugs?" "Were you taking drugs yesterday?" the 27-year-old recalled. It’s alleged that while naked police instructed him to hold his genitals and bend over. “I was quite calm because I didn't have anything on me, (but) it was violating, quite an uncomfortable experience”. In a statement issued after the event, NSW Police reported that more than 830 patrons had been searched over the course of the festival, with 196 persons being found in possession of illicit substances, 13 of whom were ultimately charged with drug supply offences. It’s not clear what percentage of searches conducted at the event were strip searches.

December 2 – Speaking to The Project, a 24-year-old commuter says he was strip searched by police at Redfern Train Station after an indication from a drug detection dog. The man says he was heading home after having lunch with a friend when he was approached by a group of four police officer who claimed that they had seen him throw something into a rubbish bin. The 24-year-old says he’d been speaking with the officers for several minutes when the dog sat down beside him. It’s alleged that he was then subjected to a pat down search in view of other commuters before having his belongings emptied out onto the ground. The 24-year-old says that when he asked the officers if they felt anything for the embarrassment that they had caused him, one of them replied, “You should be glad that we’re keeping you safe.” It’s alleged that he was then taken to a private area where police conducted a strip search. “Well basically they just take all of your clothes off, they strip you down” … “it’s quite a degrading process” the 24-year-old recalled. “You actually get told to squat and you actually get told to cough”. Speaking about the incident, he told presenters that, “I remember a quote somewhere, laws become unjust when they start to effect people that they weren’t written to effect” … “I think that’s definitely the case with these laws".

2015

May 31 – Buzzfeed speaks to a 23-year-old medical student who was allegedly strip searched at the 2014 Defqon Music Festival after a drug detection dog indication. The man says that he was stopped at the entrance of the event when the dog began “sniffing around his feet” before being taken to a police search area, which he described as a “tent with makeshift cubicles made out of security fencing”. After initially being directed to remove his shoes and empty his bag and pockets, the man says he was then told to take start taking off his clothes, alleging that police told him to “drop your daks” before instructing him to “pick up your balls and move them to one side”. The man says he could hear another male festivalgoer undergoing a similar search in the cubicle next to him while this was happening. He says he was later released when no drugs were found on his person. The 23-year-old described the incident as “embarrassing and humiliating”, telling Buzzfeed that it “made for a shit start to a day that was supposed to be a fun day out with my mates”.

November 6 – In an article discussing the NSW Greens “Sniff Off” campaign, a 28-year-old electrician says he was strip searched by police at Ashfield Train Station after being stopped by a drug detection dog. Speaking to Vice, the man says he was initially patted down before being taken into a public toilet cubicle and asked to remove his clothes. Recalling the incident, he said that “having to get naked in a small space with a pair of large men with guns strapped to their hips was humiliating”. The man alleges that he was deliberately targeted by police on the basis of his looks. "I walked past the dog, then the cop grabbed me and asked me to come back," … "the dog wasn't really that interested, but then the cop was like, 'The dog's detected drugs on you’". The 28-year-old said he later spoke to another man of similar appearance who was also searched despite having no drugs on his person.

November 27 – Responding to a post on the Sniff Off Facebook page, a man says he was strip searched by police at the Field Day music festival despite not being in possession of any illicit substances. “Waste of everybody's time and yeah being completely naked while two dudes question you is pretty horrid”. Commenting on the same post, another man says, “I got searched at big day out after the copper told his dog to sit then turned to me and said that the dog had detected drugs on me and then took me over to be stripped searched [sic] I didn't have anything on me and I wasn't on drugs, I feel I was singled out because I was on my own and that I'm tattooed”.

November 28 – A performer says she was made to squat naked in front of a female police officer while being strip searched at the 2011 Parklife Music Festival in Sydney. Speaking to music industry website HowlandEchoes, the woman says she was she was stopped at the entrance of the event after a drug detection dog took an interest in her bag. “A cop took me into a prison wagon and made me strip naked, squat… the whole nine-yards. I’d started crying in my show make-up, angry and humiliated that somehow I had no consent in this process. She tried to make small talk with me while my clothes were in a pile against the bars and I’m barefoot on the well-trodden muddy floor”.

Describing what happened next, the woman says “they pulled all my belongings outside onto the muddy ground and went through everything with a fine tooth comb. Nothing. They turn to my costume bag and start pulling everything out onto the dirty ground. Seeing the delicate tulle of my dress covered in mud sent me in near hysterics. I found my voice and insisted they search on a cleaner surface. The male cop ignored me. The female who had searched my body finally took pity and suggested he put the tentacle pieces on the bonnet of the car. His response? Open the stitching on one of the pieces and pull out the stuffing. He shrugged. “You’ve could have stored something in there”. Speaking about the experience, the woman said, “it was violating, destructive and left me totally shaken for weeks”.

November 27 – Responding to a post on Facebook, a man says he was strip searched by police at the Defqon music festival several years earlier. “This happened to me at defqon1 in Sydney 3 years ago, i have not attended a music festival since, and have a lot of difficulty trusting police officers”.

December 2 – The Hack Program on Triple J speaks to two women who were strip searched on their way to the Strawberry Fields music festival near the New South Wales – Victoria Border. It’s not stated whether the officers involved in the alleged incident were members of New South Wales Police or Victoria Police, though subsequent media reports suggest that it may have been the latter. Responding to the story, a caller to the program says he was made to submit to a similar search at a music festival in Sydney. “I was searched at Stereosonic 2014. I had to do some very embarrassing things like take all my clothes off, then I was asked to bend over and squat, then I was actually asked to bens my testicles and my shaft and separate them in case I was hiding anything there and pull back my foreskin”. The man says he was not carrying any illicit substances and had initially been stopped by police after attempting to move out of the path of a drug detection dog.

Texting into the program, another listener wrote: “My friend had no drugs, was told to strip and squat by New South Wales Police, they even made her remove her tampon”.

2016

Feb 29 – Writing on Reddit, one person says, “My friends went to secret garden festival this past weekend and were pulled over by a police dog, even though they had nothing on them. They had to do a full strip search and we told to wiggle and shake around in case they were hiding anything in their vaginas”.

April 22 – A photo of a drug detection dog operation at the World Bar in Kings Cross is uploaded to the Sniff Off Facebook page. Writing in the comments section, one man says: “One of our staff just informed me that they were pointlessly and wrongfully STRIP SEARCHED during this dog squad visit. In a public and brightly lit area where at least three passers by commented that they could clearly see her genitals”.

May 17 – Responding to a post on the Sniff Off Facebook page, a man says he was strip searched in a bathroom by police after a drug detection dog indication.

November 19 – An article published on the Triple J Hack website features a Q and A about the legal rights of patrons at music festivals. One person asks: “My friend had a sniffer dog sit next to him at Big Day Out. So they took him into a back tent and [asked him to] squat and even cough to see if anything came out. I couldn't believe it and said ‘Is that legal?’ They said yes because the sniffer dog gave them reasonable doubt that my friend had drugs on him”.

2017

January 4 – A post uploaded to the Keep Sydney Open Party’s Facebook page criticises the police tactics employed at music festivals in New South Wales, describing them as “heavy-handed”. Writing in the comments, one man said: “My mate got strip searched at Stereosonic 2014 and the cops were really confrontational. They tried to intimidate him by saying ‘we know you've got drugs on you’. He had no drugs on his possession or in his system”. Another man recalled being subjected to a similar search at a separate event. “I've had my testies [sic] massaged by NSW police at a festival after a drug dog smelled my neighbors dog that I'd been playing with half an hour earlier on my jeans. After fully complying with the humiliation of being stripped, sexually assaulted and accused of illegality I was ejected for being 'under the influence of drugs'.

May 8 – In an article published by University of Sydney newspaper Honi Soit, a 25-year-old political staffer recalls being strip searched by police at the Secret Garden music festival in February earlier that year. The woman had reportedly been stopped by a drug detection dog at the entrance if the event. “The dog was interested in me and sniffing me. It never sat down — something I understood to a be a positive indication” she said. The 25-year-old was reportedly taken into a tent by two female police officers, who then instructed her to remove her clothing. She says she initially took off her shorts before stopping “in the hope that reason would prevail”, before the officers ordered her to “keep going”. It’s alleged that she was made to perform a naked squat before having to ask to put her clothes back on and collect her belongings, which had been “scattered across the tent floor” by police. “They definitely didn’t say sorry. They had no sense that they’d put me through any kind of humiliating or uncomfortable situation. They weren’t treating humans like humans,” she said.

June 5 – Writing on Facebook, a man attending a Vivid Sydney event at Carriageworks says that a friend was strip searched inside a tent after an indication from a drug detection dog. The man admits that he and his group had been smoking cannabis prior to the event. It’s alleged that patrons were being forced to walk past the dog as they made their way inside. “As we walked past the cops I couldn't help myself and said loudly 'what a joke!” … “Sure enough, the handler turned around, led the dog in our direction, and claimed that the animal indicated detecting drugs on one of us”. The man’s friend was then reportedly taken led away to a tent where a strip search was conducted. “I tried to accompany him while one officer tried to block me from doing so, even though I said I was his significant other and would like to witness the operation. In a bid to get talking I said to the officer, ‘Gosh, you lot must get sick of being sent out on such trivial, useless, unpopular  operations’. She said, "Well, its gotta be done”. No drugs were reportedly found during the search.

September 16 – Responding to a photo of a drug detection dog at the Defqon music festival on Facebook, one woman writes, “My friend was strip searched... nothing found on her, I'm glad she had to go through the humiliation because a dog got it wrong”.

November 14 – Buzzfeed reports allegations from two women who say they were strip searched after attending a pro-refugee rally at Sydney Technology Park in Eveleigh. The women, aged 51 and 43, say they were arrested by police when the protest moved into the inner-city suburb of Redfern. It’s alleged that officers had cited a “failure to move on” as the reason for the arrest before transporting the pair back to Newtown police station. "I was informed that they would need to conduct a strip-search and this was for my protection because I was in their care and custody and there might be something on my person I could hurt myself with” one of the women said. "I was asked to turn around and squat and asked if I had any contraband". It’s alleged that the other woman was made to remove her bra but refused a request to remove her underwear. “They said 'take off the bra' at which I was incredulous and then they said 'jewellery and shoes' and asked me to take off my underwear," she told BuzzFeed. "I said 'this is ridiculous, I have my period' and so they did a pat down". Both women were later released without charge.

Complaints made by the two women were later the subject of separate internal investigations by NSW Police, who initially recommended that “not sustained” findings be made against the officers who had strip searched the pair. Following the intervention of the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission in May of 2018, a subsequent police investigation recommended that “sustained” findings be made against both officers. Earlier sustained findings had already been made against the officer who had ordered that the strip searches be conducted. In September of 2019, it was reported that NSW Police had issued a formal apology for the “distress and embarrassment” caused by the incident, agreeing to settle a civil case launched by the two women for an undisclosed amount.

December 28 – Speaking to the Hack program on Triple J, one woman says that she and a friend were strip searched by police at a music festival earlier in the year after being stopped by an undercover officer. “Their rationale for pulling us aside was that I tried to avoid the sniffer dogs. This may sound silly but I am genuinely afraid of dogs and I’m not surprised that I unknowingly avoided them. They strip searched us and I was even asked to squat. As a female it was grossly degrading to go through, and they found nothing on us”.

2018

Jan 2 – Responding to a post on the Sniff Off Facebook Page, a man says that a friend was strip searched by police at the Field Day music festival earlier that day. “My mate got pulled aside by police as we were entering the festival. The dog didn't even sit down, just lingered around us as we were walking past. He wasn't carrying drugs, but he was strip searched anyway”.

May 1 – Writing for news.com.au, a man says that he was made to strip to his underwear at the Groovin the Moo music festival after an indication from a drug detection dog.

May 11 –. At the 2018 Midnight Mafia music festival, NSW Police institute a controversial new policy which sees ticketholders denied entry to the event after an indication from a drug detection dog, even in cases where no drugs are found. In total, 187 patrons are ejected from the venue, despite only 45 being found in possession of illicit drugs.

Writing on social media, multiple attendees allege they were strip searched inside the venue before having their tickets confiscated by police. Responding to a 7News post on Facebook detailing the amount of drugs seized at the event, one man wrote, “Yeah, I was strip searched, found nothing and then denied entry anyway. Absolutely stupid”, while another man said, “Me and my mate travelled from Newcastle only to arrive him be taken aside strip-searched bag searched to come up negative then sent him home for nothing”. Another woman claimed that an 18-year-old friend was strip searched by police before officers confiscated his ticket and removed him from the event.

One woman who attended the event alleged that police had threatened to transport her to hospital for an internal search before confiscating her ticket and ejecting her from the venue. “I was one of the innocent people who got pulled aside to be stripped searched and when cleared was still not allowed back in. Was even threatened to be taken to the hospital because they believed i was carrying drugs in internally. Had my ticket deactivated and told I would be refunded. I dont blame the event organizer. He was even pissed off with had happened”. Also the dog didn’t even sit at the time it had seen me (i was literally about to hand my ID over to security)”.

Responding to a statement from Midnight Mafia organisers criticising the decision to deny entry to patrons, another woman said she was left feeling “embarrassed and humiliated” after being strip searched and ejected from the event.  “They took me back done a strip search and found nothing. Most dogs sniff around especially if the girl is on their period” she wrote. “I had to squat and cough turn around squat and cough! Naked! My anxiety is already bad as it is it went through the roof”. Responding to the woman’s comments, another festivalgoer says she was subjected to a similar search by police. “I was on my period too!!! They were going to take my fingerprints like wtf but luckily the girl cop that strip searched me was like this is happening to so many girls on their period and talked to the boss to not take my report”.

May 29 – The District Court of New South Wales hands down a judgement in the case of a 53-year-old man who was strip searched at Kings Cross police station in 2015. The 53-year-old had been detained in Darlinghurst in the early hours of March 24 after being approached by three police officers. He was later transported to Kings Cross Police Station where during a strip search, he was told to “strip to a naked state, squat and expose his genitals”. In handing down his ruling, District Court Justice Phillip Taylor found that the officers involved had acted with “an almost reckless indifference”, awarding the man $112,387 in damages plus legal costs. "The state's concession in relation to the strip-search illustrates that the police officers have used a most invasive power without the slightest justification," he wrote in his judgement.

The incident was later the subject of an investigation by the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission. In a final report handed down in May of 2020, the Commission found that the actions of the senior constable who had made the decision to detain the man and ordered he be strip searched in custody amounted to “serious misconduct”, suggesting that the woman was “indifferent to the legal limits of her powers as a police officer”.

June 5 – In a statement uploaded to Facebook, NSW Police announce a controversial plan to deny entry to patrons at an upcoming performance by Above and Beyond at Sydney Showground. The proposed plan would see anyone stopped by a drug detection dog refused entry to the event, even in cases where a person was not found to be in possession of any illicit substances. Writing in the comments, one woman says, “My friends have a dog at home, and the sniffer dog came up and sniffed them and when to continue walking and the police man pulled the dog back to make a big deal out of the fact the dog sniffed my friend, they then interrogated my friends asking them if they had been around drugs etc which they had not. They then got strip searched nothing was found and they got kicked out and were not aloud to go into the event. Please, how is this fair?”

Responding to the same post, another man wrote: “I was positive by sniffer dog when I had nothing on me nor had had any drugs anywhere near me for ages, then strip searched in a cubicle at St Leonards station. Shouldn't be allowed outside of checking baggage. They provide no good service in public areas”.

June 6 – Responding to a proposed plan by NSW Police to deny entry to patrons at an upcoming event after a drug detection dog indication, a woman on Twitter writes: “This happened to a friend at an event a few weeks back. Dog sat next to her, they pulled her aside and strip searched her, found nothing and still refused to let her in”.

June 7 – The ABC reports on an upcoming legal challenge being mounted by the New South Wales Greens. It comes in response to a proposed plan by NSW Police to deny entry to ticketholders at an upcoming performance by Above and Beyond at Sydney Showground that weekend. Speaking to the ABC, one man recalls being strip searched a music festival several years earlier. “The police officer who was speaking to me said that the dog had indicated that I had drugs on me. And I was like ‘Oh, I don’t have anything on me’. They wanted to search my wallet and bag I was like ‘fine, totally, have a look through it, nothing in there’”. It’s alleged that police then informed the man that he would be taken over to a van to be strip searched. “Everyone walking into the festival can see that you’re being escorted over to the van to be searched. So I go over there, more questioning, you have to take off all your clothes, one by one and they search all the lining of all the clothes and then you have to bend over and they search shining a torch into cavities, I had to lift my scrotum, the police search every little bit of me”. He says the experience was “humiliating”.

June 8 – In a Reddit thread discussing a proposed plan to deny entry to patrons at an upcoming Above and Beyond performance at Sydney Showground, one man says: “I had a false positive from a sniffer dog at a festival at showgrounds around 6 months ago. I got searched, told to drop my trousers and they had a good look at my balls. Had absolutely nothing on me, none of my friends or anyone I was with did, there was nothing untoward, the police told me the dog never makes a mistake, so spent 30 mins searching me”.

June 10 – Writing on Reddit, one user recalls being strip searched at an event as a teenager after being stropped by a drug detection dog. “I got pulled up at One Last Tour with Swedish house mafia, I was 17, had never touched anything more than cannabis” … “Drug dog sat next to me, I had to do the strip search and all that other bullshit. All I did was comply because I was in such shock” he recalled. “Never been to a big dance event since, I wouldn't say it scarred me but it definitely left a bad taste my mouth in terms of policing at events”.

June 10 – SBS News speaks to a woman who was denied entry to the Above and Beyond performance at Sydney Showground after being strip searched by police. The woman says she was made to “strip and squat” after being stopped by a drug detection dog at the event. “I feel a bit traumatised ‘cos like I walked past and then there were just like cops stopping me, and then they’re like really intimidating you during the whole strip search. They ask you a lot of questions”. It’s alleged that the woman was ejected from the venue despite no drugs being found.

June 12 – The Hack program on Triple J speaks to a ticketholder who was banned from the Sydney Olympic Park precinct for six months after being strip searched by police at the Above & Beyond performance on June 9. The man had reportedly been stopped by a drug detection dog on his way into the event. "I tried to get into the venue with my friends, the dog went up to me once didn't detect went away and comes back... it sat, three officers took me into a side room and searched me," he recalled. “They made me squat and cough and all that... they didn't find anything because there wasn't anything... and then I was issued with a six month ban from the venue." It’s alleged that after searching the man, police asked to see his ticket, but he refused. ”I didn't want to show them my ticket because it's my private property and I felt like my rights had been violated enough".

A photo of the six month ban notice issued to the man was circulated on social media after the event. Responding to questions from news.com.au, NSW Police denied suggestions that he was banned from the venue on the basis of a positive drug dog indication, instead citing “bad behaviour” while also claiming that the man did not have a ticket for the event. A Sniff Off volunteer spoke to the man in the aftermath of the incident disputed these claims, instead suggesting that the notice had been issued because he and his group of friends were arguing with the officers who conducted the strip search.

June 16 – A woman who attended the Above and Beyond performance at Sydney Showground on June 9 says she was strip searched and ejected from the event after police witnessed her handing a $50 note to her boyfriend. Speaking to entertainment news website goat.com.au, the woman says she had given him the money to buy drinks when she was approached by a group of officers. “They just said ‘We can’t speak to you here, put your hands in a fist behind your back, come outside and we will explain everything’” she said. “They took my bag and everything off me [including my phone] and sent me straight to a booth to be searched” … “I’d already asked multiple times ‘Why am I here, what’s going on? But [the female officer performing the search] kept saying ‘Not sure, I wasn’t in there’”. It’s alleged that another officer then entered the booth to speak with the female officer outside. “She comes back in and says ‘It’s been reported that you were involved in a drug deal”. The woman says the female officer proceeded to conduct a strip search inside the booth, at one point asking her to squat. “I honestly felt so uncomfortable, and absolutely violated – which she could see – so she then made the comment ‘It’s more uncomfortable for me, don’t worry!’”. The woman alleges that police later went through her phone before ejecting her from the event after claiming she was intoxicated. She says she was not given the opportunity to undergo a breath test.

July 23 – Writing in the comments section of a video uploaded to Facebook by NSW Greens MP David Shoebridge, a man says that his girlfriend was strip searched by police at the “A state of Trance” music festival before being ejected from the venue. “Upon entry a dog sniffed her out. She was pulled aside searched, stripped and then searched. (In front of a female officer but embarrassing none the less) nothing found, was escorted to the gates, refunded ticket money and sent home. Was told it was the “event organisers request” later to find out from people running site that it was the police enforcing this and the organisers went along with it. I mean what could they say to stop them?”

August 3 – Writing on his personal blog, drug educator Paul Dillon, Director of Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia (DARTA), recalls a conversation he had with a 16-year-old girl during a school presentation several weeks earlier. The Year 11 student, who he referred to as “Clare”, had allegedly been strip searched by police after being stopped by a drug detection at a music festival. Describing the conversation, he wrote:

Clare started the conversation by making it very clear to me that she had never used illicit drugs - it wasn't a part of her or her friends' world ("You may hear this a lot of times, but truly, we don't take drugs!" was the line she began with ..). She was attending her first dance festival with a group of friends and as she was joining the queue to go through the turnstiles Clare felt something brush against her leg. She looked down and saw a black dog sniffing around her. She does not remember the animal sitting down but she said it continued to stay with her as she kept walking. She then noticed a police officer with a leash attached to the dog. The next few minutes are all a blur for Clare but according to what her friends later told her she was then approached by another officer, this one being female and escorted to the side of the entry.

She doesn't remember the initial 'pat-down' or what was said at that time. It wasn't until the next stage of the process that she even realized what was happening. She was taken by two female officers to what she thinks was a small tent. It was at this point that it dawned on her that this had to do with drugs. She kept telling the officers that she didn't take drugs and that she had nothing on her but was repeatedly told that the dog had detected a substance and that "the dogs were never wrong"! She was then asked to remove her clothing, piece by piece, one officer in front of her and another behind. Not surprisingly, nothing was found.

She was clearly distressed as she told her story. She had not told her family what had happened and had not really talked about the experience with anyone. It was now even 'off limits' with the girls who attended the festival with her. She wanted to talk to me because she wanted to know why this had happened to her … During the presentation I had warned the students that if you are around people who use drugs, particularly cannabis, then the smell can get onto your clothes and into your hair and can result in a 'dog indication', but that had not been the case for Clare. There was no satisfactory explanation - the dog was just wrong!

August 24 – In the comments section of a post uploaded to the Sniff Off Facebook page, a man says that his girlfriend was left “crying and shaking” after being strip searched at the Defqon music festival the previous year. “Took my girlfriend for her first ever event. She has bad anxiety to begin with and has vision impairment and needed me with her for support. Straight away had a dog sit on her and she got forced into a complete strip search. She had never touched a drug in her life. She came out crying and shaking from the experience and had lost all the thrill she came in with. Took hours for her to settle down and enjoy defqon”.

November 13 – Speaking to the ABC, a woman says she was left feeling “anxious and paranoid’ after being wrongly strip searched at a music festival. It’s alleged that police confiscated her ticket despite no drugs being found. "Even though I don't carry anything, what's the chances of me getting forced into the booth and strip searched and then be refused entry again?" she said.

October 1 – Writing on Facebook, a woman says that a young female acquaintance was left feeling “distraught” and “humiliated” after being strip searched at the Yours and Owls music festival in the aftermath of a drug detection dog indication. It’s alleged that the woman was made to “strip naked in front of other girls” and had her “privates rubbed” by police during the incident. She was not reportedly found in possession of any illicit substances.

November 12 – The ABC reports that the state’s newly established police watchdog, the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission, will be launching a formal investigation into the use strip searches by NSW Police, citing an increase in complaints surrounding the practice. The report features a firsthand account from a woman who was strip searched by police while celebrating her 21^st birthday in the city. The woman had reportedly been attempting to adjust her clothing when she says noticed two men looking at her. “They were in, like all black clothing. They were both just standing outside the female bathrooms, staring. They weren’t talking to anyone, they weren’t really talking to each other. I got really, really nervous, I was just really uncomfortable” she recalled. The woman says she went into the toilets with a female friend to adjust her leotard, alleging that when she came out she was approached by the two men, who revealed themselves as undercover police officers. Speaking to The Project on Network 10 in December, she said that “one of the officers came and he was like ‘you’re looking really suspicious we believe that you have drugs on you”.

It’s alleged that the woman was then taken into a police van where two female police officers conducted a strip search. “It just involves you taking off all your clothing, everything, and you get quite close so like I had to lift my breasts up so then, I wasn’t hiding anything, like I guess underneath my cleavage. Take my underwear off and they kind of like had to get eye level and just have a look around, see if anything was hanging out or anything like that”. No drugs were reportedly found and the woman was later released. Speaking to The Project in October of 2019, the woman said, “I think the entire time I was in quite a lot of shock but as soon as the strip search was over I burst into tears, I still think about it all the time, it’s just something that we’ll forget overnight it’s something that sticks with us for a very, very long time”.

December 19 – Speaking in support of Redfern Legal Centre’s Safe and Sound Campaign, DJ Mark Dynamix says that heavy handed policing at music events in New South Wales is “destroying the relationship between young people and police”. “My mate got strip searched a couple of months ago after a detection by a dog. Nothing was found on him. I'm not surprised because as far as I know he has never taken a drug in his life and was yet another false reading which ruined this person's day out and raised inaccurate questions about his reputation in front of his peers”.

December 20 – Redfern Legal Centre’s Samantha Lee speaks to the Hack program on Triple J about the use of strip searches by NSW Police. She says one of her clients was made to strip naked in front of two female police officers after being stopped by a drug detection dog at a music festival. "The dog didn't sit down and indicate [positively for drugs] but the person was escorted to a cubicle and searched," she said. "There was a table, they asked her to put her hands on the table, they then searched her bag, they then asked her to remove all of her clothing. They then inspected her body and continued questioning her while being strip searched. At the end of this process, nothing was found on her but she was then escorted off the premises and her ticket was confiscated”.