We run a dedicated Police Complaints Advice Clinic for people across Victoria in making complaints against Victoria Police and Protective Service Officers. The Clinic is run by the FKCLC with the assistance of Melbourne University Law Public Interest Law Program.
Appointments are available on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during University Semesters.
Phone 0401 090 833 to contact the Clinic.
You will be connected to an answering service.
Please leave your name and contact details (ie phone number and email address).
You will be contacted by the Clinic within 7 days.
Intake criteria
Our police complaints clinic receives far more complaints than it can assist with. Due to our limited resources the clinic can generally only consider offering appointments to people with a recent incident (within 1 year) that involves:
- Excessive force by police;
- Racial profiling and other forms of discrimination;
- Duty failure by police in the context of family violence.
Please note, the Police Complaints Clinic does not assist with criminal representation.
For information about what you can do immediately after an incident with police:
Report on first year of operation 2015
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Media
Victoria’s corruption watchdog recommends major changes to the way complaints are handled against officers, Hamish Fitzsimmons, ABC Lateline, 15 September, 2016
VIDEO and Transcript: Twenty years ago, police turned up at Corinna Horvath’s home over an unregistered car. They kicked in her door and she was beaten up.
1. Of the 51 allegations filed through the clinic as complaints with Victoria Police during 2015, only 1 was substantiated. This is a 2% substantiation rate.
2. The most frequent allegation made was excessive force.
3. Complainants came to the clinic from around the State with the highest concentration in the inner-west.
4. There continue to be allegations of racially biased policing despite Victoria Police’s zero
tolerance towards racial profiling.
5. There is a far higher demand for our service than we can provide.
We were able to provide ongoing casework for 67 people. 55 people seeking criminal defence work for matters linked to their police complaint were turned away. 112 people seeking ongoing casework assistance were turned away
The full report with case studies is available here (PDF).
This clinic is made possible by a partnership with the Melbourne University Law School’s Public Interest Law Clinic in which students support lawyers in public interest law organisations and directly assist in the delivery of legal services to clients.
The Police Complaints Advice Clinic will:
1) Provide an accessible, high-quality legal advice, referral and support service for Victorians alleging human rights abuses or mistreatment by police or PSO’s;
2) Meet the diverse and complex needs (legal, emotional, systemic and therapeutic) of clients with a focus upon effective remedies, police accountability and human rights outcomes;
3) Ensure a best practice clinical legal education model for students which promotes a principled and professional, public interest law practice;
4) Provide an experiential and collaborative learning environment for students with experienced clinical supervision, support and assessment;
5) Collate and analyze statewide client data, utilise case studies, client stories and key cases for strategic systemic advocacy and law reform for police accountability and human rights.
For information about how you can support this clinic please see:
