SA Police officer slammed for remark labelled as blatantly racist

A police officer’s court remarks have been called out as racial profiling and rebuked by a Magistrate. But police won’t confirm if he’ll face repercussions.

An SA Police officer’s comments made during a hearing for a young Aboriginal mother have been labelled “blatantly racist” and rebuked by a court.

The fallout of the comments, made in the Elizabeth Magistrates Court on Thursday, has seen calls for cultural awareness training for police, but the SA Police Commissioner has not answered if the prosecutor will face any reprimand outside of “being spoken to”.

In describing allegations involving the 21-year-old woman, assistant police prosecutor Greg Hill made the remarks he would later apologise for.

“It’s a classic case of disorderly behaviour … it was a group of Aboriginals,” he said before Magistrate Mark Semmens interjected.

“It was a group of people,” Mr Semmens said.

Mr Semmens then continued to shake his head and was visibly annoyed as Mr Hill said “I apologise for that” and resumed the description to the court.

Magistrate Mark Semmens runs the Aboriginal Sentencing Court. Picture: AAP Image/David Mariuz

Mr Semmens worked as a defence lawyer in Port Lincoln, Port Augusta, Ceduna and APY Lands before being appointed a Magistrate.

Mr Hill was opposing a bail application for Elizabeth East woman Jiarah Buckskin, who faces charges of disorderly behaviour, aggravated assault against a worker and behaving in an offensive or disorderly manner at a licenced premises.

The rest of Mr Hill’s opposition explained Ms Buckskin had allegedly been part of the group who were “intoxicated” and who “accosted” a staff member of a hotel at Pooraka in September in relation to alcohol being stolen.

Mr Hill said Ms Buckskin “obviously has got some issues with alcohol”, based on seven warrants being issued for her arrest “to ensure her appearance in court”.

Aboriginal woman Jiarah Buckskin was the subject of remarks from an SA Police officer labelled “racial-profiling”. Picture: Facebook

Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement chief executive Chris Larkin.

Aboriginal Legal Right Movement chief executive Chris Larkin slammed the comments, labelling them “racially-based stereotyping and profiling”.

Mr Larkin also commended Mr Semmens for his response to the remarks.

“Such an eloquent and simple thing to say (‘a group of people [not Aboriginals]’),” he said.

“But by saying it, Mr Semmens confronted the racially-based stereotyping and profiling, which Aboriginal people have to put up with every day.

“By saying it, Mr Semmens reminded the police that they are dealing with people, and that racially based comments about people are irrelevant to the proper administration of justice.

“The Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement will always be vigilant to condemn racial stereotypes of Aboriginal people and we will always support those who stand up and speak against it.”

Attorney-General and Aboriginal Affairs Minister Kyam Maher said he would be raising the comments with Police Minister Joe Szakacs.

“Many Aboriginal people face discrimination in the course of their everyday lives,” he said.

“No matter how and when it happens, it is disappointing, and we need to do better as a state and as a society.”

SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens would not answer questions about whether Mr Hill would be reprimanded, but said he had “been spoken to by his prosecution manager concerning the language he used in the court”.

Mr Stevens said SAPOL “did not condone the use of terminology which seeks to marginalise or stereotype cultural groups with any specific types of behaviour.”

South Australian Police Commissioner Grant Stevens. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Emma Brasier

Kaurna, Ngarrinjeri and Narungga elder Jeffrey Newchurch. Picture: Emma Brasier

“On face value, it appears that the prosecutor involved erred in using the terminology he did when describing the group by their cultural background,” he said.

“It was appropriate for the Magistrate to correct the prosecutor, and appropriately the prosecutor apologised immediately.

“Any suggestion that the language used in the courtroom is somehow endemic across our organisation is unfounded and without substance.”

Kaurna, Ngarrinjeri and Narungga elder Jeffrey Newchurch said Mr Hill’s remarks were “blatantly racist and very divisive within the system.”

“It clearly points out they’re a law above us as a society, whether you’re Aboriginal or non-Aboriginal,” he said.

Mr Newchurch urged Mr Stevens to push for cultural awareness training for police in the wake of the remarks.

“The police have been working with us as Aboriginal elders and as an Aboriginal community, so why did he make such a blatant comment?” he said.

“They (police) need to understand the position of Aboriginal people because, on the one hand, we have Aboriginal groups and Aboriginal organisations that work well with them, and then you have a prosecutor that uses the old brush to paint all of us Aboriginal people the same.

“That’s gotta stop.”