When policing causes harm, what needs to change?
Videos of police violence, stories of misconduct and growing calls for accountability have once again forced a national conversation about policing and public trust.
But alongside questions about what happens when policing causes harm, communities across Australia are asking something much bigger: what does genuine public safety look like?
For many people, safety means more than enforcement. It involves access to housing, healthcare, community support, youth services and systems that respond to harm without causing further harm.
In this edition of the Justice Journal, we explore both sides of that conversation. We look at the reforms needed to strengthen police accountability, and we hear from people working to build community-led approaches to safety.
Prioritising care over force
We work alongside people, families and communities seeking answers and accountability after harmful interactions with police. We’ve seen the lasting impact these experiences can have when the systems meant to keep people safe instead cause harm.
That's why we've contributed to the NSW Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (LECC) review, calling for stronger oversight, greater transparency and more effective accountability.
Accountability matters, but it's only part of the picture. Building safer communities also means investing in approaches that prevent harm before it happens and make sure people get the support they need when they need it.
Communities leading the way: Beyond Survival Project
Every day, community organisations are already doing the work and supporting people across Australia who have been failed by the system.
At our Alternative First Responders’ recent Action Webinar: VIC Elections 2026, Lauren Caulfield from the Beyond Survival Project spoke about the project's work supporting people who have experienced family violence policing harms through legal assistance, family violence support and community advocacy.
Lauren also shared findings from the Harm in the Name of Safety, a report based on a survey of more than 270 family violence workers across Victoria. The report highlights widespread concerns about policing responses to family violence and reinforces the need for greater investment in community-led responses that keep people safe.
Watch the full webinar to hear Lauren and other advocates discuss the community-led solutions already making a difference across Victoria.
"We are calling for a redistribution of resources to frontline and family violence services, to build and strengthen community pathways, and for funding for an Alternative First Responders pilot in Victoria." – Lauren Caulfield, Beyond Survival Project
- Watch the webinar (89 mins)
In conversation with... the Alternative First Responders team
As communities question whether police should be the default response to every crisis, the Alternative First Responders campaign is calling for community-led, health-focused alternatives that prioritise care over force.
What gives this movement its momentum?
People are wanting to grow the conversation. This isn’t just about personal opinions. This is common sense approaches and policy and people can see that. The deep desire people have to have those in their communities responded to with care and dignity gives me hope that this will become the status quo for what shapes policy investment.
– Jacinta Wright, Policy & Projects Officer
Why are more people questioning policing as the default response?
The growing use of force by police is institutional, cultural and strengthened by a growing ‘tough on crime’ policy agenda. We are not experiencing a rise in crime across the country. We are experiencing a safety net crisis where people are being allowed to fall through widening cracks. While social, community and health supports remain underfunded, governments continue to invest in policing as the primary response. More people are questioning this approach because they're seeing its impacts firsthand.
– Chloe Fragos, Project Lead
What gives you hope as you work towards alternatives to policing?
Seeing people come together to drive change, and the immense efforts that are in action and happening on the ground. There's so much love in this space, and there's a lot of grit too. I am constantly in awe of organisations and individuals who fiercely embody the principles of alternative first responders, who have done so for a very long time and who we continue to rally alongside in the call for dignity and care in the first response. The people united will never be defeated.
– Zoe Edema, Campaign Content & Advocate
How to take action
- Join hundreds of people who are calling for care, not force by signing the Alternative First Responders pledge. Sign
- Download the Kitchen Table Conversation Toolkit and start meaningful conversations about community safety. Read
- Tell your local MP why community-led, health-focused crisis responses matter using our ready-made templates. Write
Special Thanks to UTS Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research
Kind Regards,
The National Justice Project Team
MORE:
National Justice Project (NJP)
Address: PO Box 123, Broadway NSW 2007
Tel: +61 2 9514 4440
We acknowledge that we live and work on the lands of First Nations Peoples, and we pay our respects to their Elders past and present. Our Sydney office is located on the lands of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation, whose sovereignty was never ceded. This land always was, and always will be, Aboriginal land.