A SOLICITOR and civil liberties campaigner was arrested, handcuffed and allegedly had his rib broken by police after offering legal assistance to a man being searched in public.
Kristian Bolwell said police manhandled him and broke his rib last week after he displayed his solicitor's identification card to a man being searched in a pub and said, "Hi, I am a solicitor, would you like any help?"
The 36-year-old lawyer was eating dinner at the Cooper's Arms Hotel in King Street, Newtown at about 9.30pm on Thursday when eight to 10 police entered the pub with a sniffer dog and began searching patrons, he said.
After Bolwell offered assistance to one of them, he said he had a "short conversation" with police, who then pushed him and pinned him face-down on the floor. He was later charged with hindering police, resisting police in execution of their duty and failure to obey a police direction.
A medical report from Royal Prince Alfred Hospital on Saturday confirmed he had a fractured rib and moderate bruising on his left side.
He said the police actions were "unwarranted, disproportionate and offensive" and that he had behaved appropriately at all times "despite being provoked, assaulted and physically hurt by the police"
He said his experience, which he could not discuss in more detail due to legal advice, showed police had "too much power and too little training" and were not capable of managing the broad new powers covering much of Sydney's CBD this month.
The NSW Council for Civil Liberties has said it gets more complaints about police searches than any other issue. Last year the Premier, Morris Iemma, extended powers legislated after the Cronulla riots which mean police only need a "suspicion" of illegality before they can undertake an intrusive search.
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