Funding shortfalls force Melbourne legal centre to stop taking calls on police misconduct

Criticism mounts of Victoria's police oversight model, with Andrews government urged to establish new watchdog

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A Victorian community legal centre that specialises in police misconduct matters has stopped taking calls from the public because of funding shortfalls amid calls for the Andrews government to establish a new police watchdog.

The Police Accountability Project, which is based at Inner Melbourne Community Legal Centre, is only taking on new clients referred to it by other lawyers and the most egregious cases, as it can no longer operate a phone intake line that had previously serviced as many as 400 people a year.

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