Sports: Games of Authority

What role should the police forces play in maintaining law and order in Sydney which is set to play host to tens of thousands of vocal, sporting but often partisan crowds from all over the world watching the Olympic Games in stadia across the city in September? Is it possible to ensure the safety of citizens even while protecting the rights of individuals who are, inadvertently or otherwise, causing harm?

Rights activists have always called into question the use of police force in controlling crowds and other congregations. However, whereas the state may feel compelled to use force because it feels threatened by, say, a protest demonstration, the use of regulatory or monitoring force during large gatherings of other sorts needs to be understood differently. Here the first issue is of ensuring law and order, an act which is as much a need of the ordinary citizen as of the state. But in doing so what should be the contours of police authority and procedure? What are the rights of individual citizens facing police authority? Interestingly, this is being increasingly brought into international focus with globalisation. Issues now may concern people across the globe and forums may bring them together as, for instance, during the Earth Summit or during the international women's meets or during conferences on such issues as population. Even more critical is the organised monitoring of law and order during sporting events such as the Olympics or the European football championships or cricket matches. These events are also often used as occasions for a variety of groups to air views or to mobilise support for particular causes – and many of these are by definition and in effect a protest against and a challenge to existing authority structures including the state. Equally, the state may use the occasion, as it has often, to quell or use force against those who have challenged its authority in the past. It may even introduce apparently time-bound legislation giving special powers which may well become integrated into existing laws through long or repeated use. Moreover, these events often see emotions running high and rioting is a possibility at any point of time. If these are events running over a number of days, then the state of law and order may well affect ordinary citizens who may not be connected to the events in any way. In such situations the actions and behaviour of the state and its strong arm are critical. Yet the implications of the abrogation of individual rights in the interest of maintaining law and order or the use of excessive force to control crowds need to be brought into wider focus.