Senior Queensland police are reviewing the behaviour of two officers who detained and swore at an ABC journalist while accusing him of being “off his chops” on drugs.
Brisbane police reporter Josh Bavas, who says he simply had a cold, recorded mobile phone footage of the incident at a Bunnings store in Oxley, in Brisbane’s southwest, on Saturday.
“Mate, the fact that you’ve got pinpoint eyes and you’re looking directly into the sun and they’re not dilating due to the sunlight, I believe you to be under the influence of a dangerous drug,” one officer says.
“For the moment I’m going to detain you for the purposes of a search.”
When Bavas questioned the move, the officer, who later gave his name as Senior Constable Richard Power, demanded identification.
“It’s in the car,” Bavas replied.
Power then turned to a colleague. “He’s off his chops on something,” he said, which Bavas denied.
