VICTORIA Police has made dozens of secret financial settlements to halt civil lawsuits in the past five years, ensuring allegations of police brutality and other wrongdoing are not heard in an open court.
Documents obtained by The Age under freedom of information laws show the government solicitor settled 39 lawsuits before trial on behalf of Victoria Police between March 2007 and March this year. Allegations against police included false imprisonment, negligence, assault, trespass, malicious prosecution and defamation.
The allegations were against police stationed across Victoria.
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