The second instalment of the powerful observational documentary series Our Law, which explores the relationship between police and First Nations peoples, will premiere on National Indigenous Television (NITV) and SBS in May.
The first series of Our Law was set entirely in WA, but this second series will follow Aboriginal officers and recruits in jurisdictions around Australia, including New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and the Torres Strait.
The eight-part second series will again allow audiences to ride along and be privy to frontline police operations – following squad-car conversations, high stakes decision making and the powerful personal journeys of First Nations police officers, as they attempt to change the system from within and break the cycle of Indigenous incarceration.
Our Law Series 2 will again be narrated by acclaimed Australian actor Deborah Mailman.
In series two, Leroy Rundle and Ace Keirnan, who appeared as Western Australian police cadets in series one, face new challenges in their roles as a Recruit and a Custody Officer. The series also follows Sergeant Alan Kickett from West Australian Police; Aboriginal Community Liaison Officers (ACLO), Melissa Muter, Scott Mieni and Narelle Dickson from NSW Police Force; Sergeant Melissa Peters from Victoria Police; and Senior Constable Patricia Pedro, Constable Jarwin Blackman, and Constable Laurie Bateman from Queensland Police Service, as they work in various communities – each with its own unique history, culture and policing needs.
These locations include Perth and Kalgoorlie, Nambucca Heads and Redfern, Ballarat, Caboolture and Thursday Island .
The original creative team returns for the second series, including director Perun Bonser (Star Dreaming, Noongar Footy Magic), and producers Taryne Laffar of PiNK PEPPER (KGB, On Country Kitchen) and Sam Bodhi Field of Periscope Pictures (Behind the Blue Line, Virtual Whadjuk).
Read: NITV names Taryne Laffar as Commissioning Editor
NITV’s Head of Commissions, Marissa McDowell, said: ‘Our Law has unprecedented access as it follows 11 members of police services across New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, the Torres Strait and Western Australia. The series demonstrates the importance of Indigenous police working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to build trust and bridge the gap of communication.
‘This is a documentary for all Australians, so that Indigenous peoples are seen and heard, including those who work in the police system and those who engage with police. NITV has worked with the Our Law team to bring this vital series to a national audience.
Series Director, Perun Bonser, said, ‘It is my hope that the series seeds critically important national conversations, which must take place now, if we are to establish a system of law that is fair for everyone. The responsibility of building a relationship between the police and Indigenous communities is on all of us.’
Our Law is a PiNK PEPPER Pty Ltd and Periscope Pictures Pty Ltd production for NITV. Principal production investment from Screen Australia’s First Nations Department, in association with NITV. Financed with support from Screenwest and Lotterywest.
Our Law, Series 2 airs weekly on NITV and SBS on Thursday 9 May from 8.30pm. All episodes will available to stream on SBS on Demand from 9 May.
