Welcome to the Sydney Beat Project

The Sydney Beat Project is an online resource and community network for beat users, which was initiated by beat users with the support of CAAH. The project is open to all beat users in NSW - whether you identify as gay, straight, bisexual, transgender, intersex or whatever!

The project was developed as a result of the increasing level of police harassment and threatening behaviour, intimidating questioning, and the use of unreasonable and disturbing police tactics, which actively targets men at 'known beats' across NSW.

NSW Police and certain members of the GLBTI community have demonstrated their determination to shut the beats down, and more and more men are being subjected to their unreasonable campaign of harassment and intimidation.

We realised the need to take action to help educate and empower fellow beat users about our rights when dealing with police, and to be aware of some simple safety tips to make to make our beat experience safer.

We will continue to monitor and report police activity, and provide information to the community about what is happening. We strongly encourage you to report any incident with police you may have encountered or witnessed.

We welcome your support to end police harassment and address bigotry in the justice system. All reports made will be treated with strict confidentiality and will be de-identified and de-personalised.

We will also work towards seeking legislative change that will decriminalise public sex after dark, based on the unprecedented and landmark decision by Amsterdam police to decriminalise public sex after dark '...for couples of any sexual combination'.

Similar moves by police in the UK to decriminalise public sex have highlighted the need for police to work with beat users to ensure we are protected from homophobia and hate-crimes.

We congratulate them for their courage.