Less than 10 yrs ago two 55 div uniforms went down on charges they took an aboriginal lad for a ride on the cherry beach express. Beat the crap out of him, almost killed him.
That song was so popular because it was VERY close to true. I've fallen down the stairs at 21 div Peel a couple of times, and it's true a phone book to the head doesn't leave marks.
It was a much different time... MUCH different, and the cops don't like the change. NOW they have to do their job and investigate crime... NOT just take the person that we ALL knew did the crime, and beat a confession out of them.
Problem IS, for the most part it worked... but infringed on the "perp's" rights. We can't do that anymore (we "couldn't" do it THEN either, but we put up with it). Knowing who did the crime is usually pretty easy, PROVING someone did a crime is HARD... so instead of doing the work to prove the crime, they just beat a confession out of a "rounder".
Worked for everyone EXCEPT the rounder... yeah I used to be a "rounder" (the police definition of a rounder is a little different from the oxford dictionary). Cops aren't as stupid as we all think they are... they, like all humans, are lazy and will take the easy route when we let them.
We HAVE come a long way, or those two uniforms wouldn't have been charged, they would have got away with it in the '70s... we just haven't come far enough yet