Key developments
- Law Enforcement (Powers and Responsibilities) Amendment Bill 2014
- Proposed Amendments to the Jury Act 1977
- Inquiry into debt recovery in NSW
- Vexatious Proceedings Act 2008
- Statutory Review of 2012 Workers Compensation legislative amendments
Law Enforcement (Powers and Responsibilities) Amendment Bill 2014
The Criminal Law and Juvenile Justice Committees provided a submission to the Opposition and cross benchers in relation to this Bill after unsuccessfully raising their concerns with the Government.
The committees expressed their strong opposition in relation to recommendations that the initial investigation period to detain a person in custody without charge be extended from four to six hours.
The committees consider that the definition of “protected suspects” should include persons who have not been explicitly told they are free to leave the police station. The committees are concerned about the potential for injustice in relation to vulnerable people under the proposed definition.
Amendments to strip searches provisions should be clarified to ensure they apply to searches only carried out on a person under arrest or in lawful police custody.
The proposed provision relating to strip searches should include the requirement that police inform the person the search is voluntary, which would help avoid uncertainty about whether the consent is genuine.