By Francisco Silva -
The NSW Government says it is giving new powers to police investigating serious crimes and missing persons, as part of a plan for safer communities.
The NSW Government is proposing new legislation that will give NSW Police access to toll camera footage when investigating serious crimes, like homicide, organised crime, missing persons cases, and to support coronial investigations.
When the legislation passes Parliament, the government has committed to implementing the reforms, starting with cameras on the Sydney Harbour Bridge and in the Harbour Tunnel and later expanding the reforms to the rest of the state.
“For the first time, NSW Police will be given access to images that could help connect the dots and solve serious crimes in our state,” says Minister of Police and Counter-Terrorism, Yasmin Catley.
“This is all part of our plan to give our police the powers and capabilities they need to keep communities safe.”
Under existing legislation, the government says police would not be able to access unredacted images from tolls, impacting investigations of cases that risked going cold. With the new legislation, NSW Police will be able to access these images as long as it’s for certain types of investigations.
According to the government, the legislation only affects drivers involved in investigations of serious crimes and missing persons cases, and won’t impact everyday drivers.
