Other Publications
The Police Association regularly makes submissions on legislation affecting policing and law and order. Those submissions are published here once select committee privilege no longer applies. That is usually after the committee holds its hearing on the relevant bill.
The Association also publishes policy statements, speeches, and other documents from time to time. Available publications of these types are also listed below.
Search and Surveillance Bill
The Police Association welcomes the introduction of the Search and Surveillance Bill. It provides not only an opportunity to codify existing law, but also to update provisions to take account of new and emerging crime patterns (such as organised crime) and new technology. It also provides an opportunity to reconsider jurisprudence that has emerged over the years in regard to (for example) human source information as justification for a search warrant, in order to ensure the underlying policy considerations are appropriately balanced...see submission for further details.
Land Transport (Enforcement Powers) Amendment Bill And Vehicle Confiscation and Seizure Bill - Submission
The Police Association welcomes the introduction of the Land Transport (Enforcement Powers) Amendment Bill and Vehicle Confiscation and Seizure Bill as an opportunity to address some of the major concerns associated with habitual irresponsible behaviour involving motor vehicles. The package addresses the ‘boy-racer’ problem by tweaking and revising a wide range of inter-related offence, penalty, and enforcement provisions.Sale and Supply of Liquor and Liquor Enforcement Bill - Submission
The Police Association welcomes the introduction of the Sale and Supply of Liquor and Liquor Enforcement Bill. There is widespread concern among police officers at the consequences of excessive alcohol consumption, both in terms of road trauma and crime, and most officers believe that tightening laws around sale and supply of liquor will make a positive difference.CYPF (Youth Courts Jurisdiction and Orders) Amendment Bill
The Association welcomes the Children, Young Persons, and Their Families (Youth Courts Jurisdiction and Orders) Amendment Bill. Amendments to Youth Court orders and provisions for transfer of offenders to the District Court for sentencing are welcome and overdue, and will improve the options available to the Youth Court to respond to offending. However, a serious deficiency remains in dealing with serious recidivist young offenders who have committed offences that are not purely indictable offences. Section 18 of the Sentencing Act 2002 needs to be amended to allow for imprisonment to be considered in the worst such cases. This would mean effective and appropriate sentencing options were available for the full range of youth offending...see submission for further details.
Sentencing (Offender Levy) Amendment Bill
This Bill is likely to be effective at raising additional revenue from convicted offenders. It will achieve this aim by ensuring the Offender Levy is applied to all convicted offenders, regardless of the nature, number or seriousness of their offences.
However, those guilty of the worst crimes, being those that typically generate the greatest concern about victim impact, are likely to continue to evade any meaningful financial obligation to their victims.
Because of the flat rate and general nature of the Offender Levy, it seems unlikely to have any real psychological impact on offenders in terms of encouraging them to accept responsibility for their actions or develop empathy for the victim.
The additional revenue generated by the Offender Levy will be available to Government to purchase additional victims’ services. However, we believe the Bill needs to be clarified in respect of the sort of ‘support’ for victims that is envisaged, so that victim expectations are not unfairly raised (e.g., by mistakenly believing the Levy will be used to pay them compensation)...see submission for further details.
