Police Powers: Summary Offences and Search Legislation Must be Amended to Ensure Human Rights Compatibility
The Victorian Government has introduced the Summary Offences and Control of Weapons Acts Amendment Bill, which will provide police with broad new powers to randomly search people in designated areas without any requirement that police officers have a reasonable suspicion of wrongdoing; to strip search people pre-arrest; and to move people on the basis of a suspicion that a person might do an illegal act in the future.
On 20 November 2009, the Human Rights Law Resource Centre made a Submission to the Victorian Parliament's Scrutiny of Acts and Regulations Committee.