❓ Ms. Mettam questions the Attorney General's change of stance on stop-and-search laws, given his past opposition and rising violent crime. The Attorney General clarifies the proposed laws are wanding laws, not stop-and-search.
AnsweredQoN 406Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
KNIFE CRIME — STOP-AND-SEARCH LAWS
406. Ms L. METTAM to the Attorney General:
I refer to comments that the Attorney
General made in 2009 regarding the Barnett government's stop-and-search
laws, labelling them as ''fascist'' and that he was totally
opposed to the concept of stop and search.
(1) Why after 15
years is the Attorney General finally considering the introduction of this
policy to curb record levels of violent crime in WA?
(2) Does the
Attorney General agree that if he had supported these laws over a decade ago
that violent crime, specifically knife crime, could have been averted?
406. Ms L. METTAM to the Attorney General:
I refer to comments that the Attorney
General made in 2009 regarding the Barnett government's stop-and-search
laws, labelling them as ''fascist'' and that he was totally
opposed to the concept of stop and search.
(1) Why after 15
years is the Attorney General finally considering the introduction of this
policy to curb record levels of violent crime in WA?
(2) Does the
Attorney General agree that if he had supported these laws over a decade ago
that violent crime, specifically knife crime, could have been averted?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) The stop-and-search laws proposed by the Barnett
government years ago involved stopping and physically searching the
pockets, clothing or anything of anyone walking through Northbridge or other
areas. The proposed laws are not stop-and-search laws; these are wanding laws.
These are the same sort of laws that exist at Perth Airport, under which people
get wanded. What was proposed before was a body search of people without having
any reasonable grounds to suspect that they were carrying anything unlawful.
What is happening here is a proposed
provision for wanding, which is not a search but may give rise to reasonable suspicion that a person has something of the nature of a weapon on their
person. That would then give the police the right under the Criminal
Investigation Act to conduct a search.
government years ago involved stopping and physically searching the
pockets, clothing or anything of anyone walking through Northbridge or other
areas. The proposed laws are not stop-and-search laws; these are wanding laws.
These are the same sort of laws that exist at Perth Airport, under which people
get wanded. What was proposed before was a body search of people without having
any reasonable grounds to suspect that they were carrying anything unlawful.
What is happening here is a proposed
provision for wanding, which is not a search but may give rise to reasonable suspicion that a person has something of the nature of a weapon on their
person. That would then give the police the right under the Criminal
Investigation Act to conduct a search.
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