We want your help to stop the Criminal Investigation Amendment Bill 2009. This Bill is currently under review in the Legislation Committee, and will be brought before parliament in early 2010.
If passed, these “stop and search” laws will remove one of your basic civil rights. Currently if a cop wants to search you, the police officer must be able to show they had ‘reasonable suspicion’ that you may be concealing objects pertaining to a crime.
This legislation proposes to remove the requirement of reasonable suspicion.
Removing the need for reasonable suspicion opens the door for unreasonable searches.
If this law passes, you can be searched in whatever area the police commissioner decides needs to be targeted.
There will be no parliamentary overview - and no legal defence for victims. Perth, Northbridge, Fremantle and wherever else the Commissioner decides will turn into police-run zones where you can be stopped, searched, stripped and scrutinised at the whim of whoever is on patrol.
We respect police, and we understand that they have a difficult job. However, these laws will not increase safety.
Instead they will push the problem into different areas, decrease respect for police, and find nothing that the police do not already have the powers to find.
Are you ready to have your rights sacrificed for nothing?
You can help to stop this legislation!
- Write letters and emails to the Premier Colin Barnett, the Police Minister Rob Johnson or to your local MP. Click on the VOICE YOUR VIEWS link to see the addresses you can send your email to, or if you’re in a hurry send our form letter.
- Draft a submission to the Legislation Committee. Click LEGISLATION COMMITTEE to see how you can do this, and a draft of the submission on behalf of Search For Your Rights.
- Be informed about your legal rights and opposition to the bill. Click YOUR RIGHTS in the menu for links to Legal Services Australia, and WORK TOGETHER for other groups who oppose this legislation.
- STAY POSTED for future actions, protests and movements.
Search for your rights!
3 Comments
Question 31 is asking two things … it should be two questions.
after driving taxies in this town for ten odd years i would trust the bikeys before the cops ray oconner a clasic eg minister for police & all this ice around the cops must know alot more . i am of the apinoin the the press & the media are the protecshion between the polies & the police but the time terry willasee on a show called in perth two nite and tolled perth 178 james street & eltravatorie he was droped from the show after ray got in parlament & said ther was no gambling or prostation to the best of his knolage when there was about 50 brothels & 30 or 40 casenows
law & order ha ha