I was thinking the other day, “you know what this state needs? It’s more public groping.” Well lucky day, lucky day, Colin Barnett has decided to make that a reality. Mr Barnett has decided to give police the power to stop and search anyone, without probable cause, in designated areas. These areas will include entertainment precincts, like Northbridge and Fremantle, as well as beaches, like Mullaloo and Scarborough.
I can imagine Tourism WA’s new ad campaign. There will be smiley faces of families walking down the beach, through the city shopping, down along Northbridge towards a restaurant for dinner and dad will get stopped, pushed up against the wall, legs spread, as a smiling police officer pads him down in front of his shocked wife and kids, the screen will fade to black and the tag line will say “Come to WA, you’re safe in OUR hands”
“There will be cries of infringement of civil liberties but we make no apologies if we give law abiding people, families and young women, the freedom to go to places without fear for their safety,” Mr Barnett said.
Yes Colin, I’m a sure every young woman going out wants to be touched by police officers. I’m sure they’ll all be feeling much safer in the knowledge that the fingers of justice are abreast with the situation.
The biggest concern is if we don’t have fight for these basic human rights now, where does it stop? Under the proposed laws search areas will have a designated time and place. If the law passes how long will it be until the police won’t be limited to designated times and places? How about in your homes? What if Colin Barnett decides “law abiding people, families and young women” are so terrified that he will give the police designated suburbs, which they can enter homes, search people and all of their possessions, just in case a person might be breaking a law.
To the people who might say “If you’re not breaking any laws then you have nothing to worry about?” Well what about the humiliation of being searched in the street by the police like a criminal? Surely people who aren’t breaking the law do no want to be treated like criminals?
To find criminals the police should be conducting investigations; they should be finding facts to prove which people are committing crimes and then searching those people. If there isn’t enough police to do this work then hire some more. I for one do not want to live my life in fear that one day I might be detained, probed and prodded by a person in the street.
You can read The West Australian article here.
Who can we make our complaints to?
Colin Barnett
Premier; Minister for State Development
Address: 24th Floor, Governor Stirling Tower,
197 St Georges Terrace,
PERTH WA 6000
Telephone: 9222 9888
Fax: 9322 1213
e-Mail: wa-government@dpc.wa.gov.au
John Day
Minister for Planning; Culture and the Arts
Address: 13th Floor, Dumas House,
2 Havelock Street,
WEST PERTH WA 6005
Telephone: 9213 6600
Fax: 9213 6601
e-Mail: Minister.Day@dpc.wa.gov.au
Donna Faragher
Minister for Environment; Youth
Address: 10th Floor, Dumas House,
2 Havelock Street,
WEST PERTH WA 6005
Telephone: 9213 7250
Fax: 9213 7255
e-Mail: Minister.Faragher@dpc.wa.gov.au
Dr Elizabeth Constable
Minister for Education; Tourism
Address: 19th Floor, Governor Stirling Tower,
197 St Georges Terrace,
PERTH WA 6000
Telephone: 9222 9699
Fax: 9222 9288
e-Mail: Minister.Constable@dpc.wa.gov.au
1 Comment
October 13, 2009 at 11:52 pm
I will be writing my letter to the Police Commissioner and the Police Minister about how damaging this legislation will be to the relationship WA Police have with the community.
When citizens being to feel persecuted and targeted by Police the lines of communication sever and officers begin to be viewed as punishers instead of protectors.