Page 2770 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 14 August 1991
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as such. But here, out of 2,060 people moved on and 19 arrests only, we have had only one complaint. I think that speaks volumes for the very fair and sensible way the police have administered this power, and, indeed, the very sensible attitude taken by the vast majority of people out of that 2,060 who were moved on.
If one looks through the four reports that are now before this Assembly, one will see instances of fights involving up to about 100 people. I think there was one out in Tuggeranong, which the police went to and broke up, which involved up to about 100 young people. Two gangs were broken up. The police used their move-on powers effectively there. If one goes through those police reports, one will see where a large number of especially potentially violent situations were stopped before they started. The power also has been used in other ways, such as intimidating situations at bus interchanges, which are one of the big concerns of people in our community, especially the frail, the elderly, the young, the people who cannot look after themselves. It has even been used, of course, in a domestic violence incident, Mr Speaker.
So, really, it has been a very effective power. It has protected the community. We have seen a decrease in the number of offensive behaviour and suchlike offences. A number of violent situations have been broken up. People involved in those violent situations often become victims, with their heads punched in, and there is damage to property. Also, the police, who have to go in and arrest for a substantive offence, often become the victims.
Mr Collaery quoted from Mr Dingwall, SM, in relation to one of his judgments recently. I would also quote from Mr Kevin Dobson, SM, a fairly recently retired magistrate who still sits in the Coroner's Court and who, when faced in the early 1980s with a whole spate of assaults against police, made the comment, "You don't join the police force to be a blue punching bag". Unfortunately, that is something which police all too often do become when they have to break up fights and get involved in arrests for substantive offences because a situation has got out of hand. The people involved not only injure themselves; they injure the arresting police as well. You really end up with all sorts of problems. In my nine years of prosecuting I saw that all too often in our Canberra courts.
That is why, not only from the community's point of view but also from the point of view of the potential offender, this power has worked very well. It has meant that out of 2,060 people only 19, who failed to move on, have been charged. About 2,000-odd people may otherwise have ended up in court on more substantive offences, and that is very important, especially for a young person who does not want any sort of criminal record when going for a job. It is a very sensible power and I would like to see it continued indefinitely.
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