Page 2891 - Week 10 - Thursday, 15 August 1991
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MR CONNOLLY: The bike patrols that were introduced by the Australian Federal Police in the early part of this year were certainly a good initiative and were actually quite successful in breaking into a fairly well organised cycle - if I can use that word - of robberies on the north side. People on pushbikes were knocking off a lot of videos and so forth and getting away through bike paths. No cars were seen because people were using pushbikes.
Police cycling around shopping centres no doubt would be an effective deterrent, but the problem is that the law is a blunt instrument in this area. We do not want to ban outright cycling in the precincts of shopping centres, and therefore a person who is cycling is not, simply by cycling, in breach of the law. All the police can really do is warn them if they are behaving irresponsibly, which unfortunately occurs occasionally. It is a good idea and, in terms of the normal beat patrols that the police are doing on the cycle patrols, I would expect that they would call in at the local shopping centres on the way. If they do not do that, I will raise it with Assistant Commissioner Bates.
The general idea of the cycle police is to raise the profile of the police in the community and, given that that is the goal, I would expect that regional shopping centres would be a prime area of activity for the cycle police. But it is a good idea.
Sportsgrounds - Emergency Telephones
MR STEFANIAK: My question is to the Minister for Sport. At Phillip District Oval there have been two deaths during matches - the first, in about 1983, of a football team member, and the second, only some 10 days ago, of a referee. In spite of the recent construction of the new stand, there is still no telephone that can be used in emergency situations such as the collapse of a referee or player. Will you be taking steps to rectify the situation, not only there but at all government-supervised sporting facilities, to ensure that appropriate emergency assistance can be called immediately in an effort to prevent future deaths at sporting events? It could also be user-pays, so that it does not cost anything.
MR BERRY: I must say that I am deeply disappointed that the former Alliance Government had not even thought about this matter and, if they had, that they had not done anything and certainly had not told us that it was an issue. There is no doubt that it is important for communication services to be available where people are likely to be injured. It is true that some sports are more prone to injury than others.
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