Page 887 - Week 03 - Thursday, 30 March 2006
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powers to assist police to do their job, which the courts actually have to act on because they are the laws of the land. There is a lot more that can happen there.
One other thing that really concerns police in terms of their street role in dealing with the antisocial elements around shopping centres and Civic, Manuka and places like that as well is the fact that anyone can make a malicious complaint falsely against the police and nothing will happen. There is no deterrent against any ratbag out there complaining against police on totally spurious grounds. What I think we need there is a simple offence. That is something either the attorney or the police minister, I do not care who, could provide. If they really want to back up their police, they should make it an offence to make malicious complaints falsely against police. I think we have similar things elsewhere. The fine does not have to be huge. I think that it is usually 50 penalty units and/or six months imprisonment—something like that. I would encourage the government to do that.
Mr Corbell: I take a point of order. Mr Stefaniak is not focusing his comments on the matter before the Assembly for discussion; that is, the state of community policing of shopping centre precincts. Mr Stefaniak is making much broader comments about police powers. Whilst you would think that that is at least in some degree relevant, I think that it is nevertheless important that he confine his comments to the issue of community policing of shopping centre precincts. That is what Mr Stefaniak should be addressing in speaking to this MPI this afternoon.
MADAM TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mrs Dunne): I think that Mr Stefaniak is addressing the broader issues around community policing and I am sure that he is mindful of the actual wording of the matter of public importance.
MR STEFANIAK: I certainly am. I notice that the minister is getting tetchy. I will conclude my comments on that because I want to read out a letter in relation to the Red Hill shops from a 75-year-old woman who is encouraging the government to back the police force and give its members the necessary powers to do the job, including the thing in relation to malicious complaints about police which I mentioned. It was very sad to get the following letter, dated 17 March 2006:
My husband is 80 years old and I am 75. He has had a knee replacement and two detached retinas in his eyes and he has allergies. We have lived in Red Hill since 1961.
She talks about horror trips on the bus from Dalrymple Street to Woden, aggressive behaviour there, before going back to the issue at hand in relation to her local shops. She says she is too scared to catch the bus. The letter continues:
I have been attacked when out alone just going for a walk. Now I always carry an umbrella. We are scared to open our front door. We have had strangers on our property, the backyard and in our laundry. There is a lane beside our house. As for the Red Hill shops, well, we have seen people from the flats helping themselves and not paying as they left the IGA shop. We just stay at home as much as possible and our daughter helps us when she can. Since the last episodes at the Red Hill shops, we keep away from that area altogether. We feel like we are living in a prison. I am ashamed. I worry about all the shopkeepers. How must they feel? And the Red Hill Primary and St Bede’s schoolchildren. For heaven’s sake, do something. Please help us.
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