What is a Citizens Arrest?
When we think about someone being arrested, it’s usually by police or other law enforcement officers, but did you know that any member of the public is legally entitled to arrest someone else? Under NSW legislation, in certain circumstances, a...
The Fight Against Illegal Brothels: Sydney Councils Spying
Local councils in Sydney have reportedly gone to extreme measures to catch and close down unregulated brothels, including paying private investigators to accept sexual services. A number of private investigators are apparently regularly employed to go into suspected brothels which...
My Experience at Justice Action
By Law Clerk, Sakina Islam Endorsed by Ugur Nedim Prior to joining the team at Sydney Criminal Lawyers®, I was given the opportunity to intern at Justice Action and work alongside prisoners, academics, victims of crime, ex-prisoners and general community...
NSW Consorting Laws Upheld by High Court
A recent bid to have controversial NSW consorting laws repealed has been unsuccessful, with the High Court upholding the current legislation. Habitual consorting laws have been around since 1929, but were recently reviewed and updated to deal with an alleged...
Police Body Cameras could be used as Evidence of Domestic Violence in Court
The rollout of police body cameras was announced earlier this year. Although costing millions of dollars, the initiative has been greeted optimistically as a positive step towards reducing crime and police misconduct, and quickly resolving disputed versions of events. Police...
Keeping Your Friends Close? Police Incursions into Social Media
The case of Sondra Prince in the United States certainly provides food for thought on the issue of police powers. Utilising a real woman’s identification and photos (taken from her phone), the US Drug Enforcement Agency proceeded to set up...
Gun Laws and the Risk Posed by 3D Printing Technology
A new Senate inquiry is due to look at a number of different aspects of firearms manufacture, importation and regulation amid concerns that technology has evolved to the point where the law is lagging behind. There are also concerns over...
The zero-tolerance approach: do we really need to get ‘tough on crime’?
In 1989, President Bush proclaimed “The rules have changed: if you sell drugs, you will be caught, and when you’re caught, you will be prosecuted; and once you’re convicted, you will do time.” Many have declared the “war on drugs”...
What Happens When Individuals Commit Election Fraud?
Election fraud is a criminal offence that can have serious repercussions. When most people think about election fraud, they think about it in terms of political parties who fraudulently seek to obtain more votes than they are eligible for. You...
Fears Parents Using an AVO in NSW to Discipline Children
AVOs are not just for adults. Research commissioned by one of Australia’s largest community service organisations Uniting Care indicates that as many as three AVOs a day are being taken out against children, the vast majority of them for domestic...
