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...
Demerit Points for Illegally Using Disability Parking Spots?
While the NSW government has been getting rid of speed cameras that aren’t preventing crashes, penalties for parking in disabled zones may get tougher, with the introduction of demerit points on the table. NSW Roads Minister Duncan Gay called the...
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...
Can Employers Discriminate on the Basis of your Criminal Record?
Your criminal record will hang around long after you have done the time, paid the fine or completed any punishment a court may hand down to you. Even minor offences like being caught in possession of one ecstasy pill or...
Young Lawyers in Sydney Struggling due to Influx of Graduates
Law students used to be able to have confidence in their prospects of getting a steady job as a practising lawyer after graduation, but these days it’s a little harder. Job market figures show that there is a glut of...
Police Move On Powers Penalise the Vulnerable: Review
The results of a review undertaken by the NSW Ombudsman into police powers to move on anyone who is drunk and disorderly has revealed that vulnerable people are being unfairly penalised under the legislation. The increased powers, which were granted...
