Police Service (Volunteer Police) Amendment Act 1992

Last updated

Police Service (Volunteer Police) Amendment Act 1992 No. 54
Coat of Arms of New South Wales.svg
Parliament of New South Wales
  • An Act to amend the Police Service Act 1990 to provide for the undertaking, on a trial basis, of certain aspects of police work by community volunteers. [1]
Passed24 September 1992 [2]
Royal assent 7 October 1992 [1]
Introduced byThe Hon. Edward Pickering MLC,
Minister for Police
Amended by
Automatically repealed on 31 December 1994 by virtue of section 91H of the Act. [1]
Related legislation
Police Service Act 1990
Status: Repealed

The Police Service (Volunteer Police) Amendment Act 1992 was an Act of the Parliament of New South Wales, Australia, establishing a trial of volunteer police officers in the New South Wales Police Service. [1] [3] Introduced to the Parliament by the Liberal Government, the Act was strongly opposed by the Labor Opposition and the New South Wales Police Association. [4]

Contents

The Act was automatically repealed by virtue of a sunset clause on 31 December 1994. [1]

Background

The United Kingdom and Canada have long histories of allowing volunteers to serve on a part-time basis alongside regular constables in their special constabularies and auxiliary constabularies respectively. The intention of the Police Service (Volunteer Police) Amendment Act 1992 was to adapt the principle of voluntary part-time police service for New South Wales. [2]

The volunteer police

The Act established the position of 'police volunteer' within the Police Service and collected these volunteers under the title 'the volunteer police'. [1] The Commissioner of Police was given the powers to appoint, discipline and dismiss police volunteers and also to determine their functions, with the requirement that police volunteers be under the supervision of police officers at all times.

Appointment as a police volunteer conferred on a person the same powers and privileges of a special constable appointed under the Police (Special Provisions) Act 1901, which gave the police volunteer the same powers as a constable employed by the Police Service. However, while the Commissioner could determine what weapons were to be carried by police volunteers, the Act specifically prohibited them carrying or using firearms.

Debate

There was much parliamentary debate on the Act. When the Opposition called a division, the vote was split evenly and the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly used his casting vote to resolve the matter in the affirmative. [5]

Support

Supporters of the Act - members of the Liberals and the Democrats - argued that volunteer police would build upon the community policing practices implemented by the Government, would augment police in the event of an emergency, and would allow members of the public to contribute to a cause which they felt strongly about. [6]

Over recent years the New South Wales Police Service has adopted community-based policing as its primary operational strategy. The proposed introduction of volunteers in policing is a logical extension of community-based policing.... the tradition of volunteer service to the community is a particularly strong one in Australia. However, the concept of using volunteers in policing is new to Australia. [2]

— The Hon. Edward Pickering MLC, NSW Parliamentary Hansard

Volunteer involvement engenders a sense of community, a connection between paid workers and the ordinary public with both committed to a common purpose. Furthermore, the experience of volunteers and their different skills enhance the quality of the service. [4]

— The Hon. Elisabeth Kirkby MLC, NSW Parliamentary Hansard

Opposition

The Labor Opposition, backed by the principal unions in the Police Service - the New South Wales Police Association, the Commissioned Police Officers Association of New South Wales, and the Public Service Association - was opposed to the Act. [2] Arguments against the Act revolved around concerns that police volunteers would not be sufficiently trained, experienced or equipped for police work, and that the Government intended on tricking the public into thinking there were more police officers on the streets than was actually the case. [4]

If the Opposition had the opportunity to name the legislation, it would call it the hobby bobby legislation... The public needs, deserves and requires an accountable, trained and professional Police Service; it does not need well-intentioned amateurs. [4]

— The Hon. Ron Dyer MLC, NSW Parliamentary Hansard

In another place Reverend the Hon. F. J. Nile asked what would happen if an armed holdup were to take place, as happened at Chatswood recently. In an instance such as that involving an unarmed volunteer, what would have happened? A bloke with a gun would come out of the bank and the volunteer would say: "Do not shoot. I am a volunteer. He is not a volunteer, you can shoot him. I am a volunteer, I have no gun". [5]

— Peter Anderson MLA, NSW Parliamentary Hansard

Successor scheme

In 1995, the NSW Police Service introduced a scheme called Volunteers in Policing which allows community members to assist police by performing certain non-core police duties. [7] Such duties are limited to community engagement and basic administrative tasks, with no law enforcement responsibilities or powers granted to volunteers.

Related Research Articles

Frederick John Nile is an Australian politician and ordained Christian minister. Nile has been a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council since 1981, except for a period in 2004. Nile was re-elected at the March 2007 state election and served as the Assistant President of the Legislative Council until 25 February 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Law enforcement in the United Kingdom</span> National law enforcement of the UK

Law enforcement in the United Kingdom is organised separately in each of the legal systems of the United Kingdom: England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. Most law enforcement is carried out by police officers serving in regional police services within one of those jurisdictions. These regional services are complemented by UK-wide agencies, such as the National Crime Agency and the national specialist units of certain territorial police forces, such as the Specialist Operations directorate of the Metropolitan Police.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New South Wales Police Force</span> Primary law enforcement agency of New South Wales, Australia

The New South Wales Police Force is the primary law enforcement agency of the state of New South Wales, Australia. Divided into Police Area Commands (PACs), for metropolitan areas and Police Districts (PDs), for regional and country areas, the NSW Police Force consists of more than 400 Police stations and over 18,000 officers, who are responsible for covering an area of 801,600 square kilometres and a population of more than 8.2 million people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Special Constabulary</span>

The Special Constabulary is the part-time volunteer section of statutory police forces in the United Kingdom and some Crown dependencies. Its officers are known as special constables.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avon and Somerset Police</span> English territorial police force

Avon and Somerset Police is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement in the county of Somerset and in four districts that used to be in the defunct county of Avon: Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dyfed–Powys Police</span> Welsh territorial police force

Dyfed–Powys Police is the territorial police force in Wales policing Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire and the unitary authority of Powys. The force was formed in 1968, with the merger of the Carmarthenshire and Cardiganshire Constabulary, the Pembrokeshire Constabulary and the Mid Wales Constabulary.

Gregory John Donnelly is an Australian politician, a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council since 2005, representing the Labor Party.

The Kew Constabulary is a small, specialised constabulary responsible for policing the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in Richmond-upon-Thames, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Police Act 1839</span> United Kingdom legislation

The County Police Act 1839 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was one of the Police Acts 1839 to 1893. The Act enabled Justices of the Peace in England and Wales to establish police forces in their counties. The Act was not compulsory, and constabularies were only established in 25 out of 55 counties by 1856, when the County and Borough Police Act 1856 made their provision mandatory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian Hunter (politician)</span> Australian politician

Ian Keith Hunter is an Australian politician, representing the South Australian Branch of the Australian Labor Party in the South Australian Legislative Council since the 2006 state election. Hunter served in the Cabinet of South Australia from October 2011 to 2018.

Matthew Ryan Mason-Cox is an Australian politician serving as President of the New South Wales Legislative Council since 4 May 2021. He is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council for the Liberal Party since 28 September 2006, with a short two-week stint as an Independent in May 2021. Mason-Cox was the Minister for Fair Trading between May 2014 and April 2015 in the first Baird ministry and served as Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia in the Legislative Council during 2014 and 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Ryan (New South Wales politician)</span> Australian politician

John Francis Ryan is a former Australian politician. He was a Liberal Party member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 1991 to 2007. He was the Liberal Deputy Leader in the Legislative Council from 2003 to 2007.

Franca Arena is an Australian politician and activist. She was a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 1981, first for the Labor Party then as an Independent from 1997 until she left the Council in 1999. Long recognised as a colourful and influential figure in New South Wales politics, Arena shot to national prominence in 1996 when, under Parliamentary privilege, she named retired judge David Yeldham and former New South Wales MP Frank Arkell as potential paedophiles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virginia Chadwick</span> Australian politician

Virginia Anne Chadwick AO was a Liberal Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 1978 to 1999. She was the first NSW female Minister for Education; the first female President of the New South Wales Legislative Council; and Chair and CEO of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul O'Grady (politician)</span> Australian politician

Paul Thomas Francis O'Grady was an Australian politician. He was a Labor member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 1988 to 1996 and was the first openly gay member of the New South Wales Parliament.

A special constable or special police constable can refer to an auxiliary or part-time law enforcement officer or a person who is granted certain (special) police powers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Pearson (politician)</span> Australian politician

Mark Anthony Pearson, an Australian politician, has been a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council since 2015, representing the Animal Justice Party. Prior to his election, Pearson served as the Executive Director, Animal Liberation based in Sydney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constitution Act 1902</span> Australian legislation

The Constitution Act 1902 is the founding document of the State of New South Wales, and sets out many of the basic principles of the Government of New South Wales. This act created the foundation of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches of the Government of New South Wales. Most of the Constitution can be amended through ordinary Acts of Parliament, however some sections can only be amended through a referendum of NSW voters.

The Parliament of New South Wales passed the Roads and Crimes Legislation Amendment Bill 2022 on 1 April 2022. The legislation amended the Roads Act 1993 and the Crimes Act 1900 to create new criminal penalties for protest activities. The incumbent Liberal-National Coalition Government introduced the Bill on the 30th of March 2022 to curtail the use of Non-violent direct action tactics by climate change protestors. The Parliament passed the Bill in the context of repeated disruptions to peak hour traffic on the Spit Bridge by Fireproof Australia activists and the use of Lock-on devices at Port Botany and in the Hunter Region by Blockade Australia. The NSW Greens and Animal Justice Party attempted to Filibuster the Bill in the New South Wales Legislative Council; however, the Government ultimately passed the legislation with the support of the NSW Labor Opposition.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Police Service (Volunteer Police) Amendment Act 1992 No. 54" (PDF). New South Wales Parliamentary Counsel's Officer. Retrieved 6 March 2008.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Police Service (Volunteer Police) Amendment Bill First Reading in Legislative Council". Parliament of New South Wales Hansard. Retrieved 6 March 2008.
  3. ↑ The New South Wales Police Service is now known as the New South Wales Police Force. 'Service' is used throughout this article as it was the correct name at the time the Act was in force.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Police Service (Volunteer Police) Amendment Bill Second Reading in Legislative Council". Parliament of New South Wales Hansard. Archived from the original on 24 March 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2008.
  5. 1 2 "Police Service (Volunteer Police) Amendment Bill Second Reading in Legislative Assembly". Parliament of New South Wales Hansard. Archived from the original on 24 March 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2008.
  6. ↑ "Police Service (Volunteer Police) Amendment Bill Second Reading in Legislative Council". Parliament of New South Wales Hansard. Archived from the original on 24 March 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2008.
  7. ↑ "Volunteers in Policing - NSW Police Force". NSW Police Force. Archived from the original on 30 May 2009. Retrieved 1 June 2009.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.