A suite of laws involving reforms to support community safety have been passed by Parliament.
Minister for Police and Corrective Services, Mark Ryan said the laws included an enhancement of police powers to investigate serious crimes by enabling access to evidence kept on digital devices, such as mobile phones.
Mr Ryan said the reforms would also minimise the number of firearms in the community.
He said the raft of efficiencies would free up police to spend more time on the front line of law enforcement and crime prevention.
“As an example, the Bill amends the Oaths Act by enabling senior police officers to witness affidavits of other police officers in relation to proving the service of documents; affidavits used in bail proceedings and sworn applications made in compliance with the Police Powers and Responsibilities Act,” Mr Ryan said.
“This removes the necessity for police officers to locate a Justice of the Peace.”
The Minister said while this amendment alone had the potential to return more than 20,000 hours of additional officer time annually to the front line, Queenslanders could be assured that appropriate checks and balances and safeguards were in place.
“Another significant reform is the expansion of the circumstances where a Magistrate or Supreme Court Judge may issue a digital access order, requiring a person to provide a password or encryption code to enable police to access information stored on, or accessible from, a digital device such as a mobile phone,” he said.
“The Weapons Act has also been amended to streamline the operation of the permanent firearms amnesty,” Mr Ryan said.
