Published Tuesday, 26 August, 2008 at 02:01 PM
Minister for Police, Corrective Services and Sport
The Honourable Judy Spence
Spence: New laws to boost cross-border information sharing by police
Police Minister Judy Spence today introduced a Bill to bolster the ability of Queensland police to share offender information with interstate policing jurisdictions.
Ms Spence said: “The Police Service Administration and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2008 will allow our police to share vital information as part of the CrimTrac National Police Reference System.
“This system has been established by the Commonwealth’s CrimTrac agency with the support of all states and territories, to ensure police in every part of Australia can immediately access essential information about offenders and suspects.
“It also aims to reduce the ability of offenders to escape local police by travelling interstate.
"In the past, police trying to ascertain information about an offender's history from interstate had to place an individual request through their own coordination centres and wait for the information to be made available from the other jurisdictions.
"The national database will hold information provided from the individual systems of every state jurisdiction, enabling police across Australia to instantaneously view information in relation to an offender regardless of their state of origin.
“For example, if police are called to a domestic violence incident in one state they will be able to look up the offender’s details and see if they have a criminal record or domestic violence order against them anywhere else in the country.
"Other useful information police across the country will now be able to access includes weapons registration, behavioural warnings (i.e. violent towards police), warrants and orders and missing persons information.
"By enabling police across Australia to have immediate access to vital information from outside their jurisdiction, we are making it safer and easier for operational police officers to do their job of keeping the community safe.
“This system sends a strong message to offenders that the law does not stop at the border – and no matter where they go in Australia their police records will follow them.”
Ms Spence said appropriate safeguards are included in the legislation to ensure that only information crucial to operational policing is available on the national database. General information on witnesses and victims will not be included.
“This is about ensuring police in all parts of Australia have the information they need to detect, prevent and solve crime,” Ms Spence said.
“All Australian states and territories have agreed to participate in the National Police Reference System, with all jurisdictions expected to be fully operational by the end of 2009.
“Once the Bill is passed through Queensland Parliament, our police are expected to transfer information to the National database in October, with all officers in the state gaining access to approved information from other jurisdictions by the end of the year.
"When Queensland Police search an offender's name in the QPS QPRIME database, the system will provide information not just from the Queensland database, but also information provided to the national database by all other jurisdictions in Australia."
The bill also allows for the provision of approved information to alternate law enforcement agencies such as the Crime and Misconduct Commission, the Australian Crime Commission and Australian Customs.
Media Contact: 3239 6218
Ms Spence said: “The Police Service Administration and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2008 will allow our police to share vital information as part of the CrimTrac National Police Reference System.
“This system has been established by the Commonwealth’s CrimTrac agency with the support of all states and territories, to ensure police in every part of Australia can immediately access essential information about offenders and suspects.
“It also aims to reduce the ability of offenders to escape local police by travelling interstate.
"In the past, police trying to ascertain information about an offender's history from interstate had to place an individual request through their own coordination centres and wait for the information to be made available from the other jurisdictions.
"The national database will hold information provided from the individual systems of every state jurisdiction, enabling police across Australia to instantaneously view information in relation to an offender regardless of their state of origin.
“For example, if police are called to a domestic violence incident in one state they will be able to look up the offender’s details and see if they have a criminal record or domestic violence order against them anywhere else in the country.
"Other useful information police across the country will now be able to access includes weapons registration, behavioural warnings (i.e. violent towards police), warrants and orders and missing persons information.
"By enabling police across Australia to have immediate access to vital information from outside their jurisdiction, we are making it safer and easier for operational police officers to do their job of keeping the community safe.
“This system sends a strong message to offenders that the law does not stop at the border – and no matter where they go in Australia their police records will follow them.”
Ms Spence said appropriate safeguards are included in the legislation to ensure that only information crucial to operational policing is available on the national database. General information on witnesses and victims will not be included.
“This is about ensuring police in all parts of Australia have the information they need to detect, prevent and solve crime,” Ms Spence said.
“All Australian states and territories have agreed to participate in the National Police Reference System, with all jurisdictions expected to be fully operational by the end of 2009.
“Once the Bill is passed through Queensland Parliament, our police are expected to transfer information to the National database in October, with all officers in the state gaining access to approved information from other jurisdictions by the end of the year.
"When Queensland Police search an offender's name in the QPS QPRIME database, the system will provide information not just from the Queensland database, but also information provided to the national database by all other jurisdictions in Australia."
The bill also allows for the provision of approved information to alternate law enforcement agencies such as the Crime and Misconduct Commission, the Australian Crime Commission and Australian Customs.
Media Contact: 3239 6218