Police safety orders are being issued unevenly around the country, the Auckland District Law Society public issues committee says.The committee has released a paper looking into the orders which have been in use since July. They orders can be issued by po
Police safety orders are being issued unevenly around the country, the Auckland District Law Society public issues committee says.
The committee has released a paper looking into the orders which have been in use since July. They orders can be issued by police in domestic violence situations and are like temporary protection orders, except the latter are issued by judges.
Committee spokesman John Cox said police were not trained to exercise judicial discretion but were doing so in using the orders.
"Police constables are not judicial officers. Should they be empowered to issue orders having the effect of overriding existing court orders, removing an accused from their home for period of five days, limiting freedom of association and depriving the person of their property rights?"
He said there were regional discrepancies in using the orders. During July 290 orders were issued, with only 10 in central Auckland compared to 38 in Wellington. In Canterbury the figure was 28, Manukau 30, Waitemata 40, Waikato and Bay of Plenty 36 each, Eastern District 29, Central District 21, Southern District nine, Tasman eight and Northland five.
Mr Cox said it was too early to reach any conclusions about the orders but said they did raise questions.
