I am going into the city with friends on the weekend for the first time. They have told me that the police often stop them and ask them questions. I am a bit nervous about this. What sorts of powers do the police have when dealing with people in a public place?
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Answer by Jo Wilson, Macleod 3085 VIC
- Each state and territory has special laws that give police the power to do their jobs.
- Police must uphold the peace and ensure the safety of members of the public. To do this they are given special powers to deal with a range of situations that might happen in a public place. Police usually have the power to:
- give you a move along direction;
- detain you if you are drunk;
- ban you from a pub for a set number of hours;
- give you an on-the-spot fine for a public order offence; or
- arrest you and charge you with an offence.