Review of the Police Powers (Drug Premises) Act 2001 - NSW ...

Contents
Preface ............................................................................................................................................................................. 6
Acknowledgements.................................................................................................................................................................... 7
Part One. Background.
Chapter 1. Introduction.............................................................................................................................................................. 9
1.1. Structure of NSW Police .............................................................................................................................................................9
1.2. Background to the emergence of the Drug Premises Act........................................................................................................10
1.3. The provisions of the Drug Premises Act .................................................................................................................................12
Chapter 2. Methodology........................................................................................................................................................... 15
2.1. Research approach ..................................................................................................................................................................15
2.2. The heroin drought....................................................................................................................................................................15
2.3. Research data and sources......................................................................................................................................................16
2.4. Research methods....................................................................................................................................................................17
2.5. Limitations in the data and sources that were available ..........................................................................................................24
Chapter 3. Legislative survey................................................................................................................................................... 27
3.1. The Police Powers (Drug Premises) Act ...................................................................................................................................27
3.2. Search warrants, drug search powers and other relevant legislation in NSW..........................................................................31
3.3. What similar powers operate elsewhere in Australia...............................................................................................................33
3.4. Drug move-on powers...............................................................................................................................................................38
Part Two. Drug premises
Chapter 4. Legislative survey................................................................................................................................................... 41
4.1. Drug premises search warrants................................................................................................................................................41
4.2. Applications for search warrants...............................................................................................................................................42
4.3. Recommendation......................................................................................................................................................................52
Chapter 5. The definition of drug premises in the Act and types of drug premises............................................................. 53
5.1. Indicia that define drug premises in the Act..............................................................................................................................53
5.2. Recommendation......................................................................................................................................................................55
5.3. Drug premises beyond reasonable doubt................................................................................................................................55
5.4. Audit of characteristics of drug premises ................................................................................................................................55
5.5. Indicia of drug premises in the Act ...........................................................................................................................................56
5.6. How many indicia were used to define identified drug premises...........................................................................................71
5.7. Types of drug premises ............................................................................................................................................................75
NSW Ombudsman
Review of the Police Powers (Drug Premises) Act 2001 3