The WA Government has fired the first blunderbus shot in turning the March state poll into a ‘Law and Order’ election, CLA’s WA Director, Rex Widerstrom, told ABC Radio today. They propose a draconian tracking device plan for people released from prison after serving their time. But the scheme won’t stop people committing arson and creating bushfires, or stop domestic violence. It’s simply a bid to appear ‘tough on crime’.
The parties in the WA election in March have started their law and order auction, CLA’s WA Director Rex Widerstrom has told ABC Radio News.
He was responding to the ABC asking for Civil Liberties Australia’s comments on a suddenly announced plan to expand the mandatory wearing of tracking devicesto include domestic violence offenders and arsonists. The WA Government passed a law to make ‘dangerous sex offenders’ wear bracelets on release only last month – without including the two new categories.
Among Mr Widerstrom’s comments, he said:
Everyone wants to stop arsonists, but the police already have suspected (including paroled) arsonists under constant observation throughout summer, or supposedly they do in a plan introduced last year. CLA is not sure how tracking devices or bracelets are better than police observation: surely, the bracelets only tell you where the arsonist or other criminal has been at a particular time…after the fire is lit or the crime is committed. They won’t stop arsonists lighting fires, or burglars breaking into houses, and they won’t prevent domestic violence.
The Government introduced bracelets for pedophiles. Now they are planning to extend them to arsonists and others. When will the WA Government stop expanding this bracelet program? CLA wonders who will be the first MP to be wearing a bracelet in WA’s Parliament…and what the offence will be.
The announcement clearly appears to be the start of ramping up a law-and-order election. The Government makes a bid of bracelets; next the Opposition will come out with some other new draconian measure; then the Greens will bid up penalties for environmental misdemeanours. Where will it all end?…and West Australian have to live through the bidding up of ‘law and order’ for another six weeks!
It would be much more productive if the WA Government announced an inquiry into the state of justice in WA, to try to stop massive payouts for people jailed for years who are not guilty, and the mistakes made in police investigations and DPP briefs. And that announcement should be wholeheartedly supported by the Opposition, the Greens and anyone else standing for Parliament, Mr Widerstrom said.
I totally agree with the sentiment expressed in this article. Unfortunately, governments and in particular police do not usually accept that they make mistakes. NSW Police in particular regularly kill mentally ill citizens on the basis of self protection; charge people on the mere word of others and lie in court. What we need is a thorough reform of the Criminal Justice system along the lines conducted in the United Kingdom following the outrageous disclosures associated with the appeal of the Guildford four. A Royal Commission along the lines of the Fitzgerald Queensland Royal Commission into Police and government would be a start.