SCRUTINY OF LEGISLATION

Press, Volume C, Issue 29498, 27 April 1961, Page 10

SCRUTINY OF LEGISLATION

“Rubß” Tactics Deplored ■A strong protest against •Ry policy tending to withdraw legislation from public scrutiny by “rush legislation” is,made in. the annual report of the Canterbury Council tor Civil Überties. “In the dying hours of the IMO Parliament, another Police Offences Amendment Bill was put before the House of Representives. This Bill dealt -with a further increase in police powers to arrest without warrant Under the legislation a constable may arrest without warrant not only any person whom he actually finds acting in a riotous manner in a public place but also anyone whom he! has good cause to suspect of having committed such an' offence. ' The traditional powers of arrest without Warrant are mainly confined to crimes subject to three years imprisonment or more and then only when the circumstances are such as to call for immediate arrest. "Hie extension of police powers; as granted by the new Act was all the more regrettable as there had admittedly been no deterioration in the situation of ‘juvenile delinquency’ to which the Act was supposed to apply. “The representations which weer made to Parliament by this council were, however, ignored and the Bill has now become law. “One of the reasons why more widespread discussion of this important piece of legislation was not possible was the rush with which the matter was handled. It is becoming one of the established routines of Government to put through during the last few days of Parliament, an unwieldy body of legislation which perforce eludes public—and even Parliamentary— criticism. “The overloading of the Parliamentary machine in the last few weeks of a session is a political technique which may well bring the whole Parliamentary system into disrepute.”