QLDIn ForceAct
Police Powers and Responsibilities Act 2000
sec.179PPowers at missing person scene
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### sec.179P Powers at missing person scene
The responsible officer for a missing person scene, or a police officer acting under the direction of the responsible officer, may do any of the following in relation to the scene—
enter the scene;
if reasonably necessary, enter another place to gain access to the scene;
perform any necessary investigation, including, for example, a search and inspection of the scene and anything in it for the missing person or to obtain information about the person’s disappearance;
open anything at the scene that is locked;
take electricity for use at the scene;
remove or cause to be removed an obstruction from the scene;
photograph the scene and anything in it;
seize all or part of a thing that may provide information about the missing person’s disappearance.
However, if it is necessary to do anything at the missing person scene that may cause structural damage to a building, the thing must not be done unless a Supreme Court judge issues a missing person warrant before the thing is done and the warrant authorises the doing of the thing.
An authorised assistant for the missing person scene may also do a thing mentioned in subsection (1) .
However, the authorised assistant may do either of the following things only if asked to do so by the responsible officer—
enter the missing person scene;
if reasonably necessary, enter another place to gain access to the missing person scene.
s 179P ins 2018 No. 20 s 27
(sec.179P-ssec.1) The responsible officer for a missing person scene, or a police officer acting under the direction of the responsible officer, may do any of the following in relation to the scene— enter the scene; if reasonably necessary, enter another place to gain access to the scene; perform any necessary investigation, including, for example, a search and inspection of the scene and anything in it for the missing person or to obtain information about the person’s disappearance; open anything at the scene that is locked; take electricity for use at the scene; remove or cause to be removed an obstruction from the scene; photograph the scene and anything in it; seize all or part of a thing that may provide information about the missing person’s disappearance.
(sec.179P-ssec.2) However, if it is necessary to do anything at the missing person scene that may cause structural damage to a building, the thing must not be done unless a Supreme Court judge issues a missing person warrant before the thing is done and the warrant authorises the doing of the thing.
(sec.179P-ssec.3) An authorised assistant for the missing person scene may also do a thing mentioned in subsection (1) .
(sec.179P-ssec.4) However, the authorised assistant may do either of the following things only if asked to do so by the responsible officer— enter the missing person scene; if reasonably necessary, enter another place to gain access to the missing person scene.
- (a) enter the scene;
- (b) if reasonably necessary, enter another place to gain access to the scene;
- (c) perform any necessary investigation, including, for example, a search and inspection of the scene and anything in it for the missing person or to obtain information about the person’s disappearance;
- (d) open anything at the scene that is locked;
- (e) take electricity for use at the scene;
- (f) remove or cause to be removed an obstruction from the scene;
- (g) photograph the scene and anything in it;
- (h) seize all or part of a thing that may provide information about the missing person’s disappearance.
- (a) enter the missing person scene;
- (b) if reasonably necessary, enter another place to gain access to the missing person scene.