How is the Government assisting police officers who work on undercover operations?
Mr CARL SCULLY: Our undercover police do terrific work, which is often dangerous, apprehending serious criminals. Unfortunately, that often involves police immersing themselves in the murky criminal underworld. Mr SPEAKER: Order! The Minister has the call. Mr CARL SCULLY: They need to do that to undertake what are more commonly known as stings. Controlled operations are vital for targeting illicit activity such as drug dealing, gunrunning and corruption. That is why the Government introduced the Enforcement (Controlled Operations) Act in 1997. That Act gives undercover police officers protection from criminal prosecution for acts committed in the course of a controlled operation. It puts in place tight accountability mechanisms for the approval and oversight of controlled operations and it removes any doubt as to the legal status of evidence obtained in the course of such operations. In short, that legislation enables law enforcement bodies to fight crime and corruption on the crooks’
