Queensland Consolidated Acts

POLICE POWERS AND RESPONSIBILITIES ACT 2000 - SECT 179P

179P Powers at missing person scene

(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—

(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.

(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.

(3) An authorised assistant for the missing person scene may also do a thing mentioned in subsection (1) .

(4) However, the authorised assistant may do either of the following things only if asked to do so by the responsible officer—

(a) enter the missing person scene;

(b) if reasonably necessary, enter another place to gain access to the missing person scene.