A proposed change would expand police powers in the fight against organised crime by allowing authorities to compel people suspected of having links to organised crime to provide access to their mobile phones. Under the proposal described by both outlets, a person could be required to disclose phone passwords or other access credentials, with penalties attached if they refuse. The legislation would carry a maximum jail term of up to seven years for non-compliance, according to the reports. The move is framed as a response to the role of mobile devices and digital communications in criminal investigations, where investigators may need timely access to information stored on phones. The coverage does not indicate that the proposal has been enacted, but instead describes it as a push that could see police gain additional legal authority in one state. The reporting is consistent that the central feature is a court-backed or legal-compulsion mechanism for phone access, aimed at organised crime cases, and that refusal or failure to provide access would be punishable.
Proposal would let police compel phone access in organised crime investigations
A proposed change would expand police powers in the fight against organised crime by allowing authorities to compel people suspected of having links to organised crime to provide access to their mobil...
- Police are seeking increased powers to obtain phone access in organised crime investigations.
- The proposal would allow police to compel suspected individuals to provide phone passwords or equivalent access.
- Refusal to comply would carry potential criminal penalties.
- The maximum penalty mentioned is up to seven years’ imprisonment.
- Both reports describe the measure as a proposed change in one state, not a confirmed current law.
Police in one state may soon have the power to compel those with suspected organised crime links to provide phone passwords or face up to seven years in jail.
3 hours agoPolice in one state may soon have the power to compel those with suspected organised crime links to provide phone passwords or face up to seven years in jail.
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