South Australian Consolidated Acts

SHERIFF'S ACT 1978 - SECT 9E

9E—General powers

        (1)         A security officer may, subject to the conditions of the officer's appointment, exercise the following powers:

            (a)         the officer may give a person on or within the precincts of the premises of a participating body reasonable directions for the purposes of maintaining or restoring security or orderly conduct at the premises or for securing the safety of any person arriving at, attending or departing from the premises;

            (b)         if a person refuses to comply with a direction given under paragraph (a) or a person on or within the precincts of the premises of a participating body is behaving in an unlawful manner, the officer may—

                  (i)         refuse the person entry to or remove the person from the premises or part of the premises of the participating body using only such force as is reasonably necessary for the purpose; or

                  (ii)         cause the person to be detained and handed over into the custody of a police officer as soon as reasonably practicable;

            (c)         the officer may assist in bringing a person who is in lawful custody to the premises of a participating body, or in taking a person who is in lawful custody from the premises of a participating body to a place at which the person is being or is to be detained;

            (d)         the officer may take into custody a person who is on the premises of a participating body and whose release on bail is revoked by the body;

            (e)         the officer may keep in custody a person who is on the premises of a participating body and who is in lawful custody or surrenders himself or herself into the custody of the body;

            (f)         the officer may, without warrant, arrest a person who—

                  (i)         escapes from the custody of a security officer; or

                  (ii)         appears to have escaped from lawful custody while on, or being brought to or taken from, the premises of a participating body;

            (g)         the officer may, at the direction of a participating body or a member of a participating body—

                  (i)         keep in custody any person who is to appear before the body and who is on the premises of the body;

                  (ii)         restrain a person appearing before the body or take other action for the purposes of maintaining or restoring security or orderly conduct in proceedings before the body;

            (h)         if specified persons are not entitled to attend proceedings before a participating body or the proceedings are not open to the public—

                  (i)         the officer may require any person on or about to enter a part of the premises of a participating body where the proceedings are being or are to be conducted to provide information reasonably required for the purposes of determining whether the person is entitled to attend the proceedings; and

                  (ii)         if a person refuses to comply with a requirement under subparagraph (i) or the officer believes on reasonable grounds that a person is not entitled to attend the proceedings, the officer may refuse the person entry to or remove the person from the premises of the participating body, or the part of the premises where the proceedings are being or are to be conducted, using only such force as is reasonably necessary for the purpose.

        (2)         A person who refuses to comply with a direction of a security officer given under subsection (1)(a) is guilty of an offence.

Maximum penalty: $2 500 or imprisonment for 6 months.