Tough new laws to protect Police from stalking, threats and harassment

The Malinauskas Labor Government will this week begin consultation on tough new laws to create a new offence to stalk or harass a police officer or a member of the officer’s family.

While there are existing offences that cover stalking and threats made to police officers, they only cover such conduct when it is in relation to that officer's official duties, and not merely for the fact that they are a police officer.

Under the draft Criminal Law Consolidation (Offences Against Public Officers) Amendment Bill 2025, the new offence would have a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment.

The new offence and penalty would also apply to stalking and harassment offences committed against family members of police officers.

The draft legislation also seeks to create a specific aggravated offence to commit a violent or threatening crime against a police officer, knowing that person is a police officer.

The change would simplify existing laws, meaning prosecutors would be able to seek aggravated penalties without needing to prove the officer had been targeted during the course of, or in retribution for something that occurred during their official duties.

The Government is currently seeking feedback from key stakeholders - including SAPOL, the Police Association, and key members of the legal community – on the reforms.

The legislation builds upon the Malinauskas Labor Government’s significant investments in delivering police the tools they need to continue keeping South Australians safe, including:

• ADDITIONAL SWORN POLICE OFFICERS - $172 million over six years for for an additional 326 sworn police officers. Together with the expanded police motorcycle capacity and regional Police Security Officer (PSO) initiatives, there will be an additional 243 sworn police officers by 2028-29 and a further 83 by 2030-31.
• ESSENTIAL POLICE INFRASTRUCTURE - $31.1 million over four years to undertake additional sustainment works to ensure SA Police have the facilities and equipment they need.
• REGIONAL POLICE SECURITY OFFICERS - $29.6 million over three years for the expansion of the successful PSO model into regional areas, with an additional 98 PSOs and 2 sworn police officers across regional South Australia.
• ACCELERATED POLICE RECRUITMENT - $12 million over three years to continue the accelerated recruitment program by increasing the number of courses delivered by the SA Police Academy, engaging in recruitment campaigns, and improving vocational pathways.
• WORKFORCE CIVILIANISATION - $9.7 million over four years to facilitate the redeployment of sworn police officers into priority operational policing duties through the civilianisation of 20 support roles in SA Police.
• PISTOL REPLACEMENT - $6.8 million over four years to replace the current pistol used by police officers. The additional funding will be used to procure and roll out the replacement pistol as well as conduct associated training.
• STATE COMMUNICATIONS CENTRE BUILDING SUSTAINMENT AND SECURITY WORKS - $5.9 million over three years to support critical building sustainment and security works for the operation of the State Communications Centre.
• FUTURE INFRASTRUCTURE REQUIREMENTS - The State Budget includes provisions of around $200 million for future SA Police infrastructure requirements, including a new northern property store, Two Wells police station and other facilities.

Quotes

Attributable to Peter Malinauskas

South Australia is incredibly well served by the highly professional men and women of SAPOL.

We have a safe community and falling crime.

Our police officers have achieved this despite an increasingly challenging and complex environment.

The officers who keep our community safe, deserve the right to be safe when they turn up to work, and when they come home to family.

It is never ok for a police officer to be harassed or threatened for the work they do.

This proposed new offence, with a tough penalty of up to ten years in jail, will send a clear message.

Attributable to Kyam Maher

The Government is committed to ensuring that South Australian police officers who serve our community and keep us safe are also afforded that protection themselves.

Every day, police officers put their own lives at risk to protect ours, and these reforms serve not only as an acknowledgement of their commitment to protect South Australians, but as a clear warning to anyone who seeks to target them.

Attributable to Blair Boyer

Seeking to threaten, harass or intimidate the people who keep us safe is a type of offending that is simply beyond the pale and will not be tolerated by this Government.

By toughening the penalties for people targeting South Australia police officers and their loved ones, we are ensuring the laws are in line with what the community would expect for such offending, and what our law enforcement officers deserve.