New bill aims to ban use of illicit drug bugs
PA Wellington The Misuse of Drugs Amendment Bill, at present before Parliament, will make it an offence for a private person to use or possess a jistening device. Anyone who intentionally intercepts any private communication by means of a listening device is liable to imprisonment for up to two years, if the legislation is enacted.
The bill was given a second reading by Parliament last evening, after being studied in detail during the recess by the Statutes Revision Committee. The Minister of Justice (Mr McLay) said that the bill was designed to protect personal privacy in an “orderly and methodical manner.”
He said that the Misuse of Drugs Amendment Act passed last year gave members of the police the right to use listening devices to help detect drug-dealing offences. However, the police required a warrant from a Supreme Court judge and
were subject, to other safeguards. Mr McLay said that the bill would create three new offences: the unlawful use of a listening device: the unlawful disclosure of a private communication obtained by the unlawful use of a listening device; and the unlawful offering for sale of a listening device. He said that the Statutes Revision Committee had expanded the provisions of the bill to cover not only an offer of sale of a listening device, but also an offer to supply, an agreement to supply, or possession for the purpose of supply.
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Press, 13 June 1979, Page 6
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243New bill aims to ban use of illicit drug bugs Press, 13 June 1979, Page 6
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