The police minister in Western Australia stated that entertainment areas should be safe and enjoyable places free from criminal activity. The state government’s crackdown on violent offenses in major entertainment areas led to the implementation of new laws in 2022. As a result, dozens of violent and anti-social offenders have been prohibited from accessing five Protected Entertainment Precincts (PEPs) in Western Australia.
Since the laws came into effect on Dec. 24, 2022, the police have issued 62 short-term bans to offenders, and the director of liquor licensing has imposed an extended ban of up to five years on two individuals. Additionally, 18 people were subject to a mandatory five-year ban after being convicted of specified offenses in a PEP. Western Australian Police and Gaming Minister Paul Papalia stated that the laws were making entertainment precincts a safer place for residents.
Under the laws, the police can issue exclusion orders of up to six months to people displaying disruptive, violent, or threatening behavior in prescribed precincts. The director of liquor licensing can issue extended exclusion orders of up to five years, and those convicted of violent or sexual offenses, including drink-spiking, will face a mandatory five-year exclusion. Violation of exclusion orders carries penalties of imprisonment and fines.
PEP laws were named in honor of Giuseppe ‘Pep’ Raco, a nightclub manager who died after an unprovoked one-punch attack in Northbridge. His family’s campaign to strengthen laws around violent offenses in entertainment precincts prompted the state government to invite them to help develop the new legislation.
While the state government claimed that PEP laws would make entertainment precincts safer, some questioned the necessity of such laws. Criminal defense lawyer Laura Willox expressed concerns over the ability of laws to prevent crime without addressing the underlying issues behind the offenses. Some law groups and advocacy groups raised concerns about the lack of oversight of short-term bans and the potential impact on homeless people.