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Police on jail duty: Prison overflow

by: Kristin Shorten and Jeremy Pierce | From: The Courier-Mail | November 17, 2011 NOT SUITABLE: Watchhouses, designed for short-term remands, are being used to house prisoners as the state's jails run out of room, a situation condemned as bordering on cruelty. Source: The Courier-Mail POLICE are being pulled off the beat to supervise prisoners in watchhouses as the state's jails run out of room. Police Deputy Commissioner Ian Stewart recently met Queensland Corrective Services to voice concerns police resources were being diverted to prisoner care. He said Cairns, Townsville, Brisbane and Southport were under the most strain. “We probably haven't had this (overcrowding) problem to this degree in...

Courts Hardening on Schoolies Booze

PARENTS who supply alcohol to their children for the annual Schoolies festival face being fined and risking their child’s future, according to a prominent Gold Coast legal firm.

Criminal defence lawyer Bill Potts said courts were becoming increasingly unsympathetic to teenagers and parents who did the wrong thing.

Police Frisk Powers Will Scar Teens

You’re a teenager enjoying a Saturday night on the town – maybe planning to see a movie with friends.

Suddenly police stop you and demand answers to questions. Next you are being frisked in public by a gun-toting policeman. Welcome to Queensland if planned new police powers become law.

Steve Austin – 612 ABC Radio

Guns on the Gold Coast

Bill Potts

Gun licences on the Gold Coast have risen by 36 per cent over the past two years, nearly double the figure for the rest of the state.

There’s also been a growing increase in the number of gun related incidents.

Some say fear of growing home invasions is driving the rise in ownership while others point to an increase in criminal gangs. So what is it? Bill Potts is a criminal lawyer based on the Gold Coast.

Mayor commands email interception probe

Bill Potts speaks to Channel 9 about the decision by the Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) to execute a search warrant on a residence in Southport. The Gold Coast bat population needs to be addressed by DERM.