Originally Posted by
thadocta
AFP cannot act unless an offence has been detected. If an offence has been detected, they can then intervene, but if no offence has been detected, then interbention from the AFP is not possible. This is true of police agencies around the world, and is only right and proper, you cannot have police agencies interveining because they think an offence "might" be comitted.
From the
Metropolitan Police (London) website:
Section 60 Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, gives police the right to search people in a defined area at a specific time when they believe, with good reason, that: there is the possibility of serious violence; or that a person is carrying a dangerous object or offensive weapon.
ie Without an offence being detected.
I daresay, there are other police agencies
around the world with even less restrictions on how they can act, than the Met!