Law Enforcement (Powers and Responsibilities) Act 2002

A police officer may give a direction to a person in a public place if the police officer believes on reasonable grounds that the person’s behaviour or presence in the place (referred to in this Part as relevant conduct)—

is obstructing another person or persons or traffic, or

constitutes harassment or intimidation of another person or persons, or

is causing or likely to cause fear to another person or persons, so long as the relevant conduct would be such as to cause fear to a person of reasonable firmness, or

is for the purpose of unlawfully supplying, or intending to unlawfully supply, or soliciting another person or persons to unlawfully supply, any prohibited drug, or

is for the purpose of obtaining, procuring or purchasing any prohibited drug that it would be unlawful for the person to possess.

A direction given by a police officer under this section must be reasonable in the circumstances for the purpose of—

reducing or eliminating the obstruction, harassment, intimidation or fear, or

stopping the supply, or soliciting to supply, of the prohibited drug, or

stopping the obtaining, procuring or purchasing of the prohibited drug.

The other person or persons referred to in subsection (1) need not be in the public place but must be near that place at the time the relevant conduct is being engaged in.

For the purposes of subsection (1)(c), no person of reasonable firmness need actually be, or be likely to be, present at the scene.