Police Powers and Responsibilities Act 2000

It is lawful for a watch-house officer who is authorised by a watch-house manager for the purpose of transferring a person in custody to use reasonably necessary force—

to transfer a person in custody from a holding place to another holding place; or

to ensure a person in custody at a court precinct appears before a court and is transferred to a holding place after the appearance, if the person is not otherwise released; or

to ensure a person in custody does not escape from lawful custody while the person is—

being transferred to a holding place under paragraph (a) or (b); or

being held in a holding place to which the person has been transferred under paragraph (a) or (b); or

in a court under paragraph (b).

Also, it is lawful for a watch-house officer who is authorised by a watch-house manager for the purpose of escorting a person in custody to use reasonably necessary force—

to escort a person in custody to a place other than a watch-house to enable the person to receive medical, dental, optical or other health related treatment; and

to escort a person in custody from a place where the person is taken to receive medical, dental, optical or other health related treatment to the watch-house; and

to ensure a person in custody does not escape from lawful custody while the person is being escorted to or from the watch-house and while the person is receiving any necessary treatment at the place to which the person is taken under escort.

The force a watch-house officer may exercise under this section—

includes force that is reasonably necessary—

to prevent someone else from helping the person in custody escape from lawful custody; and

to prevent someone the watch-house officer reasonably considers should not be given access to the person in custody from gaining access to the person in custody; and

does not include force likely to cause grievous bodily harm to a person or the person’s death.

In this section—court precinct means any land or building, or the part of any land or building, used for the purposes of a court of the State, including, for example, a court cell.holding place means a watch-house, court precinct or corrective services facility.