NEW powers to secretly search homes and computers of people suspected of crimes ranging from murder to organised theft are wider than those now used against suspected terrorists.
The new covert search warrants would give NSW police up to three years to delay informing targets they had carried out a raid on their property.
Standard search warrants, routinely issued by magistrates in closed hearings, require police to inform the target at the start of the raid. Last financial year lower courts issued about 6600 search warrants to NSW police and other law enforcement agencies - an average of 18 a day. Only about 300 applications were refused.
The proposed covert laws became necessary after the Supreme Court found in 2007 that three covert searches on a children's author suspected of drug offences had been unlawful.
The Council for Civil Liberties and the Law Society warned that the new laws could lead to an abuse of police powers and restrict the rights of citizens.
But the Premier, Nathan Rees, said: "If you are a serious criminal you should be very anxious. We now will have the power to enter your home without you knowing and collect evidence for subsequent prosecutions."
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