# Searches of detainees—screening procedures

> act-s252AA — as in force on 2026-06-04 — C2026C00232 · Compilation No. 171 — https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2026C00232/latest/text

252AA Searches of detainees—screening procedures
          (1) An authorised officer may, without warrant, conduct a screening
              procedure in relation to a detainee, other than a detainee to whom
              section 252F applies, for any of the following things on the
              detainee’s body, in the detainee’s clothing or in a thing in the
              detainee’s possession:
                (a) a weapon or escape aid;
                (b) a prohibited thing.










        (1A) An authorised officer may conduct a screening procedure under
             subsection (1) in relation to a detainee for a thing mentioned in that
             subsection whether or not the officer has any suspicion that the
             detainee has such a thing on the detainee’s body, in the detainee’s
             clothing or in a thing in the detainee’s possession.
          (2) An authorised officer who conducts a screening procedure under
              this section must not use greater force, or subject the detainee to
              greater indignity, than is reasonably necessary in order to conduct
              the screening procedure.
          (3) This section does not authorise an authorised officer to remove any
              of the detainee’s clothing, or to require a detainee to remove any of
              his or her clothing.
          (5) In this section:
               conducting a screening procedure, in relation to a detainee,
               means:
                 (a) causing the detainee to walk, or to be moved, through
                     screening equipment; or
                (b) passing hand-held screening equipment over or around the
                     detainee or around things in the detainee’s possession; or
                 (c) passing things in the detainee’s possession through screening
                     equipment or examining such things by X-ray.
               screening equipment means a metal detector or similar device for
               detecting objects or particular substances.