ACT Policing has arrested and charged a man in relation to an alleged act of indecency in the presence of a child.
On Tuesday 18 September, police responded to the report of a man committing an act of indecency in the presence of a child near Lake Tuggeranong.
The child alerted their parents who videoed the man on a mobile phone then chased him away. The man didn’t approach or talk to the child.
On Monday, a 40-year-old man was arrested following the search of a home in Kambah, as a result of information provided by the child and his parents. The man has been charged with committing an act of indecency in the presence of a child and was due to appear in court this week.
He is the third man to face court as a result of Taskforce Tydeus, set up in response to a number of child approaches reported to police around the ACT. There have been 19 child approaches reported to police since February.
Police are reminding everyone to help children understand the importance of stranger safety and of reporting any unusual approaches to police immediately.
ACT Policing has also issued a reminder to the general public that if you become aware of an incident, or notice anyone acting suspiciously around a school or child, to contact police immediately, as the quicker the response to an incident of this nature, the quicker the area can be targeted and possible offenders located.
Lane filtering now permanent
After over three years of trialling, the ACT Government has announced motorcycle lane filtering will be permanently allowed on Territory roads.
The announcement was made ahead of Motorcycle Awareness Week, 13-20 October, and is hoped to increase safety by allowing motorcyclists to move quickly and safely away from congested areas of traffic.
Under lane filtering laws, motorcyclists are allowed to travel between stationary or slow moving vehicles, to reach the front of the traffic queue.
A trial of motorcycle lane filtering began in the ACT in February 2015 and included a number of conditions.
Motorcyclists were not allowed to filter at a speed greater than 30km/h, or in school zones, kerbside or in a bicycle lane.
The original conditions will still apply, as does an additional condition that lane filtering is not permitted in any 40km/h zone. This includes road works, school zones and city centres.
Learner and provisional riders are not permitted to lane filter.
Minister for Road Safety Shane Rattenbury said all road users need to be aware that motorcycle riders are allowed to lane filter.
“Drivers should always be aware and cautious of motorcyclists, whether they are lane filtering or otherwise,” he said. “Expect them to be on the roads, and be aware that they are smaller and sometimes move differently than other motor vehicles.”
Despite a greater awareness of the need to protect vulnerable road users, in 2016 three motorcyclists were killed on ACT roads, with 33 admitted to hospital; accounting for around one-third of the ACT’s road toll.
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