Declared Public Precincts
What is a Declared Public Precinct?
A Declared Public Precinct is a strictly defined area that has been proclaimed to give certain powers to police to maintain public safety and order in that area.
Ongoing Declared Public Precincts
Where is the Declared Public Precinct?
The area to be a Declared Public Precinct is contained within the boundaries of:
- Northern boundary of North Terrace to western boundary of Montefiore Road.
- Western boundary of Montefiore Road to the southern bank of the River Torrens.
- Southern bank of the River Torrens to eastern boundary of King William Road (adjacent to the King William Road Bridge).
- Eastern boundary of King William Road to the northern boundary of North Terrace.
- Northern boundary of North Terrace the eastern boundary of Pulteney Street.
- Eastern boundary of Pulteney Street to the southern boundary of Grenfell Street.
- Southern boundary of Grenfell Street and Currie Street to the western boundary of West Terrace.
- Western boundary of West Terrace to northern boundary of North Terrace.
When is the Declared Public Precinct operational?
The Declared Public Precinct will operate:
- for a period of 12 hours from 6.00pm on each Friday and Saturday, commencing Friday 10 July 2026.
- for a period of 4 hours from 6:00pm to 10:00pm every Sunday commencing Sunday 12 July 2026.
- for a period of 12 hours from 10.00am on each Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, commencing Thursday 9 July 2026.
This declaration will cease to have effect at 11.59pm Saturday 9 January 2027.
References to boundaries identified by streets, roads or terraces for the purpose of this declaration will be taken to mean and include the area up to applicable building or fence lines, or the imagined projection thereof, on the relevant boundary.
Where is the Declared Public Precinct?
The area to be a Declared Public Precinct is contained within the boundaries of:
- Southern boundary of High Street to western boundary of Moseley Street, north to southern boundary of College Street, then west to the western boundary of St Johns Row, north to the southern boundary of the Stamford Grand Hotel, west along the southern boundary of the Stamford Grand Hotel to the eastern boundary of South Esplanade, south on the eastern boundary of South Esplanade to the northern boundary of Kent Street, taking a straight-line west to the low tide shoreline of St. Vincent Gulf
- North along the low tide shoreline of St Vincent Gulf to the northern most point at low tide of the breakwater (inclusive of Glenelg Jetty),
- The northern most point at low tide of the breakwater, to the northeast corner of the Holdfast Shores Marina (inclusive of Holdfast Promenade Plaza), east and north following the low tide shoreline to the southern boundary of King Street then east on King Street to eastern boundary of Adelphi Terrace
- South along the eastern boundary of Adelphi Terrace to southern boundary of Anzac Highway, west along the southern boundary of Anzac Highway to eastern boundary of Colley Terrace, south on Colley Terrace to northern boundary of Augusta Street
- East on the northern boundary of Augusta Street to the eastern boundary of Brighton Road including the northern boundary of Torrens Square
- Eastern boundary of Brighton Road to southern boundary of High Street
- Tram Stop 15:
- including the northern boundary of Dunbar Terrace from Brighton Road to Service Road
- from the northern boundary of Dunbar Terrace extending in a straight line along the eastern boundary of the tram line pedestrian crossing to the southern side of Maxwell Terrace
- the southern side of Maxwell Terrace to the eastern boundary of Brighton Road.
References to boundaries identified by streets, roads, or terraces for the purpose of this declaration will be taken to mean and include the area up to the applicable building or fence lines, or the imagined projection thereof, on the relevant boundary.
When is the Declared Public Precinct operational?
The Glenelg Declared Public Precinct will operate for a period of 12 hours from 3:00pm on each Friday, Saturday and Sunday night commencing on 16 October 2026, until 3:00am on 12 April 2027.
The Glenelg Declared Public Precinct will additionally operate for a period of 12 hours from 6:00pm on 31 December 2026 to 6:00am 1 January 2027.
What does this mean?
To maintain public safety and order, SA Police are able to do the following in the Declared Public Precinct:
- Conduct a metal detector search of a person and any property in their possession for the presence of weapons.
- Carry out general drug detection in relation to any person within the precinct.
- Order a person / group posing a risk to public safety and order to leave the declared public precinct.
- Ban a person who commits an offence of a kind that may pose a risk to public safety and order, or behaves in an offensive or disorderly manner within the precinct (for up to 24 hours).
- Remove children from the declared public precinct who are in danger of physical harm or abuse, behaving in an offensive or disorderly manner, or otherwise committing or about to commit an offence.
These powers give police the ability to issue expiation notices for offences within the geographic area or to issue barring orders covering the precinct. These are similar to, but in addition to, licensed premises barring orders.
If you are subject to any of the above, you are legally required to comply with the officer’s direction.
What are the maximum penalties involved?
A person who is barred, but enters or remains, in the Declared Public Precinct is guilty of an offence which carries a maximum penalty of $2500.
A person who is ordered to leave, but remains, re-enters, or attempts to re-enter, the Declared Public Precinct is guilty of an offence which carries a maximum penalty of $1250.
A person can also be issued with a $355 expiation notice (Expiation fee $250 + $105 Victim of Crime Levy) for behaving in an offensive or disorderly manner within the Declared Public Precinct.
A person who carries an offensive weapon or dangerous article within the Declared Public Precinct is guilty of an offence which carries a maximum penalty of $10,000 or imprisonment for two years.
Why was this introduced?
The changes to the Summary Offences Act 1953 were enacted to maintain public safety and order in a defined area for which there is a reasonable likelihood of conduct in the area posing a risk to public safety and order and that the area is reasonable having regard to the identified risk.
Declared public precincts will significantly enhance the ability of SA Police to appropriately manage conduct that poses a risk to public safety and order for members of the community using this area.