The scheme was introduced to improve public safety in Perth, Northbridge, Fremantle, Scarborough, Hillarys and Mandurah by allowing for people convicted of certain unlawful acts to be banned from entering those precincts for periods for five years. It also equipped Police with discretion to exclude people engaging in certain behaviors, who had not been convicted of any offence, for up to six months.

Parliament required the Ombudsman to independently examine and report on the scheme after three years of operation, including its impact on any groups particularly affected. Our first report was tabled  on 17 September in Parliament by the Minister for Racing and Gaming and is now available on the Ombudsman's website here.

We made seven recommendations aimed at improving the fairness, integrity and operation of the scheme, and will continue to monitor the operation of the scheme and report on progress in future reviews.