Factsheet: Confiscation of Property by police

‘Confiscating’ property means police taking away property that you own or possess.

When can police confiscate my property?

If police are conducting a lawful search, they can take:

• property that they have reasonable grounds to suspect was stolen
• property that they have reasonable grounds to suspect might provide evidence of the commission of a crime (eg. boltcutters)
• illicit drugs
• dangerous articles (eg. knives, firearms).

See also RLC’s factsheet on police searches