12 - Mandatory Networked ID Scanners in Nightlife Precincts Across Queensland, Australia: Key

The scanner can check and verify the validity of the ID, confirm the patron’s age, collate a record of who is entering the venue and at what time, and may retain an image of the patron (policies regarding image retention vary). [...] The Current Project The independent impacts of the Newcastle ID scanner scheme have not been evaluated, but a decline in the number of recorded assaults following the implementation of the scanner system was noted in advice supplied to the Queensland Government in 2017 (Ferris et al. [...] The majority of the commentary relates to the perspectives shared by informants with direct experience of ID scanners and/or the ‘on the ground’ issues that the scanners are intended to address: licensees and police officers. [...] Key informants from health and welfare backgrounds, and some who were included within the ‘other’ category, were more likely to raise concerns about privacy or the general level of surveillance in public and semi-public spaces: The next significant problem we’ve got is the privacy issues … Now, the legislation supports the sharing of private data and the collection of private data, so my personal. [...] Most of the commentary in favour of ID scanning came from those on the frontline—the licensees and police officers who directly interact with patrons and deal with offenders and who point to the benefits of ID scanners in deterring antisocial behaviour in and around venues, identifying suspects and solving crime.