Council Ranger
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Council rangers are officers employed by local government areas in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
to enforce the
by-laws A by-law (bye-law, by(e)law, by(e) law), or as it is most commonly known in the United States bylaws, is a set of rules or law established by an organization or community so as to regulate itself, as allowed or provided for by some higher authorit ...
of those local governments and a limited range of state laws relating to such matters as litter control, animal control, dog laws, cat laws, bush fire control, off-road vehicles, emergency management, and parking. A Council Ranger is also referred to as Local Laws Officers in some of Australia's eastern states. General law enforcement duties are performed by individual State/Territory Police and the
Australian Federal Police The Australian Federal Police (AFP) is the national and principal federal law enforcement agency of the Australian Government with the unique role of investigating crime and protecting the national security of the Commonwealth of Australia. Th ...
. A Council Ranger/Local Laws Officer in Australia is the equivalent to a
Bylaw Enforcement Officer A bylaw enforcement officer (also called municipal law enforcement or municipal enforcement) is an employee of a municipality, county or regional district, charged with the enforcement of local ordinance—bylaws, laws, codes, or regulations enac ...
in Canada.


Duties

Rangers are responsible for enforcing off-road vehicle laws by patrolling bush lands, beaches and reserves to protect sensitive areas from unauthorised off-road vehicles use. A Ranger is only authorised in the Local Government Authority (LGA) District he or she is employed. However, it is not uncommon for a Ranger be authorised in another district as well. The Authorised Person/Officer can enter another district to investigate an offence under various Acts if the offence had originally occurred in the judicial district. In relation to Control of Vehicles (Off Road) Act offences a Ranger can pursue an offender into another district. Rangers are classed as a “Public Officer” under the Criminal Investigation Act (2004), which gives the same legal standing as a police officer, for the Act that the Ranger is authorised under. Often a Ranger will be authorised under the Animal Welfare Act (2002) as a Restricted General Inspector to deal with animal welfare issues not covered by the Dog, Cat and Livestock Acts. This is the same legislation that gives authorisation to the
RSPCA The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) is a charity operating in England and Wales that promotes animal welfare. The RSPCA is funded primarily by voluntary donations. Founded in 1824, it is the oldest and largest a ...
WA Inspectorate. The authorisation is only valid in the district the ranger is employed in. Unless they are also sworn as special constables, rangers do not have full police powers. Special Constable status is only applicable in New South Wales under the Police Act 1901. In most states it is legislated under various Acts as “Authorised Person” or “Authorised Officer” without the requirement to take an oath of office. In Western Australia, a Ranger is appointed by the LGA CEO and the appointment is advertised in the State Government Gazette. Training in Western Australia is at TAFE level. The minimum requirement is the study courses of “Municipal Law Enforcement Units A and B”. This can progress into the qualification of Certificate IV in Local Government (Regulatory Services)


Alternative titles

Some local government councils have various alternative titles for rangers being “Customer Advocates” (City of Swan) “Community Safety Rangers” (City of Stirling) “Community Ranger” (City of South Perth. Town of Bassendean) “Security Officer Ranger” (City of Bayswater) "City Assist" (City of Kwinana) and “Shire Ranger” (Shire of East Pilbara and various regional towns and shires)


References


External links


West Australian Rangers Association
Law enforcement agencies of Australia Government occupations Local government in Australia Law enforcement occupations {{Australia-gov-stub