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"Members of the Commonwealth Press Union's (CPU) media freedom committee today warned that the bill risked stifling the media's right to cover crime scenes.

CPU chairman Tim Pankhurst said clauses that allowed police extremely wide discretion to close roads near crime scenes were too broad and were open to abuse by officers who wanted to keep the media out.

Police already had enough powers to protect crime scenes.

Mr Pankhurst, editor of The Dominion Post, said many police already failed to follow police general instructions relating to crime scene cordons and were overzealous in keeping media out.

In some cases police singled out reporters and photographers from other members of the public and told them they were not allowed near.

"We would like police procedure to acknowledge and give greater emphasis to the crucial and legitimate role the media plays in a democracy - it acts as the public's eyes and ears."

He said the mainstream media's existing rights should be recognised explicitly in either the bill or in police general instructions."