[Greens-Media] (Sylvia Hale MLC) APEC Powers Have Gone To Police Commissioner’s Head

Christopher Holley Christopher.Holley at parliament.nsw.gov.au
Thu Sep 27 10:13:18 EST 2007


APEC Powers Have Gone To Police Commissioner’s Head
 
At the same time that Government and Opposition MPs were voting against
a motion to investigate allegations of violent behaviour by police
officers during the APEC protests, the NSW riot squad was allegedly
assaulting sacked workers and their families attempting to get their
redundancy entitlements from their employer at Seven Hills yesterday.
 
“Police Commissioner Scipione’s “new way of doing business” is
to use excessive police numbers and intimidatory tactics against any
group of people gathering in public to express dissent,” according to
NSW Greens MP and Police Spokesperson Sylvia Hale.
 
“The Police appear to have lost all perspective with the riot squad
now being routinely dispatched to even small gatherings of
protesters.”
 
“There have now been well-publicised allegations of assaults by
police on people involved in peaceful protest activity, including a
pregnant women, allegations of wrongful arrest of members of the public,
allegations of unlawful detainment, allegations of breach of operational
guidelines by police officers,” she said.
 
“There needs to be an urgent and independent review of these
allegations and the way police are acting in these situations.”
 
“That is why I moved yesterday to establish an independent inquiry
into police actions during the APEC period. These new allegations
against police demonstrate why such an inquiry is needed.  The actions
of police at Seven Hills yesterday should also be the subject of
independent scrutiny.”
  
“The Premier and the Police Minister have created this situation with
their alarmist and incorrect claims that their would be mass violence
during APEC and the draconian powers they granted to police for that
event.”
 
“APEC is over, the extra police powers have been revoked.”
 
“The Premier and the Police Minister must now act to rein in the
police and ensure that police actions are subject to independent
scrutiny. Internal investigations by the police are not
satisfactory.”
 
 Contact: Chris Holley    Ph: (02) 9230 3030 / 0437 779 546    


More information about the Media mailing list