By Emily Contador-Kelsall
Greens MP David Shoebridge has urged for the “centuries of tradition of removing weapons from courts” to remain in place as the Police Association of NSW (PANSW) intensify calls for police witnesses to be armed in courts.
The PANSW slammed the Chief Magistrate and Sheriff’s Office last week for continuing to disallow armed police in courts. They brought forward several incidents over the past two weeks they said raised concerns over police safety. One of these incidents included a prosecutor being knocked out at the Downing Centre in Sydney’s CBD. Seven police were required to restrain the offender and court sheriffs took five minutes to arrive on the scene.
But Mr Shoebridge said if firearms and armed police had been added to any of the incidents PANSW listed, they would have been “far more likely to end in more violent and tragic circumstances”.
“It is very difficult to see circumstances where having a firearm in a packed court would make anyone safer, whether it’s the police, the public, the judges or the litigants,” he told City Hub.
“The Police Association is entitled to their opinion but we cannot have them seeking to bully the Chief Magistrate in NSW with threats of withdrawing witnesses unless police can be armed in their courts.”
The PANSW criticised Mr Shoebridge’s comments for being “hypocritical” and the association’s president Scott Weber said Mr Shoebridge showed “sheer contempt for police and their safety”.
“It just seems ludicrous that in courts the judiciary are not only not protecting themselves but they’re not protecting their staff and people that use the court system… it shows that Mr Shoebridge but also the judiciary are out of touch with the community sentiment and reality,” Mr Weber told City Hub.
“Reality is there’s imminent terrorist threats available and there’s also a lot of violent people out there that are willing to hurt the community and police officers.”
Mr Weber cited last year’s Martin Place siege and the “ongoing terrorist threat” as a further argument for police officers to have access to “all the arms and appointments to utilise all their tactics”.
Despite Mr Weber’s comments, Mr Shoebridge said police need to “understand their role in court is to be there as honest and truthful witnesses” and not as additional security, which is provided by the “well resourced” sheriff’s office.
Across New Zealand and the United Kingdom, general duties police do not have access to firearms, but “keep their communities safe, keep their streets safe and keep themselves safe,” according to Mr Shoebridge, highlighting that “NSW Police can safely participate as witnesses within our secure court facilities without also carrying a weapon.”
Although there is a state-wide ban on police being armed in courts, some magistrates make exceptions and can allow police to carry firearms.
A spokesperson for the NSW Police Force said officer safety remains an “extremely high priority” and they are confident the matter will be successfully resolved.
“The one thing that police don’t want is to say ‘look we could have actually stopped this incident if we had our arms in appointment’ and we’re getting so close to that point,” Mr Weber said.
