Kellie Sloane
Leader of the Opposition
NSW Liberal Leader
Susan Carter
Acting Shadow Attorney General
Anthony Roberts
Shadow Minister for Police and Counter-Terrorism
This morning, the Minns Labor Government has voted with the Greens against giving police the power to conduct knife wanding operations anywhere, anytime, making the job of our hardworking police harder, not easier.
The NSW Liberals and Nationals moved an amendment in the Legislative Assembly which would have removed the bureaucratic requirement for police to make a formal declaration before commencing a knife wanding operation, while retaining the existing safeguards governing the exercise of those powers.
Leader of the Opposition Kellie Sloane said Labor had chosen bureaucracy over backing frontline police and making it easier for them to keep the community safe.
"Knife crime doesn't wait for paperwork, and neither should police," Ms Sloane said.
"Police don't have to tell motorists where RBT is being conducted because this would simply encourage drink drivers to avoid detection while failing to keep the community safe."
"Labor's insistence that police tell those carrying concealed knives where a wanding operation will be conducted helps criminals and fails to protect the community."
Acting Shadow Attorney General Susan Carter said Labor had sought to create a false choice between police powers and safeguards.
"Our amendment retained the existing safeguards governing knife wanding powers, including requirements for police to identify themselves and explain the search," Ms Carter said.
"The only safeguard Labor is really defending is unnecessary paperwork."
"Every day police exercise discretion across a wide range of powers. There is no reason to suggest they cannot be trusted to exercise the same professional judgement when deciding where knife wanding is needed."
"Arising from the inquest into the six knifing deaths at Bondi Junction, the Coroner recommended considering allowing wanding without any prior declaration in crowded places."
"Yesterday the Attorney General claimed the Government had accepted this recommendation – by considering this idea and then rejecting it. Instead the Government gave in to calls from groups that oppose wanding entirely by retaining the unnecessary, clumsy, declaration system."
Shadow Minister for Police and Counter-Terrorism Anthony Roberts said Labor's argument that police had already issued hundreds of declarations simply demonstrated the administrative burden was unnecessary.
"If police have already been required to make hundreds of declarations, that doesn't prove the process is essential. It proves they're spending time repeatedly completing paperwork before getting on with protecting the public."
"The question is simple: should police be filling out declarations, or should they be focusing on finding knives before they're used? Labor's answer is more paperwork.":
