The Wire

The New South Wales Government has attempted to ease ongoing criticism of its response to the cronulla riots by releasing its post-Cronulla Action Plan for the state’s police force. Among the changes to be implemented is the doubling in size of the state’s riot squad – from 50 to 100 officers – who will have at their disposal 10 “rapid response” four-wheeled drives. While the NSW Government is desperate to clean up its image, some commentators wonder whether beefing up the police serves only to take the focus away from the underlying issues which motivate mass violence. Meanwhile, the NSW Police Association says the report doesn’t go far enough, and is calling for the state’s police force to grow by 3,000 officers in the next parliamentary term. The Secretary of the NSW Police Association, Peter Remfrey spoke to The Wire about the associations response to the recommendations, while criminologist Murray Lee from the University of Western Sydney outlined his concerns about over-policing.