Heightened security leads to 38 arrests as Sydney NYE crowd numbers dip
Sydney was mostly on its best behaviour, but police still had their hands full on New Year’s Eve, including a man allegedly carrying a shisha pipe resembling a gun in Dover Heights.
The crowds may have been slightly down from usual, but more than a million revellers turned out to pack the foreshore for a New Year’s Eve with Sydney’s toughest ever security.
As Sydney is one of the first cities around the globe to strike midnight, all eyes were on the iconic harbour display as it paid tribute to the 15 lives lost just over two weeks ago in Bondi.
Police officers carry long-arm guns around the foreshore. Credit: Getty Images
Across Sydney, 38 arrests were made overnight, slightly up from 36 last year, including at least nine in the CBD for offences including assaults against police and affray.
In Dover Heights, police received reports of a man carrying around a gun, but when officers arrived at Caffyn Park they found a 19-year-old man with a shisha pipe that allegedly resembled a replica firearm.
He was charged with behaving in an offensive manner near a public place and granted bail. He is due to face Waverley Local Court on January 30.
Police also had their hands full with illegal fireworks, including an incident at Guildford that left a 12-year-old girl and a 14-year-old girl with minor injuries.
Sydneysiders were warned to expect heavily armed police officers crawling Sydney’s streets, but Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the security measures did not have an impact on people’s enjoyment of the event.
“It wasn’t very visible to me. I think the whole thing was managed really, really well,” she said.
Premier Chris Minns said earlier this week that police have flagged intentions to train more officers to use long-arm weapons.
The state opposition has called for an urgent review into the NSW Police’s long-arm weapons capabilities and specialist officer numbers to make sure those trained to use more powerful guns can be available at short notice.
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“Australia has changed since the Bondi terrorist attack and I think last night the New Year’s Eve event in Sydney was proof of that: the presence of long arms and riot police is a stark warning that frontline policing is being stretched,” opposition police spokesman Paul Toole said.
Crowd numbers were predicted to be slightly down from usual, although many vantage spots were still at capacity by noon on Wednesday. Revellers around the harbour joined in a moving display at 11pm, marking a minute’s silence and shining torches in remembrance of the 15 lives lost in the Bondi attack.