Police tactics under spotlight with Occupy arrests

City of Sydney Councillors have spoken out with increasing concern about policing tactics used against the Occupy Sydney movement.

Greens Councillors Irene Doutney and Chris Harris, Labor Councillor Meredith Burgmann and Liberal Councillor Shayne Mallard all expressed concern about increasing police power and the excessive use of force at demonstrations on November 7.

There have been 59 official arrests, 29 charges and 11 infringement notices related to the Occupy Sydney demonstrations. Many protesters have complained of being shoved to the ground with knees to their backs, trumped up charges and arrests occurring at night when little or no media is present.

Cr Doutney said she will look at putting a complaint to the New South Wales Ombudsman to investigate the heavy policing at Occupy Sydney.

“There has been appalling behaviour by police for such peaceful demonstrations,” she said.

“The police are almost a law unto themselves,”the Councillor said.

She said it’s a response of establishment towards a criticism of establishment.

“I’ve never seen something so undercover as this.”

Cr Mallard said while he rejects the protesters approach to politics he is alarmed by increasing powers of the police over the past five years.

He said he might also raise the issue with the NSW Ombudsman.

“It’s taking us backwards in civil liberties.”

He said he is concerned at how easily police officers use the charge term ‘resist arrest’ as a catch-all.

“This direction in policing started occurring under the Carr Government when he abolished the Police Board, created the riot squad and increased powers for the use of sniffer dogs.”

“Police need to justify their use of public resources,”he said.

“I was at a function with Clover [Mayor of Sydney Council] when the police brought the sniffer dogs through.”

Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP said the violence was happening on both sides.

On a rainy Wednesday night in November, police arrested three Occupy Sydney protesters from underneath an awning of the Reserve Bank of Australia in Martin Place.

Two were charged for trespassing after a complaint was made by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) to the police.

Occupy Sydney protester Darren Bloomfield, 44, said the police had allowed them to shelter in the same place all night.

“The police asked us to move but we weren’t protesting we were taking shelter from the rain,” he said.

“The RBA and police picked on us for political reasons, there were other people taking shelter from the rain too and they weren’t asked to move.”

Mr Bloomfield said the snowballing economic crisis is still happening and the police, acting under the orders of politicians, do not want Occupy Sydney to build momentum.

Another Occupy Sydney protester known as Lanz said police are enforcing laws that do not exist.

“Even very conservative people have been saying that we don’t necessarily agree with your message but agree with your right to protest,” he said.

“Come out of your houses and occupy because being complacent is only going to make it worse,” Mr Bloomfield said. “Rather speak out now than when it’s too late.”

By Glenn Lockitch