Dale Mills, Sydney
The attack on civil liberties continues with a new riot squad being established in NSW as part of the Counter Terrorism Co-ordination Command. The difference between dissent and terrorism is becoming increasingly thin.
The Counter-Terrorism Command Centre, established in 2002, has a mission, according to the NSW Police website, "to provide a comprehensive and co-ordinated response to acts of terrorism or politically motivated violence". "Politically motivated violence" is police code for protests.
The Police Public Order and Riot Squad was established this January 1. The January 16 Australian quotes Deputy Police Commissioner Terry Collins as saying that the new riot squad would be backed up by 1200 riot-trained officers. This was the first time that the size of the new squad has been revealed.
Although the police point to the Macquarie Fields and Redfern "riots" as evidence of the need for a new riot squad, in fact the squad announcement was made after the anti-globalisation protests against the Forbes business leaders' conference at the Sydney Opera House on August 30, 2005.
The next day, NSW Police Minister Carl Scully praised the police crackdown on the protesters, even though many had been injured, and he endorsed the formation of a full-time state riot squad. On September 1, Police Commissioner Ken Moroney announced the formation of the Public Order and Riot Squad.
The plans for such a squad had obviously been set for some time, but Moroney was waiting for an opportune time to make it public.
The riot squad will have a core of about 50 police, backed up by another 1200. The squad will be fully operational for the 2007 APEC leaders' summit, which will include US President George Bush, set for Sydney, 2007.
The riot squad is led by the Kings Cross police commander, Superintendent Steve Cullen, the same officer who directed police security for the Forbes conference. The new riot squad is likely to use the NSW government's new "lock-down" powers, introduced in an emergency sitting following the Cronulla riots late last year.
These powers allow police to ban people, including journalists, from entering an area where the riot squad is being used. Out of the gaze of the media, serious human rights abuses could occur when the riot squad has been let loose.
From Green Left Weekly, January 25, 2006.
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