Police blanket flashpoints (Sydney)
news.com.au
14th December 2005
HUNDREDS of police will keep a special watch on places of worship after a Sydney church hall was targeted in an arson attack that could be linked to racial unrest, New South Wales Premier Morris Iemma says.
Senior police today confirmed 450 police would continue to patrol Sydney's flashpoint suburbs tonight following a race riot at Cronulla on Sunday in which people of Middle Eastern appearance were chased and attacked.
The riots were followed by two nights of retaliatory "smash-and-bash" attacks in Maroubra, Cronulla and Brighton-le-Sands.
Police have described the unrest, in which dozens of people were injured and many others arrested, as the worst violence seen in Australia.
The Uniting Church hall in Auburn, which is next to an Islamic centre, was set ablaze about 1.30am (AEDT) today.
The attack followed an incident in nearby St Joseph the Worker Primary School in which shots were fired into cars and parents abused during a Christmas carols service.
Mr Iemma said today he was not aware of past tensions surrounding the church but said places of worship would be monitored by police.
"Special attention will be paid to places of worship, our churches and our schools," he said.
"Obviously, we have to be on guard for this and these hooligans and criminals will not destroy the fabric of our society."
Mr Iemma warned that a 500-strong anti-riot squad would be in force over summer to deal with race-fuelled violence.
He also said he had received this morning a draft of a bill - to be debated and almost certainly pbutted in Parliament tomorrow - giving police special powers to be used in the case of continuing violence.
It was likely the laws would have a sunset clause of two years, he said.
Under the laws, police will be able to lock down parts of Sydney and search and confiscate vehicles - measures aimed at ending night-time "smash and bash" raids by carloads of young Middle Eastern men.
Mr Iemma also welcomed the "swift justice" and the four month jail term given to a man who had been arrested during the recent violence.
"My advice from police is they are very happy with the sentence that has been handed down," he said.
Deputy Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said there was a "welcome respite" last night from the violence of past days.
But he said police would not be dropping their guard, with 450 officers on the street again tonight - although police numbers for next weekend had yet to be decided.
"I'd say this is the first time we've ever encountered this kind of phenomena anywhere in Australia," Mr Scipione said.
"We've got to look at this legislation.
"We'll look at it with a view of saying what is it that we can draw from the new powers that will allow us to be safe?"
Mr Scipione also said the State Crime Command was looking into the circulation of SMS messages calling for violence and whether they could be traced.
But he said police would have sufficient resources to cope with any flare-ups at Sydney's eastern and southern beaches
