Top cop reveals intelligence sharing flaw after Bondi
A top counterterrorism police officer says Australia's intelligence agencies need to get on the same page regarding their level of information sharing.
A senior NSW police officer has accused federal intelligence agencies of sometimes being less than forthcoming with sharing information.
NSW Police Deputy Commissioner for Investigations and Counter Terrorism David Hudson fronted the Royal Commission on Anti-Semitism and Social Cohesion on Wednesday.
The second block of the commission hearings is probing the law enforcement and intelligence response surrounding the Bondi Terror attack on December 14.
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He said he has observed different agencies having different interpretations of the Protective Security Policy Framework in relation to what is allowed to be shared.
The framework is an overarching government policy that provides guidelines for organisations protecting their own information and people.
“From our perspective, we take a very open interpretation of the PSPF, and if there is risk or threat we will share information with other agencies,” Mr Hudson told the commission.
“But other agencies can, on occasions, not be so forthcoming.
“Getting information to the areas where it needs to be, in my opinion, should be the priority ... rather than relying upon the PSPF as a justification for not sharing information.”
Mr Hudson called for consistency across agencies in the application of the framework, saying he would support a formal review of the policy if required.
As a key-decision maker in protecting future events in the wake of the Bondi attack, Mr Hudson noted the police force’s use of long-barrelled firearms including high powered rifles had undergone a total overhaul.
A rapid response team known as the Armed Response Command will uniquely have access to long armed weapons while on patrol, taking a static guard role at events as well as mobile patrolling.
Mr Hudson said the environment for police officers had changed since Bondi.
“Obviously on the 14th of December, our police officers were placed at significant risk, being in a gun fight armed with nine millimetre Glocks against long arms,” he said.
“The availability of long arms on a more frequent basis is certainly a response to that - and also better protection of the community.”
The Armed Response Command will come into effect over the next 12 months, comprising 250 officers who will undergo 10 days of training in weapons and tactics.
Also on Wednesday, the man who wore a swastika-emblazoned T-shirt outside the royal commission during the first week of public hearings was banned from being within 200m of the premises.
Lawyers for Ian Minus, 68, fronted Manly Local Court, where his matter was adjourned until June 3.
Minus is charged with offensive conduct, knowingly displaying a Nazi symbol in public and causing a Nazi symbol to be displayed.
His bail conditions prohibit him from being within 200m of the commission’s headquarters in Sydney’s CBD and from promoting anti-Semitism in public or on social media.
