Minister’s safety pledge

NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley has reiterated her commitment to keeping the Jewish community safe.

The minister, together with her family and Deputy Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon attended Sydney’s Emanuel Synagogue last Friday to join the Shabbat evening service, four nights after demonstrators lit flares, burned Israeli flags and chanted “gas the Jews” at the Sydney Opera House.

“The most important thing is that the Jewish community in this city feel safe. And we will do absolutely everything that we can to ensure their safety,” Catley, who came under fire in the wake of the Opera House mob, said in comments exclusively to The AJN.

NSW Police launched Operation Shelter last week to ensure community safety. The operation will coordinate high-visibility policing operations at protest activity as well as oversee Strike Force Mealing, which has been established to further investigate any offences that may have been committed at last Monday’s protest.

“We have a very long history of working closely with the Jewish community to ensure safety in NSW. Daily, we work with the CSG and also the Board of Deputies just to make sure that we understand what’s happening within the Jewish community,” Lanyon, who is leading the operation, said.

“What I would like to think the community are seeing is a much more visible [police] presence.

“One of the messages that I would make really clear, NSW is a safe place.”

Last Friday, three men were charged after allegedly performing Nazi salutes outside the Sydney Jewish Museum in Darlinghurst.

A day earlier, a man faced court after allegedly threatening four teenagers in Bellevue Hill.

Lanyon called the incidents “completely unacceptable”.

“But what I would hope is that the community would have great confidence in how quickly the police have responded and the decisive action that has been taken.”

Asked if the police were receiving any specific intelligence of heightened threats to the Jewish community, he said, “There is nothing at the moment to indicate an increased threat.”

Synagogues were locked down last Saturday morning in Sydney’s eastern suburbs after an incident was reported in Vaucluse. Media reports suggested a selfie stick may have been mistaken for a gun.