Long story short: Under the current “Contain and Negotiate” doctrine used in the
Lindt Cafe terror attack, Australian police snipers could have taken down the terrorist walking back and forth in their sight anytime, but instead they had to wait more than 16 hours until the first hostage is executed first before they can shoot-to-kill.
That will soon be changed when the new terrorism law takes effect in NSW.
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New South Wales Police who shoot terrorists dead will be protected by new laws
The NSW Government will introduce laws by the end of the month to ensure police are legally protected if they pre-emptively shoot a terrorist dead.
The changes were prompted by
the coronial findings into the 2014 Lindt Cafe siege, which were handed down last month.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the Government would accept and support all 45 recommendations. Some recommendations were that police be given extra powers.
The NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said police already have the power to shoot a terrorist dead in the circumstance like the recent London and Melbourne terrorist attacks.
But he said
there was a grey area around whether snipers during the Lindt Cafe siege would have had the legal ability to use lethal force before gunman Man Haron Monis had harmed any hostages.
Despite police snipers being positioned at three positions overlooking the cafe, they never fired.
Under the new legislation, the commissioner would be able to declare such an event a terrorist incident, which would authorise officers to take a pre-emptive kill-shot.
"I have to declare a terrorist incident first so it is not any every day power," Mr Fuller said.
Ms Berejiklian said previously announced legislation to tighten parole criminals with links to terrorism will also be introduced in the next session of Parliament.
"NSW will continue to have the toughest counter-terrorism laws in the country and we will now give our police clear protections if they need to use lethal force against terrorists," Ms Berejiklian said.
Police to get semi-automatic weapons
Mr Fuller also confirmed public order and riot squad police would be given military style semi-automatic weapons by the end of the year.
He said the exact type of weapon was yet to be decided as a tender process was underway.
Mr Fuller said at the moment he did not see the need for officers to be patrolling the streets with weapons as seen in London and Paris.
"It doubles our capability overnight in terms of our long-arm ability to respond to an incident."
Police Minister Troy Grant acknowledged some members of the public may be alarmed by the sight of the weapons.
"People may be confronted by it but I think the community ... understand this is the changed circumstances that we are in," Mr Grant said.
http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2017-...ice-shoot-terrorists-dead/8600618?pfmredir=sm
