NSW Police Is Chucking 100+ Extra Cops Into South-West Sydney To Check Why People Are Outside

NSW Police has confirmed it will be launching a major operation in Sydney’s south-west, upping the cop presence in the area to “ensure compliance with the public health order”, which apparently includes questioning people on why they’re outside of their homes.

The announcement comes as New South Wales recorded 38 new local cases today, with only 17 of those in isolation during their infectious period.

Assistant Commissioner Tony Cooke confirmed there will be over 100 police officers entering the south-west Sydney area, including mounted police and traffic patrols.

The operation, which kicks off from 7am on Friday morning, will involve police officers approaching residents and questioning them on their “reasonable excuse” for being outside during the stay-at-home orders, excuses which have been relatively vague for the duration of the Greater Sydney Lockdown.

When questioned on what constitutes a “reasonable excuse” in the eyes of the patrolling police (and whether going to “look at shoes” is a justifiable excuse), Assistant Commissioner Cooke said people need to be asking themselves if they really need to be out.

“They need a reasonable excuse to be out there,” he said.

“People need to ask themselves the question, ‘Do I need to do it?’ And quite often, the answer can be no.”

Considering there is no published list of what is and isn’t essential items under the public health order for Greater Sydney, it’ll be interesting to see how exactly police will be able to determine who is flouting the lockdown and who isn’t.

NSW Police’s big announcement this afternoon has copped a fair amount of flack on social media, with many people asking why this kind of heavy-handed approach hasn’t also been applied to other suburbs and areas where large outbreaks have occurred – like the eastern suburbs.

And as for how long this upped NSW police presence in south-west Sydney will last, Cooke said authorities will be active in the area “until the health advice is that we no longer need to.”

Image: Getty Images / James D. Morgan