NSW police defend raids on LGBTQIA+ nightclubs as intelligence-led operation
NSW police conducted raids on Oxford Street and other Sydney venues, with patrons reporting feeling targeted despite police denying bias.
NSW police executed a late-night operation on Sydney's LGBTQIA+ nightlife district on Saturday. Officers entered 14 venues including several regularly frequented by queer communities.
Video shows more than a dozen officers and a drug dog entering one Oxford Street club. Patrons left in discomfort and some club-goers reported feeling intimidated.
They compared the operation to heavy-handed policing of the 1970s. The operation resulted in 28 drug detections and 12 fines.
Police Deputy Commissioner Peter McKenna rejected claims of targeting. He said only five or six of the 14 venues were LGBTQIA+ spaces and called community concerns "exaggerations and histrionics".
However, Member for Sydney Alex Greenwich and Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore referred the raids to the Law Enforcement Crime Commission (LECC). Similar operations occurred in June during Pride Month.
- 14 licensed premises
- Venues raided
- 28
- Drug detections
- 65
- People searched
- 12
- Fines issued
Why it mattersA community already wary of police scrutiny feels targeted, and the watchdog has been asked to investigate police conduct and priorities.
AustraliaNSW police face scrutiny over whether their operations disproportionately affect LGBTQIA+ venues and whether resources are being used effectively.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 9 d ago
