Election candidate Colin Shearing detained in Rundle Mall over knight costume

An election candidate has questioned why CBD police aren’t “catching our criminals” after he was detained by three officers who called his costume a public risk.

HE was a proverbial knight in shining armour on a crusade to defend small business and cut through the politician spin of the major parties.

Instead a $150 store-bought costume and rubber sword turned retail identity Colin Shearing’s state election publicity stunt into a showdown with police over claims he was a “public risk”.

The candidate for state parliament’s upper house said he was “detained” by police in the city last weekend while he was on the election trail dressed as a knight and carrying an imitation sword and shield.

He had earlier walked through Adelaide’s East End and Rundle Mall raising the metre-long blade urging voters to “defend local business” and help achieve the “Holy Grail of a seat in Parliament”.

Mr Shearing, 65, who is campaigning for the Defend Local Business party with Carol Haslam, said he was about to have a coffee at Gay’s Arcade’s Caffe L’Incontro when a police officer confronted him.

“He said ‘what are you doing this for’ and I said I am campaigning for the election,” the chief executive of the SA Independent Retailers said. “I gave him one of my brochures and he said I needed to identify myself.”

Colin Shearing in his $150 knight’s costume that led to a confrontation with police. Picture Matt Turner.

He said the officer told him there had been complaints that “I was a public risk” and that there were reports of a person with a “motorcycle helmet wielding a knife”.

“I was told the rubber sword was a dangerous weapon,” he said. “I’ve got a thin plastic knight outfit, a plastic sword and I’m a public risk?”

He said several officers arrived at the scene and “detained” him for 10-15 minutes.

“I’m thinking ‘surely they’ve got better things to do, like going out catching criminals,” he said, adding he gave the officers some election brochures and told them to vote for him.

He said he complied with an order to put away the sword and take off the costume.

SA Police confirmed officers were called to Gay’s Arcade about 1.20pm on Saturday, February 26 after reports of a man wearing a motorbike helmet and carrying a knife.

“On arrival patrols located a man dressed as a knight carrying a plastic sword,” a spokeswoman said. “The man was spoken to by police and was advised to put the sword away to alleviate any fear to the public. No further action was taken.”

“Police remind members of the community the carriage of articles which appear to be weapons, albeit may be harmless toys, does have the potential to create anxiety with the public and will likely result in police attendance.”

Colin Shearing says he would campaign again in the outfit...even if he gets arrested. Picture Matt Turner.

Caffe L’Incontro manager Federico, who declined to give his surname, said three police officers and two security guards spoke to a man in a knight’s costume for about five to 10 minutes.

“I didn’t feel threatened he wasn’t doing anything dangerous … you could tell it was a toy sword,” he said. “It was a big over-reaction by the police.”

Mr Shearing said his experience would not deter him from again suiting up.

“If they arrest me, go for it, that would be fantastic, let’s hope they do,” he said.