Hundreds of people have protested against the new SA Police Security Response Section
Protesters gathered at Parliament House on Mooday night to denounce SA Police’s Security Response Section – arguing the team would make the public feel less safe, not more.
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Hundreds of protesters met in the city on Monday night to publicly reject the state’s new heavily armed anti-terror squad, capable of shooting suspects on sight.
About 300 people gathered on the steps of Parliament House from 5pm – the second event in as many days organised to oppose SA Police’s Security Response Section.
The SRS is a unit – which cost $9m to form – of up to 48 officers armed with semi-automatic rifles, pistols, tasers, batons and ballistic vests.
Protest organiser Tom Gilchrist said more firepower was not the answer.
“To have semi-automatic rifles parading through the streets, we think it sends a message of intimidation,” he said.
“A lot of people feel unsafe around the police and that’s rightly so. (We want) to see the police de-funded here and put those resources into other aspects.”
The SRS was announced last June but was launched by SA Police on Wednesday.
The presence of officers will be felt at major protests such as Black Lives Matter rallies, sporting events at Adelaide Oval, concerts, festivals and other significant gatherings of people or crowded spaces.
Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said the team was to work at events not appropriate for heavily armed STAR group officers.
He said the new capability means equipped police can be deployed at mass events where there is a potential for an incident involving mass casualties to occur.
An online petition calling for the “immediate disbandment” of the SRS was started last week and It now has more than 8900 signatures of support.
Ripley Newbold of Prospect started the petition.
The 26-year-old said the SRS is not necessary in Adelaide.
“This isn’t just a few fringe people who are against this idea, there’s very clearly a strong presence in the community of concerned citizens who are outwardly against this idea.”
Mr Newbold will take the petition to disband the SRS to Police Minister Corey Wingard when it reaches 10,000 signatures.