Bollards, CCTV camera to be rolled out in Sydney’s east

Bollards and additional CCTV cameras are set to be rolled out in Jewish communities in Sydney’s east, as three councils band together in order to catch anti-Semitic vandals in the act.

Vile anti-Semitic graffiti attacks have spread to the city’s north west, with police investigating a series of hate slurs sprayed around Meadowbank.
It comes as three eastern suburbs have banded together to get bollards and additional CCTV cameras rolled out to enhance protection of residents in their area, including the Jewish popularion.

Meanwhile at least four separate Sydney locations across Meadowbank have been targeted since early in January, from construction sites to the local train station.

On Friday morning, police were called to a bike locker in the Bank St commuter carpark which had been graffitied with anti-Semitism words.

Sometime around January 7, a construction site on Constitution Rd was targeted and sprayed with vile language

“Die Israel die… f**king monsters,” a black wall was sprayed with.

Graffiti on a construction site in Meadowbank, discovered earlier in January.

The Daily Telegraph understands the word monster has features in all four graffiti attacks.

In the local community Facebook group, where the incident was first reported and then forwarded to police, locals said there was no place for such language in their “safe” suburb.

“Don’t bring hate to this beautiful suburb,” one local commented.

In a separate incident, residents in the city’s east discovered graffiti referencing the explosive-loaded caravan discovered at Dural, with a Vaucluse electrical box scribbled with the words “You wanna buy a caravan”.

“Eastern Suburbs Police Area Command are conducting an investigation after an electrical transformer box was graffitied on Old South Head Road, Vaucluse, on Thursday,” NSW Police said in a statement.

Anti-Semitic graffiti in Vaucluse.

There have now been more than a dozen anti-Semitic graffiti attacks across the city which police are investigating.

Police said increased patrols were being conducted in a bid to ward off any anti-social behaviour, including graffiti.

Bollards and more CCTV for eastern suburbs

Bollards and additional CCTV cameras are set to be rolled out in Jewish communities in Sydney’s east, as three councils band together in order to catch anti-Semitic vandals in the act.

Randwick, Waverley and Woollahra Councils have partnered to conduct a security audit at Jewish schools, places of worship, and prominent community areas in the next month, Randwick Mayor Dylan Parker told The Telegraph.

Mr Parker said the audit will aim to establish a standard level of security in Sydney’s east, including installing more bollards outside of synagogues and identifying gaps in CCTV.

The three councils are home to more than 265,000 residents, and have some of the highest Jewish populations in the country.

A council worker removes graffiti on the wall of the carpark at the Mount Sinai College in Maroubra. Picture: NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

The east has been a hotpot for anti-Semitic graffiti and firebombings — 13 of which have taken place across the city since November.

“The purpose of the audit is to identify if there are any security gaps and obviously with the rise of recent incidents, to ensure the community is safe, and most importantly feels safe,” Mr Parker said.

“We have engaged a security consultant and will be considering a range of different actions and measures, including setting up bollards and additional CCTV.”

“This is about ensuring there is not an inconsistent treatment of security at Jewish sites.”

Peter Wertheim Co-Chief Executive Officer of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry said the move was “welcomed”, and should be a step followed by the rest of the country.

“It will provide everyone with an improved sense of security, not just the Jewish community,” he said.

Police at the carpark in Eastgardens Westfield shopping centre after a spate of anti-Semitic graffiti in Sydney’s east. Picture: NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard

“The lesson of history is that acts of anti-Semitic violence might be directed at the Jewish people but very often the victims are just people who happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, so everyone is at risk.

“We need to see this type of approach nationwide, not just here in Sydney.”

Mr Parker said each council had already carried out individual investigations of the local CCTV networks to find weak surveillance points ahead of the first meeting this week.

A Waverley Council spokesman said the security audit will focus on risk assessments of current public crowd safety and Hostile Vehicle Mitigation measures, following “preliminary discussions with the NSW government about (developing) a regional approach … in light of the recent increase in anti-Semitic attacks”.

Randwick Mayor Dylan Parker.

Woollahra Council candidate Sarah Swan.

Woollahra Council Mayor Sarah Swan said the councils will consult with local police, faith leaders and community groups to identify the resources they need in the push for improved community safety.

With NSW Police bolstering security and patrols in Jewish communities in recent weeks, schoolchildren walked into Mount Sinai College on Friday morning as officers patrolled the gates.

“No child of tender years should be put into a situation where their basic sense of safety and security is undermined and that applies to children of any background,” he said.

“No child should be put through that and no parent should be put through that.

“This is demeaning our country in the eyes of the rest of the world, but more importantly, it is demeaning our country in our own eyes.”

Originally published as Bollards, CCTV camera to be rolled out in Sydney’s east