Di Stasio Citta targeted in heavy-handed COVID-19 compliance check, police accused of ‘bullying’
Six heavy-handed police who ran a COVID-19 compliance check on an upscale CBD restaurant last week have been accused of ‘bullying’ and ‘intimidating’ staff, with authorities also targeting the restaurant’s two venues almost a dozen times this lockdown.
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Renowned restaurateur Rinaldo di Stasio has criticised police as heavy handed following a “raid” of his CBD restaurant to ensure compliance with current trading restrictions.
Six officers entered Citta on Spring St at 6.45pm last Friday to ensure the restaurant was trading as takeaway only.
“I’m not sure what six heavily armed police all entering as a raid can achieve? Terrorist hiding in the spaghetti al dente?” Di Stasio said.
Manager Mallory Wall said the heavy police presence was “about bullying”.
“There’s such an air of police state and dictatorship. Everyone is trying to do the right thing.
“It’s confronting. It was six police. Surely two is friendly, sociable, professional. How come it’s six? They walked past, it’s pretty obvious from the street there’s nothing going on except for waiters in masks waiting for someone to come in and order fish and chips on a Friday night.
“You can see in from (Treasury Gardens). It’s clear as day what’s happening (inside).
“It’s the numbers, two I can accept. Come say hello. But who are you trying to intimidate?”
Ms Wall said throughout the past six months of restricted trading city restaurants were often targeted by police.
“It’s a regular feature of city restaurants. The volume of officers and amount of times they came.
“DHHS came in 11 times altogether between (Citta and cafe di Stasio in St Kilda). Why weren’t they checking up at the hotels? It’s the thing with numbers. DHHS, liquor licence and police, we had 11 one Saturday night with five police standing outside.
“I get that they need to ensure everyone is playing by the same rules, but there’s a time and a place, not Saturday night at 9pm when we’re trying to trade.
“It’s about bullying. Counting 20 people is pretty easy from the street.”
She said the constant visits by police “was demoralising and confronting”.
“Everyone is trying so hard to do the right thing. Hospitality bent over backwards to comply, to over-comply.
“Where are you guys at 11am on a Wednesday morning coming in saying, how can we help? How can we educate the staff, what can we do? It was all the threat of a $20,000 fine. It was farcical.
“It seems to be more about ticking boxes and killing time and making people feel worse than they already do in these difficult times,” she said.
Di Stasio said despite the challenges, the hospitality industry was trying to stay positive.
“We need to be positive and hope the Premier has a proper plan to announce on Sunday.”
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