Police helicopter warning Sydney beachgoers to move on sparks debate

Footage of a police helicopter warning beachgoers in Sydney’s eastern suburbs about Covid-19 breaches has sparked a debate about cops being too lenient.

Footage of a police helicopter warning beachgoers in Sydney’s eastern suburbs about Covid-19 breaches has sparked a debate about cops being too lenient in certain areas amid the state’s current outbreak.

In the clip of Gordon’s Bay, shared to TikTok, a crowd of people can be seen walking on the footpath and beach without masks on (which are not required outside, with the exception of eight LGAs in Sydney’s west and southwest currently under tougher restrictions) while a police helicopter flies overhead.

“Have you ever heard a siren and warning from a police helicopter before?” the video is captioned.

An announcement can be heard from the helicopter, warning “those congregating in Gordons Bay” to move on or risk being fined for breaching restrictions.

“Local police have been notified and will be attending shortly,” the announcement added.

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@seeshots

Have you ever heard a 👮‍♀️ warning from a 🚁 before? #sydneylockdown#policeoperation#lockdownlife#gordonsbay#easternsuburbssydney#coogee#police

♬ Know Yourself - Drake

Users on TikTok were quick to comment on the apparent discrepancy in policing in the eastern suburbs compared to the southwest and west, as well as slam residents in the area for not taking lockdown seriously.

“This is why I don’t feel sorry for Sydney. Y’all doing this to yourself,” one user wrote, while another pointed out that “nobody” was a wearing a mask.

“Just need to lock them off until they start caring about others,” they added.

“Shouldn’t have even warned them, should have turned up and fined the lot,” said one person.

Can hear Police 🚁 above Clovelly telling people to move on and leave beach and go home + Gordon’s Bay. Headed towards Coogee now. Local police and sirens everywhere. @cokeefe9#sydneycovid

— Dave Stanley (@daveystan1) July 31, 2021

But i thought the police weren’t policing the eastern suburbs like they are south west Sydney? 😎

— Simon K (@SimonSaysSport) July 31, 2021

Clear avoidance of stay at home. I’ll just drive to the beach and hang out .

— Kevin Dustby (@KDustby) July 31, 2021

Footage of the helicopter also made the rounds on Twitter, with some remarking that the number of residents out showed “clear avoidance of stay at home” orders.

“But I thought the police weren’t policing the eastern suburbs like they are south west Sydney?” quipped another.

The NSW Government’s approach to restrictions across Greater Sydney have been under criticism since Premier Gladys Berejiklian invoked tougher measures on only eight parts of the city – despite the fact that LGAs like Bondi, where the current outbreak started, faced no such treatment.

“The areas of Sydney that are now facing the most punitive measures are largely home to work-class and ethnic minority communities, and there have been loud complains that the policy amounts to a huge act of racial profiling,” John Harris wrote in an op-ed for The Guardian’sUK edition over the weekend.

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Police patrolling at Coogee on the weekend to make sure people were following public health measures. Picture: Adam Yip

The heavier policing of Sydney’s west and southwest has come under criticism. Picture: Matrix

In mid-July, when heavier police surveillance began in Fairfield, Liverpool and Canterbury-Bankstown, Carmeli Argana wrote for Honi Soit that being labelled a Covid-19 hot spot had “made visible how normal it is for Southwestern Sydney communities to be persistently scrutinised”.

“With harrowing figures such as these, it’s clear that we have a responsibility to keep our communities safe by complying with the lockdown rules. But we also have the right to feel safe in our community,” Argana wrote.

“The spread of the virus in our area has already taken that away. There is no need for those fears to be compounded by extra police surveillance when there are more viable community-led solutions within reach.”

Experts and MPs in recent days have been calling on Ms Berejiklian to impose blanket measures across the entire Sydney Metropolitan region, slamming the frequently changing regulations as “confusing” and particularly difficult to understand for those who don’t have English as their first language.

Labor member for McMahon, Chris Bowen, called on officials to “make the rules as simple as possible”.

“Everybody wants to do the right thing. Ninety-nine per cent of people want to do the right thing, regardless of where they live, regardless of their background,” he said.

“We all want to get through this as quickly as possible. The simpler the rules are, the more consistent they are, the easier it is for people to comply with them.”