Out in force

ARRIVING at the site of the recent “confrontation” between anti-Roe 8 supporters and the police at Bibra Lake I shook my head in disbelief.

A team of heavily armed police in full kit with Tasers and so forth faced a verbal but orderly group of about 45 people including a number of seniors, a young mother with her baby, another with a young child, a woman in a wheelchair and an elderly gent using a walking aid.

What a formidable threat they presented.

I counted 20 police officers, including two on horseback, and seven police cars, while down the road, I was told, was a command post vehicle and extra officers.

I could accept all this if it was in response to a terrorist threat or even pursuing an armed escapee, but give me a break, all this manpower, resources and cost.

One wonders how the Police Minister can justify such a massive allocation of police resources to a small gathering of environmentally concerned community members.

REX SALLUR, Bibra Lake.