Australia Victoria State Melbourne Police Chief Declares Strict Rules Covid-19 Coronavirus Pandemic

Video Transcript:

In the last week we've seen a trend and emergency if you like of groups of people, small groups, but nonetheless concerning groups who classify themselves as sovereign citizens, whatever that might mean. People who don't think the law applies to them. We've seen them at checkpoints, baiting police, not providing a name and address. On at least three or four occasions in the past week, we've had to smash the windows of people in cars and pull them out of there so they could provide their details because they weren't telling us where they were going. They weren't adhering to the Chief Health Officer guidelines. They weren't providing their name and their address. We don't want to be doing that, but people have to absolutely understand. There are consequences for your actions and if you're not doing the right thing, we will not hesitate to issue infringements to arrest you to detain you where it's appropriate. As I say, it's not something we want to be doing, but it is what we will do and it has been occurring. This is clearly the biggest job, the biggest commitment that we have at the moment. It's the most important commitment for Victoria Police and that is enforcing the Chief Health Officer guidelines. I just want to very cap really briefly on what we're already doing because we have a significant commitment. We have Operation Sentinel, which is every day, 500 police officers out and about tasking, taking populist places, knocking on doors a whole range of things. We have Operation Sentinel, too, which is the vehicle checkpoints, eight vehicle checkpoints right around the restricted area, those permanent ones where we're checking the access and egress right throughout the state. We have Operation Shielding, 160 transit police officers, protective services officers, I should say, and 80 police officers from transit who are out there every day and they're making sure that there's public assurance, they're checking who should be in proper areas and they're enforcing as you would expect them to be doing so. In addition to that, we have Operation Ribbon as well, which is our family violence operation. So there's a whole range of different areas, including Operation Citeria, where we're helping enforcement at quarantine hotels. All up, we're seeing every day, upwards of around 1,500 police and PSOs out there enforcing as they should be. I've committed an extra 250 police and PSOs now to that already significant number. And on a daily basis, they will be enforcing throughout the day, but importantly of a night time as well. We will have now, because of the curfew, we'll have significant police and PSOs out there, not just in vehicles and doing, if you like, static checks, but we'll have vehicle checkpoints where we'll set them up at random places and keep rolling them around Melbourne. So the potential, the opportunity for someone to be detected, who isn't supposed to be out and about, is significant. Every police officer, right throughout organisation, in any patrol car, has a responsibility for COVID-19 enforcement, and that's what they'll be doing. Every one of them will be making sure that we're enforcing these new guidelines, these restricted guidelines. The curfew is obviously significant because we expect to see much reduced movement right around the state. In terms of discretion, which is a word we've heard a lot, we did give them a period of discretion there when we move to masks and other restrictions. That period of discretion is, you know, I've said it before, it's virtually closed. Of course, we can't be prescriptive for every circumstance, but it will only be in an exceptional circumstance, in an exceptional circumstance, that Victoria Police will be using discretion because we just have to stop this movement. We have to enforce the choke guidelines. The vast majority of people are doing the right thing, and for those who are, I thank you, but there is still a minority who aren't. We've given out a significant range of infringements, as the Minister has outlined 161 last night, 60 of those were for masks, for not wearing masks. And from our perspective, the people, the vast majority who are doing the right thing, need to understand for those who aren't, there is a consequence. There are consequences, and I want to be really clear on that. In the last week, we've seen a trend and emergency, if you like, of groups of people, small groups, but nonetheless concerning groups who classify themselves as sovereign citizens, whatever that might mean. People who don't think the law applies to them, we've seen them at checkpoints, baiting police, not providing a name and address, on at least three or four occasions in the past week. We've had to smash the windows of people in cars and pull them out of there so they could provide their details, because they weren't telling us where they were going. They weren't adhering to the cheat-health officer guidelines. They weren't providing their name and their address. We don't want to be doing that, but people have to absolutely understand. There are consequences for your actions, and if you're not doing the right thing, we will not hesitate to issue infringements, to arrest you, to detain you where it's appropriate. As I say, it's not something we want to be doing, but it is what we will do, and it has been occurring the last week. Particularly one incident, if I like to highlight the type of challenges that we're experiencing. Last night, a 26-year-old police woman was on patrol with another partner down in a Frankston area near the Bayside shopping centre. During that time, they approached a 38-year-old woman who wasn't wearing a mask. After a confrontation and being assaulted by that woman, those police officers went to ground and there was a scuffle. During that scuffle, this 38-year-old woman hit the head, smashed the head of the police woman several times into a concrete area on the ground. That behaviour is just totally unacceptable. That's someone who thinks they're above the law. They're not wearing a mask. They're approached and they're asked their reason why not. Then to react like that is just completely over the top. It's this type of irresponsible behaviour that we're going to address. That woman was taken back to the police station to was charged with significant offenses and bailed due to no criminal history. But nonetheless, it just goes to show how these things escalate from not adherence to the smallest things. The message is clear from me, and it's simple. We want you to stay at home. That's what the Chief Health Officer wants you to do. We expect you to adhere to the Chief Health Officer guidelines. If you don't, we will be enforcing those. We will issue infringements. We will arrest you. We will detain you where we have to. We now have significant if you like infringement, not powers, but in penalties in the infringements. For those who are not at home when they should be, when they should be self-isolating, when they should be quarantining and we conduct those checks, we'll issue those infringements. On that second occasion, you may all get a $5,000 infringement. Their significant penalties and so the expectation is the consequences are there for you and you must adhere. Having said that, the Minister has outlined briefly a number of, if you like, breaches that occurred last night and they continue to occur over the weekend, we saw Airbnb parties. Clearly, that's not acceptable. We saw people last night, someone who was driving to a bottle shop at three in the morning to get alcohol. That's not acceptable. We saw people going to McDonald's coming back from McDonald's after getting some burgers. That is not acceptable. There are consequences. We will enforce them and the window of discretion is virtually closed. Good evening. Australia has hit a grim milestone in the coronavirus pandemic. 201 people have now died across the country. Melbourneians were preparing for the worst. There were long queues outside shops as the Premier took drastic action. From 6pm tonight, I'm declaring a state of disaster. And with that, major changes to life in Melbourne. From 8pm tonight, a curfew will be implemented. So there will be a curfew across Metropolitan Melbourne from 8pm this evening. For the next six weeks, that curfew will be enforced between 8pm and 5am. The only exemptions for not being at home will be work, caregiving, medical and compassionate grounds. There's some shock and awe here for people to genuinely understand that it's a super challenging phase that we're in. Exercise will now be restricted to just one hour per day with one other person within five kilometres of home. Shopping will also be limited to just one person per household once per day within five kilometres of home. You cannot be out of your home for the purposes of exercise or shopping for the things you need and be more than five kilometres from your home. Stay at home means just that. Stay at home and when you are out of home, you must be close to home. You can never underestimate Australians and never underestimate Victorians and at this time they will rise to the most difficult of challenges. Once the state, all school students will revert to remote learning from Wednesday. Classes tomorrow will proceed as normal. Tuesday will be a pupil free day. Child care and kindergarten will be closed from Thursday with exemptions for vulnerable students and children of permitted workers. Our year 12 students, the only difference they'll see beyond learning remotely for this six week period will be that the gap, the general achievement test will move from the end of term three now to the start early term four. Weddings will be banned except for compassionate reasons. Funeral will be allowed with a 10 person limit and mourners are able to leave Melbourne for a regional service. All organised sport will be banned but restaurants and bottle shops will be allowed to open for take away. The arrangements in relation to intimate partners are unchanged. The arrangements in relation to shared custody are unchanged. The state of disaster gives police sweeping new powers. For all those who want to try and test the police powers, this now puts out of doubt. These rules are harsh but in the circumstances they do seem necessary to try and get a hold of this virus. The state's death toll climbed by seven to one hundred and twenty three. Three women in their seventies, two women in their eighties, one man in his nineties and one woman in her nineties all lost their battle with coronavirus. The state's death toll climbed by seven to one hundred and twenty three. The state's death toll climbed by seven to one hundred and twenty three. If we leave ours and you figure out this morning suggests we are frighteningly close to recording the worst season ever. Frighteningly close to recording the worst season ever. The state's death toll climbed by seven to one hundred and twenty three. The state's death toll climbed by seven to one hundred and twenty three. One people have now died. Two hundred and one people have now died. The vast majority of people are doing the right thing and for those who are, I thank you, but there is still a minority who aren't. We've given out a significant range of infringements as the minister has outlined 161 last night. Sixty of those were for mask, for not wearing masks. And from our perspective, the people, the vast majority who are doing the right thing need to understand for those who aren't, there is a consequence. And there are consequences. And I want to be really clear on that. In the last week, we've seen a trend and emergency if you like of groups of people, small groups, but nonetheless concerning groups who classified themselves as sovereign citizens, whatever that might mean. People who don't think the law applies to them. We've seen them at checkpoints, baiting police, not providing a name and address. On at least three or four occasions in the past week, we've had to smash the windows of people in cars and pull them out of there so they could provide their details. Good evening. Australia has hit a grim milestone in the coronavirus pandemic. 201 people have now died across the country. The state's death toll climbed by 7 to 123. The state's death toll climbed by 7 to 123. The state's death toll climbed by 7 to 123.