The Police Association of New South Wales (PANSW) is dumbfounded by recent bail decisions on the Supreme Court of NSW.
Police Officers are bound by a Charter of Victim’s Rights and their oath of office; however, they seem to be the only part of the judicial system that even considers the victim.
Who is looking after the rights of the victim? The Minns government has, in a considered move addressing contemporary challenges, passed legislation in the public interest and the public have an expectation that the will of the Parliament will be implemented by the courts. Anything less is a subversion of the rule of law in this state.
No reasonable person in this state would accept a young offender, or for that matter any offender, being granted bail for the 5th time for serious offences against innocent members of the community who deserve better. To be violently attacked, even threatened with a weapon, in your own home goes to the heart of freefalling community safety.
The PANSW calls upon both sides of Parliament to hold a joint session to strongly reject the growing activism of some judicial officers in NSW. It should be reinforced that their independence is not a license to disregard the will of the Parliament.
No one in the judiciary will thank those who consistently flaunt their independence when Parliament is forced to remove that independence.
The public are sick and tired of being treated like this - the rights of the accused outweigh the rights of the victim in too many cases. One must ask how many times a Judge who has a “high degree of confidence” that a young person won’t reoffend needs to be proved wrong before they change their ways.
Victims in NSW deserve better, and it is time some Supreme Court Judges took their fingers off the scales of justice and found a real balance.
Police Association President Kevin Morton said, “even after all these years it’s amazing that I can be disappointed but still not surprised at the actions of these Judges.”