A trainee constable shot dead in Sunday’s Bondi Beach terror attack has been left blind in one eye, but questions remain about the experience and number of officers involved.
Jack Hibbert, 22, joined the police force just four months ago and was on duty Sunday night.
“While serving and protecting the community, Jack sustained two gunshot wounds, one to the head and one to the shoulder,” the 22-year-old’s family said in a statement.
“When the incident first occurred, Jack was on duty patrolling a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach, interacting with local residents. Jack was taken to intensive care, where he was intubated and underwent multiple surgeries. Although miraculously he survived, Jack’s injuries left him blind in one eye and he now faces a long and difficult recovery, requiring additional surgery.”
The other officer injured in the attack, Const Scott Dyson, had been posted to the Eastern Suburbs Police Area Command for 18 months.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said on Wednesday that at least three police officers were patrolling the park where the shooting occurred.
“My understanding is that NSW Police worked closely with CSG and noted that there were a number of Hanukkah events, including events in Bondi, North Bondi and Dover Heights,” Mr Minns said on Wednesday, referring to the Community Security Group, a private security initiative for the Jewish community.
“We have heard that there are approximately 20 New South Wales Police officers working in the Bondi area, including two detectives, and at least three officers were patrolling the park.”
Former federal minister Josh Frydenberg said on Wednesday that the event at the beach was not adequately protected.
“With nearly 1,000 people in a heightened threat environment, how could we have just three law enforcement officers who are ill-equipped to fulfill the state and federal government’s first and most basic duty to keep the public safe? We need answers, we need solutions, and we need action.”
NSW Opposition Leader Kerry Sloan expressed similar concerns, saying more clarification was needed about decisions to deploy police resources to protect Jewish events.
“For two police officers who ran towards danger and found themselves in a critical situation, we owe it to them and to our colleagues to ask what more they could have done,” she told ABC radio.
“The Jewish community is at very extreme risk. We knew this even before the events of the first day of Hanukkah, and we felt like they were sitting ducks, so there’s no blame here at this point, but we need to understand what more could have been done and why they weren’t protected.”
Responding to tough questions about police staffing and response times, the Prime Minister said on Tuesday that officers had acted with “courage and integrity”.
“They didn’t back down,” he said. “They engaged the gunman on a footbridge with a handgun. He had a long-range rifle, and NSW police officers were responsible for killing one of them and shooting the other, thereby saving the lives of many, many people.”
“Impossible mission”
Dr Vince Hurley, a lecturer in criminology at Macquarie University and a former New South Wales police officer with 29 years’ experience, said any concerns about the relative youth of the men were unwarranted and that not much would likely have changed in Sunday’s attack, which left the entire beach area in “chaos”.
“Regardless of the police experience, I don’t think the outcome would have been different had I been there, or even if any other senior police officer with many years of experience had been there,” he told the Guardian, noting that there were several hundred people in the area at the time of the attack.
“Even if we had 10 police officers, I think that’s an impossible order.”
Hurley said police officers working in the area when two men opened fire during the first-day Hanukkah celebration “will be as shocked at first as the guests who were there.” As soon as the attack began, the scene resembled an urban war zone, with officers making split-second decisions on who to help and who to engage on one of the nation’s busiest beaches.
“No amount of police training can handle a situation like this,” Hurley said.
NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon insisted police responded based on “the threat that exists at the time” and said officers were constantly moving around the Bondi area during Hanukkah celebrations.
Mr Runyon said on Wednesday NSW Police would “absolutely” consider whether front-line officers should have greater access to more powerful firearms.
“Part of what happens in an incident like this – and this is the most significant tragic incident we’ve had in a long time – is to review our policies, review our resources, and review the way we do things,” he said.
“Historically, NSW Police operations officers have only used handguns because traditional contact methods that required the use of firearms were at close range.
“What happened on Sunday changed that dynamic, and it’s important that as an organization we consider everything to keep our officers and the community safe.”
Hurley said that until now, regular-duty police officers had no access to long weapons like rifles because there was a risk that they could be overpowered and have their rifles pointed at the public.
“The risk of them falling into the hands of criminals is incredibly high,” Hurley said.
Mr. Runyon visited Mr. Hibbert on Wednesday morning and described the young officer as a “really positive young man” who has the full support of the agency. He said Mr Dyson had undergone further surgery and remained in a serious but stable condition.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family,” Runyon said. “It will be a long road to recovery for both officers.”
In Australia, support is available on Beyond Blue (1300 22 4636), Lifeline (13 11 14) and Griefline (1300 845 745). In the UK, it is available from the charity Mind on 0300 123 3393. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org.
