Guns in Macquarie Street as Westminster rule is dropped
Sydney Morning Herald, Page: 3. Monday, 22 December, 2008
Armed special police constables have begun patrolling the corridors of NSW Parliament, breaking a Westminster convention that dates back to King Charles I which bans weapons from a parliamentary precinct.
The special constables replace the unarmed guards as part of a security upgrade following an ASIO report two years ago after the 2005 Bali bombings and an assassination threat against the former premier, Bob Carr, the same year.
A specially built armoury in Parliament will house the constables’ weapons when they are not patrolling.
The rule against carrying arms dates back to the English Civil Wars of the 1640s, in which a series of armed conflicts and political machinations took place between Parliamentarians and Royalists. King Charles I was eventually tried for treason and executed, while his son, Charles II, was exiled.
The last time a weapon was smuggled into Parliament was when the former police minister Carl Scully flouted the rules of the house and demonstrated a stun gun in the media conference room in 2006. The NSW Police Association demonstrated the use of the controversial weapon on a volunteer from the association, who was zapped by the 50,000-volt shock and fell to the ground screaming.
Mr Scully asked the then upper house president, Meredith Burgmann, for permission hut she declined, citing the rule against carrying arms.
Previously, if a police officer came to visit an MP, they have had to leave their arms in a special facility.
A Greens MP, Lee Rhiannon, said there was no place for firearms in Parliament.
“The current security staff has kept Parliament secure for decades and they should not lose their jobs to armed police constables,” she said.
“The Government has refused to reveal what weapons will he keep in Parliament and if Taser guns are on the cards.” Ms Rhiannon said armed special police constables patrolling the corridors of Parliament would not improve safety.
“Having armed guards inside the NSW Parliament could well increase the chance of incidents because people will find the sight of special police constables provocative,” she said.
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