The NSW Police has today executed 11 search warrants and three firearm prohibition orders resulting in the arrests of 14 people in relation to recent hate-filled, antisemitic attacks on our city.
We have said from the beginning - police will work around the clock to get to the bottom of these crimes and today those investigations have had a major resolution.
These arrests are the culmination of dogged, round the clock police work and we congratulate the Strike Force Pearl detectives who for months have worked tirelessly to investigate these crimes and identify those allegedly responsible to put them before the courts.
A huge amount of resources have been thrown at these investigations - the NSW Police Force stood up Strike Force Pearl to investigate hate crimes involving criminal activity and in January, police doubled the number of detectives attached to it.
There is no mistake that these acts have wrought fear and anxiety in our Jewish community and we will not tolerate this, not now, not ever.
Police will allege that those arrested today for the most serious of these crimes had criminal and financial motives. But nobody should be in any doubt, we have endured a summer of hateful, vicious incidents such as vile antisemitic graffiti attacks and many of these appear to have been motivated simply by nasty, racist hatred. We can never accept that. The NSW Government and NSW Police Force will remain vigilant and act swiftly to bring perpetrators to justice so as to eradicate this atrocious behaviour whenever it occurs.
