DAVID OWENS, NSW ASSISTANT POLICE COMMISSIONER: I’m not embarrassed at all. What I am is I’m very angry that such a stunt like this would be pulled. We have 21 world leaders here. Whilst I enjoy, like everyone else, a good laugh, this isn’t funny.
The APEC conference is a big deal in Australia right now, and the security is serious. They’ve blocked off a major part of Sydney, implemented special APEC laws allowing extra search powers for the police, and even given everyone in Sydney the day off — just to keep people away.
Yesterday, a TV comedy team succeeded in driving a fake motorcade with Canadian flags right through all the security barriers and weren’t stopped until right outside President Bush’s hotel. Inside their motorcade was someone dressed up as Osama Bin Laden.
Observation:
APEC security is over-the-top stupid:
On the same day police won a court battle to stop protesters marching down George Street through the APEC security zone, it emerged yesterday that at least one cafe near George Bush’s hotel has been ordered by police not to set outdoor tables with silverware, lest it fall into the wrong hands.
And office workers in Bridge Street’s AMP tower have been told to stay away from the windows, draw the blinds and not to look at helicopters.
“The police basically just detained us and just checked whether we’d breached any laws – which we hadn’t – and we’re on our way,” he said.
“We had boxes, but it’ll all be on the Chaser, there was basically no problem.”
Chaser member Chris Taylor says all involved knew no laws had been broken.
“We didn’t do anything wrong at all, we were very careful to stay within the letter of the law, I think the police realised that so it was fine,” he said.
On Thursday, eight other members of the Chaser program and three hire car drivers were charged using new APEC powers for allegedly entering a restricted zone in real cars with Canadian flags.
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