By Andrew Starke
A lawyer acting on behalf of pubs in Sydney alleges NSW police are overzealous in their enforcing of new liquor laws.
Security footage obtained by The Daily Telegraph and published today (Aug 17) shows an altercation between a police officer and the publican of Sydney’s Gaslight Inn.
The police are believed to have been conducting a routine inspection of the Darlinghurst premise when the disagreement occurred.
The footage shows the police officer pushing the publican although it is not clear what provoked the stand-off.
The Daily Telegraph said a complaint had been launched by the operator of the Gaslight Inn after he was physically pushed by an officer during a routine inspection.
Surry Hills local area commander, Superintendent Donna Adney, said an internal investigation had found no wrongdoing.
"This review included viewing the hotel’s own CCTV footage of the incident," she said. "The review was concluded with no case to answer by the police."
Lawyer David Sylvester, who represents the Gaslight and several other Sydney pubs, told the tabloid that police officers had clearly overstepped the mark.
"The behaviour of some police conducting hotel audits has been completely out of line," he said. "Licensees are legitimate businessmen who should not be treated any differently from other members of the community."
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