Published
Mon, May 29, 2017, 04:35
- Matty Bicket claims 15 officers entered the premises in an "over the top" operation that intimidated staff and customers.
A booker of Sydney nightclub 77 has criticised NSW Police for an "over the top" raid of the venue last Saturday night.
Matty Bicket, who was running the club on the night, explained the incident via Facebook, claiming 15 police officers and one sniffer dog entered the venue on the night of May 27th, resulting in a number of customers being "searched in inappropriate places in front of people." He also says the night's headliner, DJ Handsdown from Melbourne, "was searched and barred from the club for the evening" despite not being charged, rendering him unable to play.
Later, Bicket alleges police returned and "sat at the front door intimidating and acting as [Responsible Service of Alcohol] marshals, telling us who was intoxicated and dragging people out of the club yet again. The result of this? A bad taste in my mouth for over the top policing, a loss of income, and a pissed off promoter." Ultimately, he claims that no arrests or drug detections came of the operation.
He also says "one kid was apparently Tasered in the back alley for not complying." When contacted for comment, NSW Police indicated "information circulating regarding use of Taser is incorrect." They state that "police conducted a proactive operation, utilising a police drug detection dog, in the Kings Cross Local Area Command last night which lead to 13 drug detections. 9 of these were issued court attendance notices for drug possession and 3 issued a cannabis caution." The incident at 77 is not specifically mentioned.
Local anti-lockouts movement Keep Sydney Open also took to Facebook to comment on the raid, saying "just when a little confidence in Sydney's nightlife starts to build, NSW Police pull a stunt like this. We need to have a very serious conversation about police conduct and their use of taxpayer-funded resources."
Read Bicket's full Facebook post.