Man charged over police memorial vandalism, minister calls for ‘social harmony’

Also commemorated among the hundreds of names is Curtis Cheng, a civilian police employee who was shot dead outside NSW Police’s Parramatta headquarters by a 15-year-old in 2015. The force’s headquarters were renamed in Cheng’s honour in 2016.

“I’m just so appalled by it, I can’t believe someone could be so heartless,” Minns said.

The vandalism of the “sacred site” was the “lowest of acts”, Police Minister Yasmin Catley said.

Pressed on the recent spate of antisemitic attacks in Sydney, Catley defended the number of arrests made over the incidents, calling for “social harmony”.

“We use the words, but we actually have to be kind to each other,” she said.

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“We can’t continue to have this division in our community. We’ve been such a successful, culturally diverse community for so long.”

Webb praised the efforts of the strike force’s dozens of investigators, whom she said had relocated to a bigger headquarters because of the team’s size.

“I am certainly aware that they are making very good progress and as soon as we have an update we will make those announcements but I’m very pleased with the way the investigation is going,” Webb said.

Police will work with City of Sydney council to repair the damage and are asking for anyone with footage of the incident to come forward. It is not yet known whether the memorial can be repaired or will need to be replaced, Webb said.

The memorial wall was dedicated in 1999, and police and dignitaries gather there each year on September 29 to commemorate National Police Remembrance Day.

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