A probationary constable who was shot in Sunday’s terrorist attack at Bondi beach has lost the sight of an eye, as questions persist about the experience and numbers of police at the event.
Jack Hibbert, 22, was on duty on Sunday evening having joined the police only four months earlier.
“While serving and protecting the community, Jack sustained two bullet wounds – one to his head and another to his shoulder,” the 22-year-old’s family said in a statement.
“Jack was on duty, patrolling the Hanukah celebration interacting with the community at Bondi Beach, when the incident first occurred. Jack was taken to ICU where he was intubated and underwent multiple surgeries. Although miraculously surviving, Jack’s injuries have resulted in a loss of vision in one of his eyes and he now faces a long and challenging recovery ahead, with additional surgeries required.”
Another officer injured in the attack, Const Scott Dyson, had been attached to the eastern suburbs police area command for 18 months.
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, said on Wednesday at least three officers had been patrolling the park where the shooting took place.
“My understanding is NSW police worked closely with CSG noting that there were a number of Hanukah events, including events in Bondi, North Bondi and Dover Heights,” Minns said on Wednesday, referring to the Community Security Group, a private security initiative for the Jewish community.
“I am advised there were around 20 NSW police officers on duty in the Bondi area, including two detectives, with at least three officers patrolling the park.”
The former federal minister Josh Frydenberg said on Wednesday the event at the beach had been inadequately protected.
“How, with some 1,000 people here in a heightened threat environment, did we just have three police, ill-equipped to provide the first and fundamental duty of both the state and the federal government, to protect the safety of their citizens? We need answers, we need solutions, we need action.”
The NSW’s opposition leader, Kellie Sloane, echoed his concerns, saying more needed to be revealed about the decisions on police resourcing to protect Jewish events.
“The two police officers who ran towards danger and are in critical situations, we owe it to them, we owe it to their colleagues, to be asking questions about what more could have been done,” she told ABC radio.
“The Jewish community is at such an extreme risk. We knew this before the event on the first day of Hanukah. And I felt like they were sitting ducks, so no blame here at the moment, but we do need to understand what more could have been done and why they weren’t protected.”
The premier said on Tuesday, in response to robust questions about police resourcing and response times, that officers had acted “with bravery and integrity”.
“They didn’t take a backward step,” he said. “They engaged the gunman on the foot bridge with handguns. The offenders had long-range rifles, and New South Wales police officers were responsible for killing one of them and shooting the other one, and as a result, saving many, many people’s lives.”
‘An impossible mandate’
Dr Vince Hurley, a lecturer in criminology at Macquarie University and a former NSW police officer with 29 years’ experience, said any concern about the officers’ relative youth on the force was unwarranted, and probably would not have made much difference during Sunday’s attack, which threw the entire beach area into “chaos”.
“Regardless of the experience of the police, I don’t think if I was there, or other senior police with years of experience, I don’t think the results would be any different,” he told the Guardian, noting there were hundreds of people in the area at the time of the attack.
“I think it is an impossible mandate … even if there were 10 police there.”
Hurley said the officers on duty in the area would be “initially as shocked as the punters who were there” when two men opened fire on a celebration for the first day of Hanukah. As soon as the attack began, the scene would have been akin to an urban war zone, with officers making split-second decisions about who to help and who to engage on one of the most crowded beaches in the country.
“There’s no amount of police training that can deal with a situation like this,” Hurley said.
The NSW police commissioner, Mal Lanyon, has maintained the force bases its policing responses “on the threat that exists at the time”, saying officers were moving through the Bondi area at all times during the Hanukah celebration.
Lanyon said on Wednesday NSW police would “absolutely” examine whether front-line police officers should have greater access to more powerful firearms.
“Part of any incident like this, and this is the most significant tragic incident we’ve had in many years, is to review our policies, to look at our resources, to look at the way we go about doing things,” he said.
“Historically, NSW police operational officers have only used hand guns, because our traditional form of contact that we’ve had where we’ve had to use our firearms has been in close quarters.
“What happened on Sunday has changed that dynamic. And it’s important as an organisation we consider everything to keep our officers and the community safe.”
Hurley said in the past, general duty officers had not had access to long arms like rifles because of the danger that they could be overpowered and a rifle turned on the public.
“The risk of them falling into the hands of the offender is incredibly high,” Hurley said.
Lanyon visited Hibbert on Wednesday morning, describing the young officer as a “really positive young man” who had the full backing of the agency. He said Dyson had undergone further surgery and remained in a critical but stable condition.
“All of our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family,” Lanyon said. “For both officers, it will be a long road to recovery.”
In Australia, support is available at Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, Lifeline on 13 11 14, and Griefline on 1300 845 745. In the UK, the charity Mind is available on 0300 123 3393. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org
