by: Gemma Jones
POLICE are censoring images of violent crimes to make the public feel safe on the streets.
Police spin doctors have issued a blanket ban on releasing photos of criminals carrying weapons during attacks.
Officers are also trained to play down violent incidents and public alerts are delayed by hours or days.
Experts said the first hours after a crime could be vital and the tight control of information meant some incidents were never solved.
Publican Peter Nellies, who had a gun repeatedly pointed at his head while his staff were held hostage for two terrifying hours, is angry about the cloak of silence police have thrown around the raid on his pub, the Bradbury Inn in Sydney's southwest.
It took 11 hours before a bulletin was issued, giving the criminals a long head start before the public were alerted. Even then, despite the extreme violence, it was described as an "incident" in which people were "detained".
The changes came about last year when police radios were encrypted to keep details of raids secret and the media unit assumed total control of all information released to the public.
Since then, carjackings have been described as "concerns for welfare", a violent robbery and shooting at Wentworthville was played down and the Lin family murder was kept secret for five hours before it was released as a "domestic related" incident.
Do you have footage of a crime that's not been made public? Tell us below
The last time the media unit released images of a victim being terrorised with a weapon was in February 2005.
The photograph of a commuter with a gun to his head in a daytime mugging at Harris Park train station appeared on the front page of The Daily Telegraph.
Since then The Daily Telegraph has obtained similar frightening images taken during a Parramatta jewellery shop heist and a pub robbery at St Leonards but now even victims are being discouraged from releasing security camera vision.
Police media advisers have admitted they would never release such photos due to a "protocol" that prevents the release of images showing the commission of a crime.
Former police officer Tim Priest said: "I have been complaining about the police media unit for years. Basically what it is is censorship.
"It is not letting the public know there are dangerous offenders running around doing these sorts of things."
University of Western Sydney Bachelor of Policing degree co-ordinator Dr Mike Kennedy said the media unit was an extension of government. "They are more interested in doing the bidding of the Government," Dr Kennedy said.
A spokesman for Police Minister Tony Kelly denied there was a policy to censor or sanitise images or information about serious crimes.
POLICE are censoring images of violent crimes to make the public feel safe on the streets.
Police spin doctors have issued a blanket ban on releasing photos of criminals carrying weapons during attacks.
Officers are also trained to play down violent incidents and public alerts are delayed by hours or days.
Experts said the first hours after a crime could be vital and the tight control of information meant some incidents were never solved.
Publican Peter Nellies, who had a gun repeatedly pointed at his head while his staff were held hostage for two terrifying hours, is angry about the cloak of silence police have thrown around the raid on his pub, the Bradbury Inn in Sydney's southwest.
It took 11 hours before a bulletin was issued, giving the criminals a long head start before the public were alerted. Even then, despite the extreme violence, it was described as an "incident" in which people were "detained".
The changes came about last year when police radios were encrypted to keep details of raids secret and the media unit assumed total control of all information released to the public.
Since then, carjackings have been described as "concerns for welfare", a violent robbery and shooting at Wentworthville was played down and the Lin family murder was kept secret for five hours before it was released as a "domestic related" incident.
Do you have footage of a crime that's not been made public? Tell us below
The last time the media unit released images of a victim being terrorised with a weapon was in February 2005.
The photograph of a commuter with a gun to his head in a daytime mugging at Harris Park train station appeared on the front page of The Daily Telegraph.
Since then The Daily Telegraph has obtained similar frightening images taken during a Parramatta jewellery shop heist and a pub robbery at St Leonards but now even victims are being discouraged from releasing security camera vision.
Police media advisers have admitted they would never release such photos due to a "protocol" that prevents the release of images showing the commission of a crime.
Former police officer Tim Priest said: "I have been complaining about the police media unit for years. Basically what it is is censorship.
"It is not letting the public know there are dangerous offenders running around doing these sorts of things."
University of Western Sydney Bachelor of Policing degree co-ordinator Dr Mike Kennedy said the media unit was an extension of government. "They are more interested in doing the bidding of the Government," Dr Kennedy said.
A spokesman for Police Minister Tony Kelly denied there was a policy to censor or sanitise images or information about serious crimes.
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