Just how 11 members of The Chaser team managed to get through Australia’s toughest-ever security has become a little clearer.
The Seven Network claims that The Chaser crew got through because police had been told to ‘ease-up’ on security after a series of embarrassing incidents where VIPs had been the subject of overzealous checks.
It’s also claimed the police involved won't be disciplined over the incident because they were only following orders.
It’s reported, the day before The Chaser prank, a gate had been been locked leaving the Prime Minister stranded and in a separate incident, a senior public servant, running APEC, was refused entry because of accreditation concerns.
Both these incidents prompted top-level complaints and police agreed to ease off on checks of VIP vehicles.
Livenews.com.au put the claims to the Police Commissioner’s office and they refused to comment or even deny the report.
They instead released this statement:
All police aspects of the APEC security operation are the subject of a debriefing. Debriefs such as this take place after any significant event and are designed to assess the police response and operations, to highlight the achievements and successes, and look at potential areas for improvement
APEC was an unprecedented event for NSW Police, the biggest security and counter-terrorism operation ever undertaken in Australia. NSW Police are proud of the fact that the security of dignitaries and the event was never compromised, at the same time as ensuring the safety of the public and businesses.