Police stand with their bicycles as they watch a small protest outside the venue of the G20 finance ministers and central bankers in the northern Australian city of Cairns
Police stand with their bicycles as they watch a small protest outside the venue of the G20 finance ministers and central bankers in the northern Australian city of Cairns September 21, 2014. Financial leaders of the Group of 20 top economies remain committed to chasing higher global growth, but were divided on how to achieve it as Germany pushed back at calls from the United States and others for more immediate stimulus. But the efforts of the finance ministers and central bankers, meeting this weekend in the tropical Australia tourist town of Cairns, risk being drowned out by growing alarm over geopolitical tensions and increased market volatility. Reuters/Stuart McDill

New South Wales police officials are now trained to shoot at sight if they notice armed extremists anywhere, anytime.

The police has followed the “contain and negotiate” policy to tackle the cases properly for a long time, but they are now taking strict steps. Acting Commissioner Nick Kaldas said that the police will now change its earlier policy of negotiating with the extremists to shoot at sight.

Kaldas stated that the new armed offender training with FBI-trained instructors began three weeks ago. It is training officials based on a U.S. model on shooting armed activists on sight if found suspicious. He told 2UE radio that it was a strict response to the Paris attacks that occurred on Friday.

“We’re at a point now where the ground has shifted, things have changed and starting with Mumbai onwards there’s been any number of attacks where you have a mobile enemy force, which moves through places and kills people,” he said. “We would be mad to continue to say we will do nothing but contain and negotiate.”

Kaldas also said that shooting at sight would not be apt for all incidents. “There may be cases where the police will need to move forward, rather than simply try and contain a place and try and negotiate with people who can certainly, as can be seen in France, will not negotiate,” he said.

The revelation of the shoot on sight came from the commissioner after the government claimed that around six attacks in Australia have been prevented over the past 12 months. However, there are several attacks the government failed to tackle including an incident when a police official who was shot at the back of his head reportedly by a teen in October.

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said that the police should have all resources to ensure safety of the community. “I believe that Australian law enforcement authorities need all of the powers that they can to ensure that Australians can be kept safe,” the AFP quoted her as saying.

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