WA Police have confirmed an operation to grab lots of of weapons from so-called sovereign residents was carried out due to a deadly police capturing in Victoria in late August.
Authorities confirmed a state-wide operation concluded on Friday that noticed search warrants carried out at 70 addresses of individuals aligned with the sovereign citizen motion.
It comes after two cops in Victoria had been shot and killed, allegedly by Dezi Freeman, a self-confessed sovereign citizen. He’s nonetheless on the run in nation Victoria.
Sovereign citizen is a time period for individuals who maintain excessive anti-government views, who imagine legal guidelines and rules do not apply to them.
WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch stated regardless of their beliefs, sovereign residents weren’t above the regulation.
“The current homicide of two serving cops in nation Victoria was allegedly dedicated by a sovereign citizen,” he stated.
“Following this tragedy, I instructed my officers to conduct a assessment and threat evaluation of these people in Western Australia who’re licensed firearm holders and whose beliefs align with sovereign citizen ideology.
“People whose beliefs align with so-called sovereign citizen ideologies don’t imagine the legal guidelines handed by elected members of parliament ought to apply to them.”
Police say they discovered 135 firearms, and cancelled or suspended 44 firearms licences within the operation.
Police Minister Reece Whitby was absolutely supportive of the measures and the operation.
“Nobody is above the regulation, and that features anybody who declares they’re a sovereign citizen,” he stated.
“[They] oppose the legal guidelines which are the cornerstone of a free and democratic group, which has the potential to threaten public security.”
