Victoria police and Islamic leaders have urged Muslims to come forward with details of Islamophobic attacks, amid growing tension in the community and tightening security around events such as Saturday’s AFL grand final.
Ken Lay, Victoria’s police chief commissioner, said that while police had not seen a noticeable rise in recorded attacks against Muslims, there had been an increase in anecdotal accounts of verbal abuse and physical threats.
“There are a number of issues happening in the community that aren’t being reported to the police,” he said. “It’s very important for Victoria police to become aware of these events so we can take decisive action.
“There are incidents where women are being insulted about their garb and some threats made to people. These are crimes that we don’t want happening in our community, particularly at this time.”
Lay’s plea follows the death of Abdul Numan Haider, an 18-year-old Muslim who stabbed two police officers in the car park at Endeavour Hills police station on Tuesday evening. Police had been tracking Haider for three months after becoming concerned that he was becoming radicalised.
Sheikh Abdul Azim, president of the Australian National Imams Council, said Haider’s death was a “wake-up call” and that Muslims needed to trust the police and report hate crimes.
“My message to my brothers and sisters in the Muslim community is that the police is not our enemy, the police is our protectors,” he said.
“We need to work with them. Let’s work together to keep our city, state and country safe.
“There is some tension in the community. We want people to calm down, take it easy and when you see a Muslim man or woman, don’t think they are your enemy. They are innocent people.
“We don’t want to add fuel to the fire. We need the media to help calm things down. The media at the moment is talking about Islam and connecting Islam to terrorism.”
Islamic leaders across Australia have expressed concern about a number of anti-Muslim incidents, including the spray-painting of “get the fuck out of our country” on the side of an Islamic prayer centre in Brisbane.
Victoria police said there would be double the normal number of officers present at Saturday’s AFL grand final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. There will also be an increased presence on trams and a greater focus on investigating attacks on mosques.
However police have stressed there is no specific terrorist threat against any group, event or individual.
The investigation into Haider’s death is looking at whether he acted alone, although Graham Ashton, deputy commissioner of Victoria police, said there wasn’t a “prevailing theory” that the two officers were ambushed by the teenager as part of an elaborate conspiracy involving others.
Ashton confirmed that separate police officers visited the property of Haider’s “associate” earlier on Tuesday and looked in a bungalow at the rear of the property where Haider lived. No search was undertaken and no warrant was required, as the owner of the property invited the police in.
Ashton said the property visit was part of a wider investigation prior to Haider’s death but would not give details on what had been uncovered. Haider was recently seen unfurling an Islamic State (Isis) flag at a Dandenong shopping centre.
Al-Furqan, a radical Islamic group based in Melbourne, will be investigated by police to ascertain its role in the attack.
One of the two police officers has now left hospital, while the other is still receiving treatment.
Ashton said Haider’s parents were “very shocked and saddened” by his death and were co-operating with police.
“This was a young man who had come from a good home, seemed to be like any young teenager growing up,” Ashton said.
“He seems to have been radicalised by those around him, on social media and others. The investigation is focused on understanding that.”
A change.org petition calling for Lay to release the CCTV footage of Haider’s death had attracted 1000 signatures on Friday afternoon. The petition says that “considering the gravity of the situation”, the public and Haider’s family “deserve to have all the evidence available”.
Some members of the Islamic community remain sceptical of the police version of events, and have demanded to see the footage.
But Lay told the press conference: “I suspect I’d be breaking the law if I did release any CCTV that was available. I simply can’t release those kind of images.”
