00:00It was first discovered just after three o'clock in the morning, this graffiti and vandalism
00:08right here.
00:09As you can see, the words evil etched into the stonework of the Police Wall of Remembrance
00:15as well as what appears to be devil's horns or ears atop the New South Wales Police emblem.
00:21But that's not where the vandalism ends.
00:24All along this Wall of Remembrance, you can see, above the names of those who died while
00:29serving in the New South Wales Police and indeed the public, the word dogs or dogs
00:34scraped in.
00:35It's above every single column and it's drawn significant critique from the Premier of New
00:41South Wales.
00:42He's released a statement this morning that we're going to share with you now.
00:46I've been made aware that the police monument in the domain has been significantly vandalised.
00:51This is disgusting behaviour.
00:53Police put themselves in danger every day in the service of our state.
00:57To deface a memorial that commemorates police officers who have served the state and those
01:02who have lost their lives whilst on duty is lower than low.
01:06Part of the reason government ministers, including the Premier, who you've just heard from, as
01:10well as the police minister, Yasmin Katli, have taken issue with this vandalism is of
01:15who the victims are.
01:17Those who have died while serving the public as well as their families.
01:20It includes those like Sergeant Peter Stone, who died while trying to save his son from
01:26harsh sea conditions.
01:28Kelly Foster, too, dying while trying to save an international student on a kayaking trip,
01:34as well as Aaron Vidal.
01:36Aaron was hit by a car that ran a red light, with a man later charged and pleading guilty
01:41over those offences that led to his death.
01:45All of which brings back this fear and anger from the government that someone could do
01:50such a thing where people come to mourn and pay their respects to those who have paid
01:55the ultimate sacrifice.
01:57Now it'll be a matter of City of Sydney Council working alongside police to figure out how
02:03they can repair the stoneworks here.
02:05It may involve consulting stonemasons as instead of graffiti or spray paint, which is usually
02:10washed off, this has been chipped away and etched into the memorial, which could mean
02:15it's a complicated task.
02:17There's also a matter of the investigation to find those who are responsible.
02:22The government and police calling for anyone with video footage to come forward for what
02:26they believe could be an opportunistic attack that occurred on Saturday morning was not
02:31discovered until Sunday afternoon and has now been reported to the public on Monday.
02:36Crime stoppers are also taking calls for anyone with information.
02:40The government and police vowing to catch those responsible.
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