.jpg)
Oxford Street: Safety, Trust and Partnership Must Sit Together
MEDIA Release
For Immediate Release
14 September 2026
AAMHP calls for continued dialogue between NSW Police, LGBTQIA+ communities, venues and businesses following recent Oxford Street operations
The Australian Association of Mental Health Practitioners (AAMHP) is calling for calm, constructive engagement between NSW Police, LGBTQIA+ communities, venue operators, businesses and community leaders following recent police operations across Sydney’s Oxford Street entertainment precinct.
NSW Police conducted a high-visibility drug operation across licensed premises in the precinct on 12 September. Police say the operation was intelligence-led and formed part of broader efforts to address prohibited drugs and public-safety concerns. Sixty-five people were searched, with 28 drug detections, 12 fines, six cannabis cautions and one move-on direction recorded. Police have rejected suggestions that the LGBTQIA+ community itself was being targeted.
At the same time, patrons, community representatives and local leaders have raised concerns about the scale and visibility of the operation and its impact on trust, particularly following similar police activity in June. Complaints relating to the June operation remain the subject of an ongoing misconduct investigation directed by the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission.
AAMHP Chair Shane Warren, who also holds leadership roles within Sydney’s LGBTQIA+ community, said both realities need to be capable of being discussed at the same time.
“I think we need to resist turning this into a simplistic argument of police versus the gay community. Oxford Street needs effective policing. Patrons deserve protection from violence, predatory behaviour, dangerous drug supply and antisocial behaviour, and police officers have a legitimate and often very difficult responsibility to keep people safe.” [Shane Warren]
“At the same time, policing in LGBTQIA+ spaces does not occur in a historical vacuum. For many older members of our community, highly visible police operations in queer venues can carry memories of a period when being visibly gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender could itself attract surveillance, humiliation or hostility.” [Shane Warren]
Shane Warren said acknowledging that history should not be interpreted as suggesting LGBTQIA+ venues should be exempt from ordinary policing or drug laws.
“Of course they should not be exempt. The issue is not whether Oxford Street should be policed. It is how proportionate, intelligence-led and community-informed policing can operate in a precinct with this particular history while maintaining the confidence of the people police are there to protect.” [Shane Warren]
NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Peter McKenna has defended the September operation, saying it extended across 14 licensed premises and was not confined to LGBTQIA+ venues. He said he had reviewed body-worn camera footage and considered officers to have acted professionally. NSW Police has also stated that Surry Hills Police Area Command remains committed to working collaboratively and respectfully with the LGBTQIA+ community.
AAMHP believes that commitment provides an important foundation for what should happen next.
Shane Warren said psychological safety and community trust are built through repeated experiences over time and can be affected by both historical memory and contemporary encounters.
“For an older gay man who remembers previous eras of policing, an operation may reactivate memories of fear or humiliation. A nineteen-year-old entering queer nightlife for the first time may have no historical memory whatsoever, but the way they experience their first encounter with police can help shape a new one.” [Shane Warren]
“That is why everyone involved has something to contribute here. Police need to be able to explain the public-safety issues they are responding to. Venues and businesses need to be able to talk about operational impacts. Patrons need to feel their concerns are heard, while community organisations need to bring history and cultural understanding to the conversation.” [Shane Warren]
AAMHP does not believe good policing and LGBTQIA+ inclusion are competing objectives.
Oxford Street’s venues, businesses, residents, patrons and police share substantial common ground: safer streets, reduced violence, disruption of serious drug supply, protection from predatory behaviour, a vibrant night-time economy and a precinct where people can participate without unnecessary fear.
The challenge is to ensure that each of those goals is pursued together.
“We should be able to put all of the agendas on the table,” Warren said. “Police safety concerns, community concerns, venue concerns, harm-minimisation considerations, historical experience and the need for a thriving night-time precinct are not things we solve by shouting past one another.” [Shane Warren]
“The next step should be more conversation, not less. Bring police, community leaders, venues, businesses, harm-reduction expertise and local representatives together and ask a very practical question: how do we keep Oxford Street safe while also strengthening the trust that has taken decades to build?” [Shane Warren]
AAMHP also recognises the pressures carried by frontline police officers working in complex night-time environments where they may be required to respond to violence, intoxication, illicit drugs, public disorder and rapidly changing safety risks.
Shan Warren said respect needed to travel in both directions.
“Our police officers are also members of our community. Many are doing difficult work in unpredictable circumstances, and many have invested personally and professionally in rebuilding relationships with LGBTQIA+ communities over many years.” [Shane Warren]
“We should acknowledge that progress rather than assume conflict is inevitable. Equally, when community members say an experience has left them feeling frightened, intimidated or unheard, taking that seriously is part of maintaining the relationship.” [Shane Warren]
Twenty-first-century policing of Oxford Street should not be measured solely by enforcement activity, nor should community safety be measured solely by whether police are visible.
Success should include whether violence and serious drug supply are reduced, whether patrons feel safe, whether businesses can operate responsibly, whether police can perform their duties effectively and whether trust between authorities and LGBTQIA+ communities continues to strengthen.
Safety, inclusion and effective policing should reinforce one another.
AAMHP encourages NSW Police, local venues, LGBTQIA+ community representatives, businesses and relevant health and harm-reduction stakeholders to continue working collaboratively, transparently and respectfully toward that goal.
Media Contact:
Shane Warren, Chair
Susan Sandy, Secretary
Philip Armstrong, CEO
Comments