See also: Magistrate slams man's taser excuse
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ONE offender has been jailed for carrying a taser into court and another man is facing fresh weapons offences after allegedly trying to bring a machete into the Tamworth court precinct to answer his charges.
The separate incidents, which occurred within seven days of each another, have highlighted security concerns at the Tamworth court precinct and come as the attorney-general announced a security boost to courthouses, with two new sheriff positions for Tamworth.
On Monday afternoon, Zeb Levi Nye was jailed for carrying a knife in a public place after a sentencing hearing in Tamworth Local Court.
When he was taken into custody in the police cells, Corrective Services and police discovered a taser in his pocket.
The weapon, which is disguised as a replica mobile phone, was immediately seized before Nye was charged with fresh weapons offences and bail refused.
Last week, Ian Berry was arrested after allegedly trying to take a machete and knife into the court precinct.
Sheriffs were conducting security screening on the day in question in the front foyer when they stopped Berry and searched his bag and allegedly discovered the weapons.
He was arrested and charged with having custody of an offensive implement in a public place and was granted bail to appear in court in October.
But the incidents aren’t isolated.
In July, a man was jailed for knife offences in Armidale Local Court before police allegedly discovered two knives on him when he was taken into custody in the cells.
He’s since been charged.
Unlike most Sydney courts where the public is screened on entry to the court precinct, Tamworth courthouse operates sporadic scanning when sheriffs are available, but not everyone is screened on entry to the court.
Currently, there are three operational sheriffs based in Tamworth, with another on maternity leave, while one sheriff works out of Moree and another in Armidale.
The sheriffs cover 14 local courts across the New England North West, as well as three district courts in Armidale, Tamworth and Moree which will sit for a combined 37 weeks over the 2015-2016 financial year.
On Monday, Attorney-General Gabrielle Upton announced a boost to court security across the state with new sheriffs positions allocated to Tamworth.
“This surge in sheriff officers will further strengthen security at key courthouses during a period when the National Terrorism Public Alert is at high,” she said.
The Leader understands one of the new sheriff positions will be permanent, while the other will be part-time, and it’s expected the new sheriffs’ primary duties will be court security, not other field work.
It’s believed one maternity position at Tamworth has not been filled, but the new sheriffs appointed to Tamworth started training this week, with a start date yet to be confirmed.
“The safety of those who work at or attend Tamworth Courthouse is of the utmost importance,” Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson said.
In August, the NSW government bowed to pressure from NSW police and the association to allow officers to carry their guns in courts after security concerns across the state, but a district court judge has discretion in their jurisdiction on whether to allow officers with appointments in.
