By MARK DUNN
10mar03
COVERT police investigations of individuals and groups was vital to preventing terrorism, Police Minister Andre Haermeyer said yesterday.
Mr Haermeyer, responding to a Herald Sun report about the activities of Victoria Police's security intelligence group, said the threat of racial, religious and ideologically motivated crime warranted such investigations.
The Herald Sun reported on documents released under Freedom of Information which identified the types of groups SIG has monitored since the September 2001 attacks in the US.
They ranged from environmental and refugee activists to alleged terrorism supporters.
"In some cases, yes there are groups that are covertly monitored and surveilled, and that is oversighted as to its appropriateness," Mr Haermeyer said.
Islamic Council of Victoria president Yasser Soliman said the SIG had an open and constructive relationship with Victoria's Muslim community.
"There's a lot of face-to-face work being done, we meet police in Islamic centres or the local coffee shop all the time, if they have a question they ask us," Mr Soliman said.
Mr Soliman said he expected police to investigate people of concern but said Melbourne Muslims were overwhelmingly moderate in their views and ordinary Australians.
He said Muslims were far from the only focus of police interest.
The SIG and Australian Federal Police had also helped identify and charge several people after threats were made against the local Islamic community, he said.
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,6101546%255E2862,00.html
