"What has to happen?" Kyle Sandilands' controversial take after knife attacks
Kyle Sandilands has shared his controversial opinion on arming security guards in the wake of two violent stabbing attacks in Sydney.
On Saturday, six people were killed at the hands of Joel Cauchi who went on a stabbing rampage through Bondi Junction Westfield, while on Monday night, a teenage boy stabbed a bishop and a priest during a church service in western Sydney.
One of Joel Cauchi's victims was Faraz Tahir, a security guard at the shopping centre, while another guard was injured during the rampage.
In the days after the eastern suburbs tragedy, Kyle, who has a connection to one of the people injured during Cauchi's attack, launched into a tirade live on-air, calling for security guards to be given firearms.
"I saw the [NSW] premier [Chris Minns] last night on TV saying firearms for security guards are not on the agenda. And I was like, 'Well, what has to happen before a security guard can actually secure the place for us?'" Sandilands raged.
"Every shopping centre and every school should have armed security guards, trained specialists, not just some guy getting a little firearms licence. I mean, proper trained."
Most retail security staff in NSW are unarmed, with batons classified as prohibited weapons that require special licensing and training.
"There's people that work at Westfield, for example, women that work in shops that have told their husbands, 'I ain't never going back to Westfield. I'm never going back to work again'," Sandilands continued, adding that those retail workers are "traumatised forever" following Saturday's stabbings.
Sandilands' opinions have been echoed by fellow controversial broadcaster Ray Hadley, who on Monday demanded on his 2GB Sydney radio show that security guards be armed across the state.
"For years I've been arguing that all security guards in the state in hospitals and shopping centres should be better equipped," he said.
"And these poor security guards, unarmed, unable to do what they should do - protecting the people that they are there to protect."
Image credits: KIISFM