Westfield’s security chief has defended the company’s security culture against criticism related to the response to the Bondi Junction stabbing attack. John Yates, the director of security at Scentre Group, informed the New South Wales coroners court about his background serving as the most senior detective in London’s Metropolitan police from 2007 to 2009 and later as the most senior counter-terrorism figure in the UK.
In response to queries about the security operations at Bondi Junction, Yates addressed the criticism leveled at a security officer who had left the CCTV control room for a break during the attack. He argued that the expectations for security guards to perform like police officers, who undergo extensive training, are unrealistic. He clarified that the role of security personnel is to observe, report, and escalate incidents rather than to engage directly with attackers.
Yates also defended the security officer’s triple-zero call, in which she initially reported “shots fired” and later mentioned injuries and stabbings. He pointed out the complexity of monitoring hundreds of cameras across the Westfield Bondi Junction and the challenge in identifying the correct camera to track a live incident immediately.
Yates stated that Scentre Group has a strong security culture fostered by its founder, Frank Lowy. He acknowledged that the company had always considered the possibility of terrorist incidents, though the scale of an event like the one on April 13th was difficult to model in training. In light of the criticism, Westfield has started a trial with two security personnel in the control room during peak trading hours.
Families of the victims have called for a proactive approach to real-time security monitoring, including the permanent placement of two operators in the control room. Westfield is also exploring the use of artificial intelligence to assist in monitoring CCTV screens.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/may/20/bondi-junction-stabbing-inquest-westfield-global-security-chief-witness-evidence-ntwnfb
