A savage financial outcome !

This week a 52 year old man and his 12 year old daughter sparked a siege that closed down the financial district at Parramatta for eleven hours.   It seems that there was a demand for $ 4500 to be paid from the Aboriginal Land Council, and the man claimed that he had a bomb in his backpack.

The status of the daughter was not clear, but police assumed that it was a possible hostage situation, and the threat of a bomb made it necessary to clear nearby buildings and call in support services - such as the bomb squad, ambulances, and the fire brigade.

At least the drama provided entertainment for television audiences.   News crews relayed pictures of the man wearing a judge's wig and at one stage a window was smashed and notes dropped to the street below. Police negotiators failed to persuade the man to surrender, and the siege ended when police with chainsaws broke through office walls and subdued the offender.   The claim of a bomb proved false.

The initial aftermath is a disturbed man behind bars and a rescued girl who claims that her father threatened her no harm, but there is a huge unseen bill that has been visited on the firms and ordinary folk who live and work in Parramatta.

For an entire working day business activity ceased because of that siege.   It would be difficult to put a figure on the financial loss to business, but of far greater impact will be the loss to " the little people " - those casuals who man coffee shop counters or work in other businesses and are paid an hourly rate rather than a salary.

Then there is the " flow on " costs.   Items like couriers with parcels to deliver in Parramatta - who were turned back and delayed by the traffic chaos.   People with scheduled house settlements who needed to attend their legal representatives - and all those drivers who pass through Parramatta on their way to somewhere else who got caught up in the traffic jams.

Some will blame the police for over reacting - but when there is even the chance that a bomb claim may be real they have no other option than to act on the side of caution.      There is no hope of recovering these costs from the culprit.   It seems to be simply a case of " being in the wrong place at the wrong time " for most of those affected.

Unfortunately events such as this tend to create " copycat " thoughts in some minds.    Those with a grievance are attracted to the publicity that surrounds a siege.

Let us hope that it does not become too common an event of " street theatre " !