A soundbite from a veteran detective has ignited a political war of words over gangland violence.
Assistant Police Commissioner Grant Taylor is no stranger to gun violence on Sydney's streets.
He was part of Taskforce Gain, set up more than 20 years ago to investigate a spate of shootings across Sydney's south west.
His comment was an attempt to contextualise the recent spate of shootings.
"It always looks like crime is out of control but when you look at it … we always have about eight organised crime murders a year, we've had six and then [Wednesday] night's made seven, we are basically on track [with] what we always have in regards to these murders," Assistant Commissioner Taylor told a press conference on Thursday.
"It's always going to be part and parcel to life in a big metropolis and this is no different."
But it was a poor choice of words after three fatal shootings in just nine days.
NSW opposition leader Kellie Sloane seized on the comments, turning Sydney's tit for tat gangland war into a political issue.
"I do not accept that gangland murders are part of everyday life in our city. I do not accept that," she said on Thursday.
"The day we accept that this is normal is the day we have given in to organised crime. I will not give in to organised crime."
The 2027 NSW state election is shaping up as a three-cornered contest between Labor, the Liberal-Nationals and One Nation.
Labor is hoping to gain enough seats to form a majority government while the Liberal-Nationals are hoping to retain as many of their current seats as possible.
One Labor insider, who asked to remain anonymous, suggested One Nation would likely try to politicise the issue of gun crime and said there was a degree of nervousness among MPs about the seats of Camden, Auburn, Penrith and Riverstone.
"I have no doubt they will probably try to, they always try, to seek fortune for themselves from the misfortune of others," they said.
'Really scary'
The eruption of gangland violence also has Western Sydney residents questioning the response of the government and NSW Police.
Rob from Condell Park, who did not want his surname used, said police had lost control of gun violence.
"I don't think they've got a leg to stand on, to be honest,"he said.
"It looks like it's happening more and more frequently now. Gun laws don't work. I just think they've probably got to do a little bit more. Punishments aren't harsh enough."
Josie from Punchbowl, who did not want her surname published, said police should be tougher on gun crime.
"You just feel scared … I could just be walking innocently down the road with my daughter and then wrong place, wrong time," she said.
"You're hearing more and more of it and it's just really scary.
"I think they need to be tougher on the laws with shootings, obtaining guns and weapons and I think they need to enforce the law a bit more. You just can't go around shooting people in brazen daylight."
Peter Boutros from Greenacre said it was disheartening to hear senior police talking down the problem.
"I think it's insulating to be honest because we pride ourselves on being a good, safe country where our kids can run around the street and go to the park and play," he said.
"I don't remember this being the case 25 years ago when I was raised here as a kid."
Election day looms
NSW Premier Chris Minns knows it could turn into a political headache and this week announced a suite of law reforms designed to stamp out the criminal networks.
"It's not normal, it's shocking, it's the kind of abject outside violence that we are not used to in our peaceful community and we shouldn't have to put up with it," he said on Thursday.
"I'd hate for anyone to believe that we're accepting of the status quo or we believe that it's normal or that it's acceptable or that we just have to turn a blind eye.
"I've seen with my own eyes NSW Police detectives put enormous resources into smashing these networks up and they do arrest the people responsible for it."
Labor insiders say it is too soon to predict what impact One Nation or the current string of gangland shootings will have on the March 13 state election.
But with just six months to go before the ballot boxes open, the pressure is on the government and police to stop the brazen and bloody attacks on Western Sydney streets.
