Working near Muslims in the mean streets of Auburn

I love walking down the streets of Auburn, where you can get a massive slice of beef pizza for $3.50, and a haircut for $7.

But from a purely professional point of view, and for someone who works in the next-door suburb, this opinion piece is fascinating.

Miranda Devine is writing about an arrest last week:

The new Public Order and Riot Squad, formed after the Cronulla and Macquarie Fields riots, was called in, along with the Dog Squad and PolAir helicopter. This circus was all par for the course for police trying to perform routine law enforcement duties in south-western suburbs such as Auburn and Granville, where whole streets have become no-go zones.

Just three people were arrested that night - two men and a woman - and the alleged police assailant was released on bail the next day, after claiming he was defending his mother.

Then the complaints came thick and heavy from people outraged "culturally insensitive" police would dare execute a search warrant during Ramadan, a holy month of the Islamic calendar, when Muslims fast until sunset. Do they think there should be one law for Ramadan observers and another for ''kefeirs''?

The Auburn raid, at 6pm last Tuesday, when Muslims were sitting down to break their fast, was planned simply to ensure "persons of interest" would actually be home. ''Race, religion, anything - that doesn't come into consideration in criminal investigations,'' Chief Superintendent Ken McKay, told reporters the next day.

The mean streets of Auburn? They don't feel mean when I'm walking around there, but maybe I should watch what razor the barber is using.