Tactical Disengagement

A good use of tactical disengagement. The officer had many options available to him but chose the opportunity to gain distance and retreat to a safe location.

Back online soon!

Hi to all the subscribers and readers of this blog. Unfortunately the blog has been neglected but not forgotten. I have got back on the horse that bucked me and re-joined the police after a 4 and half-year stint with a Commonwealth LE agency as an Operational Safety Trainer.

Be assured that my passion is still that all LE officers return home to their families and friends at the end of their shifts. There are no egos attached to this goal, as I am now one of those street coppers again!

That being said, I will be sifting through lots of emails shortly and will start reposting what I consider to be pertinent Australian LE incidents. Feel free to email me with anecdotes or links to post.

Frank

Man shot by police held replica gun

February 10 2011
A man police shot during an alleged Canning Vale home invasion may have links to the Club Deroes bikie gang and was involved in a siege at a Karrinyup halfway house for former prisoners.

Police this morning charged the man with aggravated burglary, stealing and possession of a controlled weapon. Police say the man was carrying a replica gun.

Yesterday’s drama unfolded when a Quenda Drive woman arrived home to find a man breaking into her home about 11.50am.

She ran to a neighbour’s house and phoned police, who arrived within minutes to be confronted by a 32-year-old Cannington man allegedly brandishing a handgun.

Another neighbour, Daniel Luks, said: “I heard police yell out ‘get on the ground’ and seconds later I heard three bangs which were obviously gun shots.

“It’s a bit shocking to hear.”

Insp. Bill Munnee said an experienced sergeant fired several rounds and the man had non-life threatening wounds to his arm and abdomen. It was not known whether the wounds were from one or multiple bullets.

He said police gave first aid at the scene before St John Ambulance officers took the man to Royal Perth Hospital. His condition was serious but stable last night.

“Investigators from the internal affairs unit will conduct a full and thorough investigation to determine whether the discharge of the firearm was lawful or not,” Insp. Munnee said.

He said the man was known to police. “I don’t have any information about what type of firearm it was,” he said. “All I’ve been told is he was carrying a handgun and the police officers dealt with the situation as they saw it.”

A crew from Channel 7′s reality police program The Force is understood to have filmed parts of the incident.

In 2004, there was a manhunt for the man after he was allegedly involved in a shooting at a home on Karrinyup Road. Heavily armed police stormed the property after a tense stand-off but found he had fled after shooting a flatmate, who was a fellow parolee, in the leg.

Forensic experts and detectives from the major crime squad and internal affairs unit attended the shooting scene.

Police shooting incidents have declined in recent years as stun guns were rolled out to front-line officers. The last fatal police shooting was in January 2007, when mentally ill man Daniel Rolph was shot at his parents’ Floreat home.

Source: The West

WA police officer acquitted of assault

February 2 2011
A senior constable acquitted of assaulting a motorist he pulled over for allegedly speeding and running a red light in Perth says he’s glad the “nightmare” is over.

Phillip Charles Higgins, who has more than 20 years’ experience as a policeman, has been on trial in the Perth Magistrates Court over the April 12, 2007 incident.

He pulled Justin Phillips over in his Holden Commodore just after midnight for alleged speeding and running a red light on the Tonkin Highway in Perth’s east.

Mr Phillips, now 29, accused the 1.83 metre tall, 115kg senior constable of grabbing him in a headlock and punching him several times to the face and head, causing bleeding and bruising to his eye, nose and lip.

But Snr Const Higgins said he had only wrestled Mr Phillips to the ground when he refused to co-operate and resisted arrest.

Mr Phillips was charged with dangerous driving and obstructing police but that case was thrown out in September 2008.

Snr Const Higgins was stood down from duty pending the outcome of his trial.

On Wednesday, Magistrate Richard Bayly said that because of “inadequacies and inconsistencies” in the prosecution case, the officer would be acquitted.

Mr Bayly said Mr Phillips’ differing statements about the number of blows he received and which of Snr Const Higgins’ arms held him in a headlock brought into question the reliability of his evidence.

The officer gave evidence that he could not form a fist with his right hand because of a service injury that prevented him bending one finger.

Mr Bayly said “there was a suspicion” Mr Phillips changed his evidence about which arm held him in a headlock to accommodate the accused’s evidence about his finger.

He also found that Mr Phillips’ passenger, Brett Holmes, was in the car when the struggle between Mr Phillips and Snr Const Higgins occurred and could not have seen whether punches were thrown.

Mr Bayley said that on the evidence Mr Phillips’ injuries were more consistent with his face coming into contact with the officer’s police belt and service medal, which was bent during the struggle.

A senior constable acquitted of assaulting a motorist he pulled over for allegedly speeding and running a red light in Perth says he’s glad the “nightmare” is over.

Phillip Charles Higgins, who has more than 20 years’ experience as a policeman, has been on trial in the Perth Magistrates Court over the April 12, 2007 incident.

He pulled Justin Phillips over in his Holden Commodore just after midnight for alleged speeding and running a red light on the Tonkin Highway in Perth’s east.

Mr Phillips, now 29, accused the 1.83 metre tall, 115kg senior constable of grabbing him in a headlock and punching him several times to the face and head, causing bleeding and bruising to his eye, nose and lip.

But Snr Const Higgins said he had only wrestled Mr Phillips to the ground when he refused to co-operate and resisted arrest.

Mr Phillips was charged with dangerous driving and obstructing police but that case was thrown out in September 2008.

Snr Const Higgins was stood down from duty pending the outcome of his trial.

On Wednesday, Magistrate Richard Bayly said that because of “inadequacies and inconsistencies” in the prosecution case, the officer would be acquitted.

Mr Bayly said Mr Phillips’ differing statements about the number of blows he received and which of Snr Const Higgins’ arms held him in a headlock brought into question the reliability of his evidence.

The officer gave evidence that he could not form a fist with his right hand because of a service injury that prevented him bending one finger.

Mr Bayly said “there was a suspicion” Mr Phillips changed his evidence about which arm held him in a headlock to accommodate the accused’s evidence about his finger.

He also found that Mr Phillips’ passenger, Brett Holmes, was in the car when the struggle between Mr Phillips and Snr Const Higgins occurred and could not have seen whether punches were thrown.

Mr Bayley said that on the evidence Mr Phillips’ injuries were more consistent with his face coming into contact with the officer’s police belt and service medal, which was bent during the struggle.

But Magistrate Bayly said the tasering of Mr Phillips by Snr Const Higgins’ colleague, on the accused’s orders, was a “heavy-handed” use of force in the circumstances.

He also said the senior constable’s evidence about whether he swore at Mr Phillips when apprehending him was “far from convincing”.

The magistrate awarded costs of $22,447 be paid to the defence.

Outside court, Snr Const Higgins said he was “just glad and relieved it’s all over” and thanked his family and friends for their support.

“It’s just been a nightmare, it really has … it’s changed my career.”

He said he looked forward to returning to work straight away.

Mr Phillips told reporters that justice had not been carried out and there were inconsistencies in the defence case as well.

The roof tiler said he was “mentally scarred” by the whole ordeal and would be seeing his lawyer about appealing the decision.

Source – The Sydney Morning Herald

Tassie cops defend spraying minors

Tasmania’s assistant police commissioner has defended the use of capsicum spray on minors, after footage emerged of officers using it on a 13-year-old boy.

Footage of the incident was posted on video sharing site YouTube on Friday, showing an officer using the spray against the teenager at Shorewell, in the state’s north.

Police said they will review the use of capsicum spray, comparing the force’s policies with those on the mainland.

Acting Assistant Commissioner Glenn Frame said the review was not about the incident at Shorewell.

“It is our intention to conduct a full review to ensure the guidelines remain contemporary,” he said.

“This review will be separate to the investigation into the incident at Shorewell on Australia Day.

“That investigation will consider whether the use of OC spray on that occasion was in accordance with the current guidelines.”

But Asst Comm Frame said officers were often under intense pressure.

“Our members are often put in difficult situations and the age of the offender or the person who offers the threat is only one consideration,” he told the ABC.

“In an operational situation it is the threat that is the major concern and often some of the 16 and 17-year-old people that we deal with offer a significant threat.”

Sources – The West and YouTube

Police pelted with bottles at Balga party – WA

Police were pelted with bottles at an out-of-control party in Balga early this morning.

Small brawls erupted as about 150 people spilled into the street from the Princess Road party about 1.15am.

Police trying to disperse the crowd declared the party an unlawful assembly. As they tried to move the people away, drunken revellers threw bottles.

None of the missiles injured the officers but they did hit some of the police cars. Police on horses and the dog squad were called to help move-on the unruly party-goers.

There were no reports of charges being laid.

Source – The West

Axe-wielding man shot by police in Holder – ACT

January 28 2011
Police shot a man wielding an axe in the suburb of Holder last night. According to police, the man was arguing with a woman outside a block of flats in De Graaff Street about 8.30pm when police were called.

When they arrived they demanded he drop the axe. When he refused, he was shot. He was treated by paramedics at the scene and driven to Canberra Hospital where he remained in a stable condition last night.

The street remained closed for several hours after the shooting. It is unclear what relationship the man had with the woman or on which part of his body he was shot.

The woman involved in the dispute was also transported to The Canberra Hospital suffering minor injuries. The man was under police custody in a different part of the hospital.

Police believe the weapon used was a pickaxe.

The first police on the scene were two officers from Woden. Acting Deputy Chief Police Officer Michael Chew said the officers would be offered counselling.

“Obviously they’re a bit shaken up,” Superintendent Chew said.

The number of shots fired will form part of the professional standards investigation, but it is believed the officers fired only once.

The incident occurred down the shared driveway of a unit complex between Embley and Lines streets. Supintendent Chew said nobody in the 20 unit complex was at risk during the incident.

He said he was unaware how long it had taken for police to respond to the triple-0 call and whether the victim or the offender were known to police. Both matters will also form part of the investigation. The call was made by someone inside the house, but it is unclear if that person was the victim.

Police remained at the scene of the shooting until early this morning.

Acting Deputy Chief Police Officer Michael Chew said that the discharge of a firearm by a police officer is a rarity for ACT Policing and such an incident will be investigated.

“The community recognises that by its very nature, policing can and is a dangerous occupation. Members are trained in the use and discharging of their weapons and use-of-force options. We treat this aspect of a police officer’s responsibility very seriously and our officers are diligent in its application,” Acting Deputy Chief Police Officer Chew said.

The matter is now the subject of an Australian Federal Police professional standards review.

Article sourced from The Canberra Times

South African street drug ‘whoonga’ contains HIV medication

January 27 2011
SOUTH Africa is in the grip of a dangerous new drugs craze that could threaten the country’s battle against AIDS, Sky News reported Thursday.
The street drug called “whoonga” is a cocktail that includes the anti retroviral (ARV) medication prescribed to people with HIV.

Demand for the substance has prompted a wave of thefts of AIDS drugs across the country.

Users crush the ARVs and smoke them with a mixture of rat poison, detergent and marijuana to get high. The powder is said to be so addictive that users are hooked within days.

“If I don’t smoke it, I get pains and I can’t sleep until I get some more,” 31-year-old Jomo said, his eyes red and glazed after a few deep drags on a joint.

He and his fellow whoonga addicts, huddled in the grounds of a church in one of Durban’s side streets, smoke up to thirty “packets” of the drug every day at a cost of almost £100 ($160).

“I just rob people to get the money. I don’t have a job, this is all I do,” Jomo said, rolling another joint.

“I sell my body to get whoonga,” a young woman said with a shrug.

In the back streets of Durban, whoonga dealers tout the powder for 30 rands (about $4.26) per packet.

The highly toxic drug has been blamed for the deaths of scores of addicts across South Africa over the past year and has fueled a spate of thefts of AIDS medication.

In the township of Umlazi, near Durban, officials say dozens of patients are being robbed of their anti-retroviral drugs every week.

However, the country’s Treatment Action Campaign, an AIDS lobbying group, has described the belief that the drugs have recreational value as a “myth.”

Group spokeswoman Caroline Nenguke said: “We are not even convinced that whoonga contains ARVs. The dealers just say it does.”

Source – The Daily Telegraph

The Force Science Institute

Studying the Science & Human Dynamics Behind Deadly Force Encounters
‘The Force Science Institute is dedicated to the study of human dynamics in high stress, rapidly unfolding force encounters. Through classes and consultation, the Institute strives to facilitate the application of Force Science concepts during investigations, training and the evaluation of the appropriateness of officers’ behavior during these encounters.’

For weapon trainers and street cops alike, The Force Science Institute has some valuable information about both officer response and offender actions in critical incidents. The site is well worth a look, although at this point in time, it appears that all training courses are held in the US.

Demos:

OFFICER MOTION

SUBJECT MOTION

Subscribe to the Force Science News – emailed to you twice a month.

Assaulted WA Police officer awarded $3.3M ex-gratia payment

January 24 2011

BASHED policeman Matt Butcher has been awarded a record $3.3 million ex-gratia payment from the State Government to cover injuries sustained in a Joondalup pub brawl two years ago.
Constable Butcher was left partially paralysed from severe head injuries he suffered after a vicious brawl outside the Old Bailey Tavern in February 2008.

He was put into an induced coma to reduce swelling on his brain and spent several months in hospital undergoing a slow and painful rehabilitation.

Const Butcher remains with WA Police in an administrative role and has lodged a claim with the WA Police Union for compensation.

WA Attorney-General Christian Porter, after discussions with cabinet today, said the government had come to a fair and appropriate figure that would recognise the sacrifice made by Const Butcher.

“What occurred to Matthew Butcher was nothing short of a horrific act of violence,” Mr Porter said.

“I’ve said previously and still consider it to be the case that the behaviour of those responsible for Matthew Butcher’s injuries were utterly irresponsible.”

The men charged with the assault of Const Butcher were later acquitted in court but Mr Porter said the ex-gratia payment would not affect any civil action he may wish to pursue.

Read More >>>>>>>>

Video of the assault >>>>>>

Tonight’s News Report – Navigate to the Matt Butcher Story