State paid death squads
Police shootings failed own tests - Keith Moor - 25nov05
VICTORIA Police officers failed to follow correct procedures in five of the past six fatal shootings, the force watchdog says.
An Office of Police Integrity report said some of the victims might still be alive if officers had performed as they should.
One shooting the OPI report criticised was that of alleged murderer and convicted criminal Wayne Joannou, 26, in February.
He was killed when special operations group officers fired 25-30 shots at him in South Melbourne.
Four SOG officers opened fire as Mr Joannou raised a shotgun towards them from the back seat of the parked car he was in.
The OPI report said the lives of the two people in the car with Mr Joannou were put at risk and that stray shots ricocheted off the car, potentially placing police and members of the public in danger.
It criticised the level of planning and questioned the decision to attempt the arrest while others were in the car.
The OPI report also said badly trained police were shooting dead too many mentally ill people.
There was an urgent need to improve training so Victoria Police officers could recognise how to deal with people with mental disorders.
Seventeen of the 32 people shot dead by Victoria Police since 1990 had a mental disorder. Five of the six killed in the past three years had a mental illness or disorder.
"People with a mental disorder are clearly over-represented in critical incidents that result in fatal police shootings," OPI director George Brouwer said.
The report, tabled in State Parliament yesterday, also criticised supervisors for failing to properly assess risks before sending police in to situations in which people were shot dead.
It recommended changing the structure of the SOG, paying particular attention to the command structure and protocols for deploying the elite officers.
The report said there were significant shortcomings in police knowledge of how to contain incidents.
Mr Brouwer's report also found:
THE recent increase in police shootings was fostered by a gradual decrease in the training of officers in how to handle volatile situations.
TRAINING deficiencies existed across all levels of Victoria Police.
SENIOR officers were reluctant to properly evaluate police shootings and learn from them.
INCIDENT debriefings in three of the past four shootings by uniformed officers were inadequate.
FAMILIES of people shot by police were not receiving adequate support.
NEITHER inspector in charge of the SOG was properly qualified in safety and tactics.
THREE SOG members involved in the raid that led to the fatal shooting of Mohamed Chaouk in April were armed with equipment they were not qualified to use.
VICTORIA Police officers failed to follow correct procedures in five of the past six fatal shootings, the force watchdog says.
An Office of Police Integrity report said some of the victims might still be alive if officers had performed as they should.
One shooting the OPI report criticised was that of alleged murderer and convicted criminal Wayne Joannou, 26, in February.
He was killed when special operations group officers fired 25-30 shots at him in South Melbourne.
Four SOG officers opened fire as Mr Joannou raised a shotgun towards them from the back seat of the parked car he was in.
The OPI report said the lives of the two people in the car with Mr Joannou were put at risk and that stray shots ricocheted off the car, potentially placing police and members of the public in danger.
It criticised the level of planning and questioned the decision to attempt the arrest while others were in the car.
The OPI report also said badly trained police were shooting dead too many mentally ill people.
There was an urgent need to improve training so Victoria Police officers could recognise how to deal with people with mental disorders.
Seventeen of the 32 people shot dead by Victoria Police since 1990 had a mental disorder. Five of the six killed in the past three years had a mental illness or disorder.
"People with a mental disorder are clearly over-represented in critical incidents that result in fatal police shootings," OPI director George Brouwer said.
The report, tabled in State Parliament yesterday, also criticised supervisors for failing to properly assess risks before sending police in to situations in which people were shot dead.
It recommended changing the structure of the SOG, paying particular attention to the command structure and protocols for deploying the elite officers.
The report said there were significant shortcomings in police knowledge of how to contain incidents.
Mr Brouwer's report also found:
THE recent increase in police shootings was fostered by a gradual decrease in the training of officers in how to handle volatile situations.
TRAINING deficiencies existed across all levels of Victoria Police.
SENIOR officers were reluctant to properly evaluate police shootings and learn from them.
INCIDENT debriefings in three of the past four shootings by uniformed officers were inadequate.
FAMILIES of people shot by police were not receiving adequate support.
NEITHER inspector in charge of the SOG was properly qualified in safety and tactics.
THREE SOG members involved in the raid that led to the fatal shooting of Mohamed Chaouk in April were armed with equipment they were not qualified to use.
posted by professor rat at 5:08 AM
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