Category Archives: Australian police and policing

NSW police admit to making ‘very unfortunate’ wrong claim after officer shot man dead

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Inquest into fatal shooting of Steve Pampalian told statement by assistant commissioner he was ‘known to police’ was incorrect

A man shot dead by a NSW police officer after he ran at him with two knives was not known to police, a coroner says, despite a “very unfortunate” claim to the contrary made by the assistant commissioner of the force immediately after the incident.

Steve Pampalian, 41, was shot three times by a police officer in the driveway of his home on a quiet suburban street in Sydney’s North Willoughby on 25 May 2023 after he had a psychotic episode.

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Police told Kelly Wilkinson to ‘cool off’ and give estranged husband ‘a break’ days before he burned her to death, inquest hears

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Wilkinson was turned away by police while seeking help four days before she was murdered, Queensland coroner’s court told

Kelly Wilkinson was turned away from Southport police station and told to “cool off, give Brian a break” while seeking help just four days before her estranged husband, Brian Earl Johnston, burned her to death in 2021, an inquest has heard.

The allegation was made in an extraordinary 11th hour submission by the lawyer acting for her family as they successfully applied to adjourn the coronial inquiry to hear additional evidence about the allegation.

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‘People have lost all sense of shame’: three threats against federal politicians reported to police every day

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At least 21 charges have been laid against individuals since October, Australian federal police say, following 951 reports to June

Nearly three violent or menacing threats against federal politicians are being reported to police daily, according to Australian federal police data, with rates almost doubling in two years.

The soaring danger for elected officials and their staff reached new heights this week when Anthony Albanese was evacuated from The Lodge in Canberra over a bomb threat.

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Minns government undermined own goal with NSW protest restrictions, constitutional challenge hears

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Lawyer for protest groups argues state needs to prove it was ‘rational to prevent all protests’ to achieve social cohesion

Lawyers for three protest groups have argued a Minns government law which effectively banned marches in Sydney’s CBD made its own objective of enhancing social cohesion “worse”.

On Thursday the NSW court of appeal heard the constitutional challenge against the anti-protest law, which was passed in the wake of the Bondi terror.

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Wieambilla police shootings property listed for sale for $190,000

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Son of Nathaniel and Stacey Train says he is ‘hoping for a quick sale to someone who will be respectful of the property, considering its history’

The site of the Wieambilla ambush, Queensland’s worst police shooting, is up for sale.

In 2022, conspiracy theorists Gareth, Stacey and Nathaniel Train killed constables Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow at their remote property at 251 Wains Road, about 300km west of Brisbane.

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Chris Baghsarian: police hopes fade of finding 85-year-old kidnap victim alive after raid on Dural property

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NSW police search ‘makeshift stronghold’ in Wildthorn Ave, Dural after Baghsarian abducted from North Ryde home last Friday in case of mistaken identity

Police say “hope is fading” to find Chris Baghsarian alive as investigations continue into an abandoned and “derelict” house where they believe the grandfather was kept sometime in the past week.

A warrant has been executed and a crime scene has been established at the semi-rural property on Wildthorn Ave in Dural, about 36km north-west of Sydney, after police swarmed the area on Thursday night.

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Liam Alexander Hall named as man accused of attempted Invasion Day bombing in Perth

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Liam Alexander Hall is the first person to be charged with terrorism offences in Western Australia

A Perth magistrate has lifted a suppression order on the identity of Liam Alexander Hall, a 32-year-old man accused of attempting to bomb an Invasion Day rally in Perth.

Magistrate Lynette Dias told the court on Tuesday that openness of the court is fundamental in the administration of justice.

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Hundreds potentially affected by Victoria police weapons searches that breached law

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Exclusive: wide-ranging police powers used to conduct non-compliant searches that resulted in 33 people being charged or fined

Victoria police will inform the state’s anti-corruption watchdog that it did not comply with the law when it used wide-ranging powers to search people for weapons on 23 separate occasions dating back eight years.

The non-compliant searches resulted in 33 people being charged or fined, all of whom will be contacted by police and informed of the problem.

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Couple from Kazakhstan allegedly used hidden camera and earpieces to win $1.18m from Sydney’s Crown casino

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Woman, 36, and her husband, 44, arrested at Barangaroo and charged with dishonestly obtaining financial advantage

A married couple from Kazakhstan has allegedly won more than $1m from Sydney’s Crown casino using a tiny camera hidden in a Mickey Mouse T-shirt and “deep-seated earpieces” that allowed them to communicate.

New South Wales police said on Sunday the couple, Dilnoza Israilova and Alisherykhoja Israilov, were charged with dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception, after being arrested in the Barangaroo casino.

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Police sergeant found guilty of causing death of 16-year-old Indigenous teenager Jai Wright

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Benedict Bryant convicted of dangerous driving occasioning death after placing police car in path of 16-year-old’s trail bike in Sydney in 2022

A police sergeant who was told not to pursue a teenager riding a trail bike has been told he caused the death of the young man when he placed his unmarked car in his path.

Benedict Bryant, 47, was found guilty on Friday of dangerous driving occasioning the death of Indigenous teenager Jai Kalani Wright in February 2022 in an inner Sydney suburb.

For information and support in Australia call 13YARN on 13 92 76 for a crisis support line for Indigenous Australians; or call Lifeline on 13 11 14, Mensline on 1300 789 978 and Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636

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Statistically, there’s a reliable way to predict a domestic violence homicide like Hannah Clarke’s

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Queensland researchers studying intimate-partner killings found one thing common to more than half the cases

When researchers in Queensland catalogued data from seven years of intimate-partner killings, they found one thing common to more than half of those cases – a victim’s own sense of fear about their impending death.

Statistically, the most reliable way to predict a domestic violence homicide is to believe the victim.

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Police detonated a ‘stinger’ grenade at a Melbourne protest. Now two activists may sue over their injuries

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Grenades filled with rubber pellets and other so-called ‘less lethal’ munitions have been increasingly deployed, despite being linked to serious injuries and even deaths

Scout* barely realised that something round and hard, with smoke coming from it, had landed in front of them before it exploded.

Pain suddenly shot through their leg and arm. Scout fell to their knees before someone nearby helped them rush out of the area.

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Victoria police re-enact single gunshot heard hour after Dezi Freeman fled into Porepunkah bushland

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‘Firearms testing’ triggered by reports of gunshot at about 11.45am on day Freeman is alleged to have killed two police officers serving warrant

A reported single gunshot has sparked a fresh line of inquiry in the long-running manhunt for alleged police killer Desmond “Dezi” Freeman.

Victoria police conducted “firearms testing” near Barrett Lane and Rayner Track in Porepunkah, about 210km north-east of Melbourne, on Wednesday as part of their search.

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Illegal tobacco burns $3.3bn hole in Australia’s tax revenue, crime agency says

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ACIC report says total impact of illicit trade on economy amounted to $4bn in a year amid debate over cigarette excise

The illegal tobacco market has left a $3.3bn hole in the federal government’s finances, with Australia’s national criminal intelligence agency warning organised crime’s dominance of the market is continuing to grow.

The Australian Taxation Office believes the illegal trade now accounts for one in five tobacco sales, which has led to reduced tax revenues despite the government’s excise on legal cigarettes reaching almost $30 for a pack of 20 sticks in September. The excise has increased almost eightfold since 2006, when it was $4.65.

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Prisoners spending entire jail term in police cells as Victoria’s justice system buckles

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Prisoners in police cells often have less access to healthcare and less chance of being visited by family and lawyers

In winter this year, a young Aboriginal man with a history of self-harm who had been remanded in custody in Melbourne was told he would be moving cells.

But he was not shifted across the corridor or to another building nearby: he was driven 300km to the police cells in Wodonga.

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Allan says Victoria machete ban is working despite brawl at community sport event

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Police were called to a fight among a large group of men armed with machetes on Saturday evening

The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, has said the state’s machete ban is working, despite reports of a brawl on Saturday night in Melbourne’s north and the discovery of a teenager with serious injuries nearby.

Police were called to respond to a large group of males, aged in their late teens, fighting with machetes on Saturday evening, Det Sgt Matthew Feben told reporters on Sunday morning.

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NSW police officer who allegedly assaulted former Greens candidate Hannah Thomas charged with grievous bodily harm

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Senior constable will now face two charges, including grievous bodily harm which carries maximum penalty of 14 years

A New South Wales police officer will now face a second charge over the alleged assault of Hannah Thomas, who sustained a serious eye injury after she was arrested at a protest in June.

NSW police said the 33-year-old senior constable, who last month was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm, was on Wednesday also charged with recklessly causing grievous bodily harm.

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Guardian Australia’s Ben Smee joint winner of Queensland journalist of the year award

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The Guardian’s Queensland correspondent and three SBS journalists win top award for investigation into children locked up in police watch houses

Guardian Australia’s Ben Smee and a team from SBS have been named joint winners of the coveted journalist of the year award at Queensland’s annual media awards – the Clarions.

Smee, the Guardian Australia’s Queensland state correspondent, and SBS journalists Jennifer Luu, Jodie Noyce and Chloe Angelo, won the top award for their exclusive investigation, In the Box: Inside the Isolation Cells where Australian Kids are Imprisoned. Smee also picked up two other awards at a ceremony on Saturday night.

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Boy, 15, dead after being hit by a truck outside Bendigo school

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Victoria police say pedestrian died at the scene after the crash on High Street at 8.30am Friday

A 15-year-old boy has died after being hit by a truck outside a regional Victorian school shortly before classes were due to start.

Victoria police on Friday said the teenager, who lived locally, was hit by a truck on High Street in Bendigo at 8.30am.

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Mushroom murderer Erin Patterson will appeal against her convictions, court told

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Lawyers for Erin Patterson confirmed on Thursday that she would appeal against her convictions, after she was sentenced to life imprisonment last month

Mushroom murderer Erin Patterson will appeal against her convictions, the Victorian supreme court has heard.

Patterson’s barrister, Richard Edney, confirmed she would appeal during a short hearing in Melbourne on Thursday morning.

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