Category Archives: Australian police and policing

Kumanjayi Walker inquest: Zachary Rolfe talked about killing, former fiancee tells coroner

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Claudia Campagnaro says she ‘wasn’t really surprised’ the NT police officer had shot dead the teenager in 2019

A Northern Territory police officer who killed an Indigenous teenager talked about killing before the incident, his former fiancee has told an inquest.

Claudia Campagnaro told police she wasn’t surprised Const Zachary Rolfe had shot dead Kumanjayi Walker during a bungled outback arrest.

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Queensland government moves to have police immediately sacked if they are sentenced to jail

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Currently, officers may not be dismissed until all criminal appeals and disciplinary action are finalised

Queensland police officers who receive a jail sentence for a crime will be “immediately dismissed” under new legislation proposed by the state government.

The police minister, Mark Ryan, said the bill would avoid the “unacceptable situation” of officers remaining in the service after being sentenced to imprisonment for criminal offences.

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Kumanjayi Walker inquest: flying doctor pilots feared remote NT community runway may have been ‘sabotaged’, court told

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Teenager died on floor of Yuendumu police station as pilots allegedly argued about state of the runway

The Royal Flying Doctor Service refused to fly to an Indigenous community after a police officer shot and severely wounded Kumanjayi Walker, a Northern Territory inquest has been told.

The 19-year-old died on the floor of the Yuendumu police station as the pilots allegedly argued about the state of the runway in the remote community north-west of Alice Springs.

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Fears for teenager missing in outback Queensland as NT authorities notified of her disappearance

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Tea Wright-Finger, 19, was last seen near Richmond, where temperatures could reach 42C this weekend

Authorities as far away as the Northern Territory have been alerted to a missing woman last seen in outback Queensland 11 days ago, as the search through rough cattle scrub is also extended to her family’s home town.

Police on Thursday alleged that a vehicle that Tea Wright-Finger, 19, had been driving on the day she disappeared had been reported stolen eight days earlier from the Whitsunday town of Proserpine.

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Melbourne street artist spared conviction over Shane Warne mural

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Court hears children of late cricketer wrote a letter of support for Jarrod Grech describing him as ‘lovely’

A Melbourne street artist has been spared a criminal conviction after being pursued by police for painting a mural in tribute to late cricketer Shane Warne.

Jarrod Grech, 35, faced Melbourne magistrates court on Wednesday, where he pleaded guilty to one charge of criminal damage over a tribute he painted on a Carlton wall in March.

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Queensland police commissioner vows to do more to protect whistleblowers after inquiry revelations

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Officers who made complaints say internal witness support unit is understaffed and overwhelmed

Queensland’s police commissioner has vowed to do more to protect whistleblowers, after an inquiry revealed that officers who expose sexual abuse, misogyny and racism in the service often face reprisals from their colleagues.

Police who made complaints against their colleagues have told Guardian Australia that the internal witness support unit – established to support whistleblowers who report breaches of discipline, misconduct or corrupt conduct – is understaffed and overwhelmed.

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Billions in ‘dirty’ money going into NSW pokies should be addressed by cashless gaming card, crime commission says

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Review finds measure is needed to break ‘link between organised crime and gaming machines’

New South Wales should introduce a cashless gambling card to address the billions of dollars in “dirty” money being gambled in pubs and clubs in the state every year, the state’s crime commission has found.

On Wednesday a joint law enforcement agency inquiry into money laundering in NSW issued a damning final report that found “large sums” of the proceeds of crime are gambled by criminals in pubs and clubs across the state, “rewarding and perpetuating crime in the community”.

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Kumanjayi Walker inquest: senior NT constable justifies attending ‘drinks’ at Zachary Rolfe’s house after shooting

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Senior Constable Shane McCormack says he went to social gathering two days after Rolfe killed Walker because he was concerned for his welfare

A senior Northern Territory police officer has told an inquest into the death of Kumanjayi Walker that he attended a gathering at the house of the officer who shot the Warlpiri teenager because he was concerned about his welfare.

Constable Zachary Rolfe shot 19-year-old Walker three times during an attempted arrest in Yuendumu, north-west of Alice Springs, in November 2019. Rolfe was found not guilty of murder and two alternative charges after a six-week trial earlier this year.

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Queensland police discipline failures in ‘clear breach’ of workplace health and safety laws, says lawyer

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Commissioner says not all officers have had a safe workplace as critics label complaints procedure a joke

The Queensland Police Service continues to employ frontline officers whose actions resulted in payouts worth millions of dollars to victims of bullying and harassment, Guardian Australia has learned.

The commission of inquiry into Queensland police responses to domestic violence has revealed dozens of instances where officers were found to have engaged in racism, sexism, misogyny and bullying. In many of these cases, officers were repeat offenders and not subject to disciplinary action.

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Queensland government moves to legislate coercive control as a form of domestic violence

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The bill would amend laws to include a ‘pattern of behaviour’ and update the definition of stalking

The Queensland government will seek to broaden the definition of domestic violence to include coercive control, as it moves towards making it a criminal offence in its own right.

The bill, introduced into parliament on Friday, would amend legislation to include a “pattern of behaviour” and update the definition of stalking to reflect modern technology.

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Northern Territory moves to raise age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 12

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Government says authorities will refer children under 12 and their families to parenting and behavioural change programs to break the cycle of offending

The Northern Territory government is seeking to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 years old to 12 years old.

The Labor government introduced the legislation to parliament on Thursday, saying authorities would now refer children under the age of 12 and their families to intensive parenting and behavioural change programs to break the cycle of offending.

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Queensland police discipline system ‘failed’ officers sexually assaulted by colleagues, minister says

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Mark Ryan says he is appalled by ‘disgraceful’ evidence heard at inquiry and calls for changes to system

Queensland’s police minister has acknowledged that the force’s disciplinary system has “failed” officers subjected to sexual assaults by their police colleagues.

The commission of inquiry into police responses to domestic violence last week heard how officers who perpetrated sexual assault, sexually harassed junior female colleagues or made racist or misogynistic comments often faced little to no consequences for their behaviour.

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‘Devastating’ outcomes for woman abused by police officer husband after Ibac failures, report finds

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Woman’s escape plan had previously been leaked to abuser, but Victorian anti-corruption body referred case back to police’s internal investigations

Victoria’s anti-corruption commission fundamentally failed a woman who was abused by her police officer spouse, with delays in the handling of her case meaning a second officer who leaked her escape plan could not be prosecuted, a report has found.

The Victorian Inspectorate, the body responsible for overseeing the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (Ibac), tabled a special report to parliament on Tuesday regarding the case of a woman known as Emma.

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Funding shortfalls force Melbourne legal centre to stop taking calls on police misconduct

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Criticism mounts of Victoria’s police oversight model, with Andrews government urged to establish new watchdog

A Victorian community legal centre that specialises in police misconduct matters has stopped taking calls from the public because of funding shortfalls amid calls for the Andrews government to establish a new police watchdog.

The Police Accountability Project, which is based at Inner Melbourne Community Legal Centre, is only taking on new clients referred to it by other lawyers and the most egregious cases, as it can no longer operate a phone intake line that had previously serviced as many as 400 people a year.

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Queensland police inquiry hears allegations of recruits being taught racism, officers being raped

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State’s police commissioner reveals she too suffered sexual assault and harassment early in her career

Senior Queensland police officers taught racist attitudes to academy recruits, including comments about Indigenous people that “you can smell them before you see them”, recordings obtained by an inquiry have revealed.

The “distressing” evidence given to the inquiry into Queensland police service (QPS) responses to domestic violence included revelations the police service failed to discipline officers in cases where they were found to have racially abused colleagues, or made racist remarks.

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In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14 and the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123 and the domestic abuse helpline is 0808 2000 247. In the US, the suicide prevention lifeline is 1-800-273-8255 and the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Other international helplines can be found via www.befrienders.org

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‘Fear of speaking out’: Queensland police officer’s sexual assaults went unreported for years, inquiry told

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Counsel assisting the inquiry Ruth O’Gorman KC suggests system is ‘stacked against female victims’

A Queensland senior sergeant who was found by an internal police investigation to have committed nine sexual assaults of junior female officers engaged in unchecked problematic conduct for 16 years due to a culture that discouraged complaints, an inquiry has heard.

The commission of inquiry into Queensland police responses to domestic violence heard the man’s conduct included touching the breasts of a female subordinate, and following another into a toilet and suggesting he had come “for a blowjob”.

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Image of Bruce Saunders’ legs in woodchipper kept murder accused awake at night, court hears

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Gregory Lee Roser denies feeding friend into chipper and told police in 2018 it wasn’t in his nature ‘to be nasty to people’

The image of Bruce Saunders’ legs in a woodchipper kept Gregory Lee Roser awake at night, a Queensland court has been told.

Roser, now 63, told police he “felt responsible” after Saunders died while working on a property north of Brisbane in November 2017. But Roser, in a 2018 police interview played in court on Tuesday, denied feeding his friend into the chipper, saying it was not in his nature.

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‘Shocked and saddened’: Queensland attorney general concerned by police failure to investigate alleged gang rape

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Shannon Fentiman says she will meet with Karen Iles after raising the matter with the police minister

Queensland’s attorney general says she was “shocked and saddened” by revelations that police failed to investigate a series of alleged sexual assaults against a 14-year-old girl, and has raised the matter with the state’s police minister.

Guardian Australia revealed on Tuesday that police failed to investigate the case, lost key documents, and later wrongly told the complainant that her 2004 statement had been destroyed.

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Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 802 9999. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html

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Peter FitzSimons to step down as ARM chair; protesters picket CPAC – as it happened

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FitzSimons says a new generation is stepping up to lead republic campaign. This blog is now closed

‘I managed to crawl right under the skin of Penny Wong’: Price

Price has bragged that her first speech to parliament ended in Penny Wong fleeing the chamber.

I managed to crawl right under the skin of Penny Wong.

I put it to Wong we need to co-design an Asian voice to parliament.

So that policies that affect Asian Australians can be their responsibility and any time I need expert advice on how to better improve Wong’s life, I can consult with the Asian voice.

I thought ‘thank you Lord for strategically placing me after my Labor colleague to deliver my first speech’.

There could be no better contrast.

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Queensland lab failed to identify DNA from nine semen samples in rape case, inquiry told

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Commission of Inquiry into Forensic DNA Testing hears police demanded retesting, resulting in profile found to match offender

Fears crucial evidence was being missed by the government-run forensic lab prompted Queensland police to call for a thorough review of DNA thresholds.

A public hearing of the Commission of Inquiry into Forensic DNA Testing heard on Wednesday the relationship between police and the facility deteriorated as serious questions arose over testing results.

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