Police use of force has been a particularly prevalent topic of debate in Victoria for decades, most seemingly so throughout the mid 80’s and late 90’s. But with new and improved equipment as well as old known issues, the long held debate has again begun to rear its head in Victoria. Whether it be a police shooting fatality, or a perceived use of excessive force, the police face heavy scrutiny when excessive force is used. Regardless of the arguments regarding the level of force and accountability allowed by legislators, the most constant of arguments surrounds the need for force itself. And whilst the media in particular only make known the negatives of the use of force by police, people tend to forget about the reasons for its need in the
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During that time 29 people were killed by Victorian Police (OPI 2009, pp.9). A study by the Office of Police Integrity found that of the 76 recorded police shooting deaths within Australia between 1990 and 2004, 29 of those deaths came from Victoria (OPI 2005). This is almost half of the recorded shooting deaths at the hands of Victorian Police officers. One of the more well known cases of a Victorian police shooting fatality is that of 15-year-old Tyler Cassidy on December 11th 2008. An article by The Herald Sun states, “four police had him cordoned as he stood holding two kitchen knives, frayed wires sparking and popping inside his angry mind... officers found themselves in the unenviable position of having to contain the enraged armed teen” (Anderson 2014). This case sparked a coronial inquest into Cassidy’s death. The inquest made numerous suggestions into ways in which Victoria Police and the Department of Justice could go about improving the outcome of similar situations in the future (Victoria Police 2012). Bourne (2011) in a journal article on Tasers notes that the Victorian Police Union suggested that the shooting of Tyler Cassidy may have been avoided if the officers at the time had access to Tasers. Lynch (2012) suggests that there is a need for a new approach to handling situations when mental health problems are involved. Lynch uses the Cassidy case as an …show more content…
In the early 20th century there was no accountability held to police for excessive used of force, which in many cases lead to death (Baker 2010, pp.161-162). Nowadays the heavy scrutiny applied to police by society attempts to ensure that the use of force by police is used as an absolute last resort. Today force is used by police under the most mitigating of circumstances, situations whereby there is a necessity for the use of a weapon of some kind to apprehend a suspected offender from harming members of the community, the officer or themselves. This is stated in the Crimes Act 1958 (Vic) s.462A which states, “a person may use such force not disproportionate to the objective as he believes on reasonable grounds to be necessary to prevent the commission, continuance or completion of an indictable offence or to effect or assist in effecting the lawful arrest of a person committing or suspected of committing any offence.” And Crimes Act 1958 (Vic) s.463B which states, “every person is justified in using such force as may reasonably be necessary to prevent the commission of suicide or of any act which he believes on reasonable grounds would, if committed, amount to suicide.” Whether this be by the physical use of force used as a means of apprehension or in firearm or another tools use to incapacitate an offender to avoid harm to others. Over the last couple of decades there has
During that time 29 people were killed by Victorian Police (OPI 2009, pp.9). A study by the Office of Police Integrity found that of the 76 recorded police shooting deaths within Australia between 1990 and 2004, 29 of those deaths came from Victoria (OPI 2005). This is almost half of the recorded shooting deaths at the hands of Victorian Police officers. One of the more well known cases of a Victorian police shooting fatality is that of 15-year-old Tyler Cassidy on December 11th 2008. An article by The Herald Sun states, “four police had him cordoned as he stood holding two kitchen knives, frayed wires sparking and popping inside his angry mind... officers found themselves in the unenviable position of having to contain the enraged armed teen” (Anderson 2014). This case sparked a coronial inquest into Cassidy’s death. The inquest made numerous suggestions into ways in which Victoria Police and the Department of Justice could go about improving the outcome of similar situations in the future (Victoria Police 2012). Bourne (2011) in a journal article on Tasers notes that the Victorian Police Union suggested that the shooting of Tyler Cassidy may have been avoided if the officers at the time had access to Tasers. Lynch (2012) suggests that there is a need for a new approach to handling situations when mental health problems are involved. Lynch uses the Cassidy case as an …show more content…
In the early 20th century there was no accountability held to police for excessive used of force, which in many cases lead to death (Baker 2010, pp.161-162). Nowadays the heavy scrutiny applied to police by society attempts to ensure that the use of force by police is used as an absolute last resort. Today force is used by police under the most mitigating of circumstances, situations whereby there is a necessity for the use of a weapon of some kind to apprehend a suspected offender from harming members of the community, the officer or themselves. This is stated in the Crimes Act 1958 (Vic) s.462A which states, “a person may use such force not disproportionate to the objective as he believes on reasonable grounds to be necessary to prevent the commission, continuance or completion of an indictable offence or to effect or assist in effecting the lawful arrest of a person committing or suspected of committing any offence.” And Crimes Act 1958 (Vic) s.463B which states, “every person is justified in using such force as may reasonably be necessary to prevent the commission of suicide or of any act which he believes on reasonable grounds would, if committed, amount to suicide.” Whether this be by the physical use of force used as a means of apprehension or in firearm or another tools use to incapacitate an offender to avoid harm to others. Over the last couple of decades there has