DunRoaminTheUK

We've had this discussion before but I still can't quite understand why this has happened again?

http://www.smh.com.au/national/trage...0604-bwcw.html

Broad Shoulders

it is odd I think. I've lived in a few European countries where most police forces readily carry guns but rarely did you ever hear about an officer shooting someone. When they did it made news everytime but they were so so rare. Here is seems more regular. What is so worrying is that many of these incidents you hear about in Aus are not just shootings, but also killings. Do they not train the officers to shoot to disable rather than kill?

scottishcelts

The irony being he was studying psychology!

Was he really holding a bread knife to the police officer after chase? Did i read that?

scottishcelts

Yeah, thinking just the very thing, did he really have to kill him? The guy was obviously have some serious problems, any police officer with half a brain should be able to pick up on that.

perksy

He wasn't using his loaf

jimbo_d

There lies your answer

A lot of police are little more than glorified bouncers, give them a badge and a gun and they think they're the sheriff. They were either bullied at school or weren't bright enough to do another job. There are many however who do a great job it's always the idiots that let the others down

ABCDiamond

That attitude is just wrong. The Police do what they are trained to do.

An example of such is this quote:
If you want to have goes at someone, do so at the right people, not the Police on the job who do what they are trained to do.

DunRoaminTheUK

Why not use a taser? Why feel it neccessary to use that kind of force to disarm someone with a knife?

Centurion

Let's put people in the cops shoes. A man runs from you and finally picks up a knife, threatens you with it and after you warn him with your pistol drawn that you will shoot, he advances with the knife.

You have every right to believe that you are about to get stabbed by a desperate man, you have moments to act. Will you see your kids tonight or will you shoot. Of course its a no brainer. You shoot.

IMO if anyone wants to throw some blame about - blame the NSW government for only a partial roll out of tasers to specialist squads. QLD has had them since January. I think in this day and age we need the police to be carrying non lethal alternatives. If you have ever used capsicum spray before you will realise how ineffective it is in some situations and hard to deploy.

Centurion

NSW police only arm specialist squads with tasers.

ABCDiamond

I agree. I just don't know if they had tasers.

Not knowing the facts, I would go along with the families feelings, who may know a bit more than us, where they say:

DunRoaminTheUK

I totally agree with regards to deploying more tasers.

Petals

When people are having a mental episode it should be dealt with by mental health people but we do not seem to have any now. So the Police are called and they are not mental health workers and often this is the outcome. Its very sad but blame lack of taxes for mental health not the Police Officer who is sent to do someone elses job.

scottishcelts

Do you really believe the shoot to kill practice is always justifiable?

What about the Jean Charles de Menezes case from 2005 in the UK?

DunRoaminTheUK

That was an example of "shocking" and "cover-up"...