Editor, The West Australian, Sir: I respond to your report, “Take Tasers from police: ALZ” by Kate Campbell, July 22 2009.
As a human rights campaigner, I was concerned at the death by police gunfire, outside the East Perth lockup some years ago, of a disturbed male person with family law problems. All streets were cornered off for hours, and the police asked him three times to put down his firearm; he refused and was shot dead. There were dozens of Tactical Response Group police present, high-ranking police officers.
I was of the view, with some experts on firepower, that police could have aimed at his arms, but they shot him dead. The Coroner’s Court cleared the police of any wrong doing. I’m still of the view that the death of the man was avoidable.
Today, police have stun guns as an alternative to shooting the person dead with their firearms, and I support this alternative. Also, I appreciate that Ronald Mitchell was burned badly after he allegedly charged towards two police officers with a container of fuel and a cigarette lighter. On the face of it, the police were concerned that they may sustain serious injury or death and acted accordingly.
The suggestion by Dennis Ferguson, that police give special consideration to Aborigines more so than other sections of society because many have serious health problems, is unrealistic. If any violent person, regardless of origin or creed, the public officer is in no position but simply to act according to the circumstances
I suggest that that the CEO of the Aboriginal Legal Service initiate counseling to the Aborigine community that when they’re approached by a uniformed public officer, and they are asked to surrender their liberty peacefully, that they concede or alternatively, suffer the consequences. This counseling would certainly help to minimize the violent behavior of most aborigine offenders.
I am a little part aboriginal myself.
Brian G. Tennant Civil Liberties Australia,
Subiaco, Perth WA