Another fatal shooting by Victorian police

By Sean Lennon

MELBOURNE -- Yet another person has been shot dead by Victorian police, after they were called to a domestic dispute on July 17 and the victim allegedly attacked police with a knife.

Seven people have been shot dead since 1994, when Victoria Police instituted Operation Beacon, a policy which was supposed to reduce police shootings.

Capsicum spray was advocated as a means of further reducing the number of shootings, and was issued despite opposition by legal services and civil liberties groups, just two weeks before the shooting.

The Victorian Federation of Community Legal Centres and the National Association of Community Legal Centres (NACLC) have demanded an inquiry into police training and operational procedures. Spokesperson Gary Sullivan said, “The federation warned that the introduction of capsicum spray, a dangerous chemical weapon, would not reduce the number of shootings. Enough is enough.”

According to Greg Smith, national policy representative of the NACLC, capsicum spray will actually increase the number of shootings. “The use of the spray forces police to take an aggressive position at close quarters. If the spray fails to deter, the police are left with no option but to shoot.”

According to police at the July 17 shooting, they initially attempted to use capsicum spray to disarm the offender, but he shielded his face with a shirt, making the spray ineffective.

“Rather than addressing the need for a shift in police culture and the use of excessive force, the police in Victoria, and now across Australia, are looking for a cheap quick fix”, Smith said.

“The Victorian police should withdraw capsicum spray from use and other states considering its introduction should heed the lesson.”

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