Doubts raised in cop shooting
CRITICISM has been levelled at both how a provoked shooting was handled by Tasmania Police and how the eight officers who attended were treated in the aftermath.
A young police officer cried as she told coroner Olivia McTaggart at an inquest in Devonport how she was treated by a professional standards investigation in the Burnie Police Station after a man was shot by police in a suburban backyard in 2016.
Constable Sarah Bosch said the treatment had compounded the trauma she experienced.
“The system needs to be improved if, God forbid, there is another incident like this,” Constable Bosch said during the inquest into the death of Robert McInerney in a provoked shooting.
Constable Bosch had been out of the academy less than two years on May 24, 2016, when she was called to the scene, a block of units in Cooee, where 48-year-old Mr McInerney was threatening police with knives after calling triple-0, saying police needed to attend or others could be put in danger.
He was shot after capsicum spray failed to stop his armed charge.
Senior Constable Will Flynn shot Mr McInerney four times before he fell to the ground.
Mr McInerney died after undergoing surgery in the North West Regional Hospital in Burnie.
“After the shooting we were brought back to the Burnie Police Station and were not allowed to talk to each other about the incident while being held for almost 12 hours,” Constable Bosch said.
“We had no sleep in that time. I was then interviewed for 1½ hours. The exhaustion and shock and the trauma of the interrogation has stayed with me. The focus was on the preservation of evidence, not on the welfare of the officers involved.”
Victoria Police Senior Sergeant Matthew Hargreaves, who conducted a review of police training after evidence showed “suicide by cop” incidences had increased to two a week in Victoria, also gave evidence.
Sgt Hargreaves told the inquest different training was needed for that specific scenario.
“In this instance the sub
ject is wanting police to arrive and shoot them. It is not the same scenario as an active shooter killing others,” Sgt Hargreaves said.
He told the inquest Tasmania Police did not need to converge at the Cooee scene while Mr McInerney was still on the phone but should have met to discuss strategy.
“There was no threat to anyone while he was engaged with Radio Dispatch Services,” Sgt Hargreaves said.
“While it was an urgent situation, instruction should have been given to Acting Sergeant Nick Lomman, who was in charge that night, and time taken to plan prior to attending the address.
“A rendezvous, say at a place four or five houses up the street, would allow time to identify roles and objectives.
“You cannot manage a situation while being actively involved and in danger.”
The situation unfolded very quickly, with Mr McInerney calling triple-0 at 7.35pm and being shot just after 8pm.
But Sgt Hargreaves insisted there was time for officers to prepare a plan before they converged on the scene.
An off-duty police sergeant who watched the situation unfold told the inquest the “brave and courageous” actions of the officer who fired should be commended.
Sergeant Steve Keiselis, who lived across the road from the Stitz St units where Mr McInerney was shot, said using capsicum spray was the last chance police had to save his life.
When that had no effect on his progress, lethal force was the only option, Sgt Keiselis said.
“Senior Constable Will Flynn’s actions were meritorious,” he said.
Tasmania Police Assistant Commissioner Jonathan Higgins told the inquest the number of provoked shootings recorded in Tasmania did not warrant specific training to be developed and mandated.
Assistant Commissioner Higgins said current training provided the skills officers needed to make assessments in dangerous situations such as the one officers encountered that night.
“There is no identified need based on the number of incidences which happen in Tasmania to require a specific training package for police-provoked shootings,” Assistant Commissioner Higgins said.
The last fatal police shooting, before the event in Cooee, occurred in Deloraine more than 20 years ago.
Assistant Commissioner Higgins told the inquest the scenario-based training provided to Tasmania Police officers was now more dynamic and realistic than in the past when shooting practice was limited to firing at a target from behind a line in a range.
He said Tasmania Police was also exploring the introduction of virtual reality modules during which officers would wear goggles with scenarios unfolding in front of them. The use of virtual technology would reduce the number of role players needed, making the training less labour intensive, he said.