Police Gun Training !

It was not their finest hour !  A psychiatric patient went missing from a treatment centre and weeks later the police were alerted to look for him.  Shop staff at Hornsby noticed a man carrying a large knife muttering to himself - and sounded the alert.

First responders arrived on the scene and ordered the man to drop the knife, which he refused. He aggressively lunged at a female police officer and she opened fire, causing the offender to drop to the ground, but unfortunately richocet fragments of police bullets hit and wounded three elderly women  shoppers.  Ambulances were called and they were rushed to hospital - and all will survive.

Questions are now being asked why Tasers were not the first weapon to be deployed when it becomes necessary to take down an armed offender.   What protocols are in place to ensure that the safest methods are used, both to protect police and the public - and to avoid a possible lethal injury to the arrested person ?

The enquiry into the Lindt cafe siege is revealing some alarming deficiencies in the police command structure.  The timing and methods used to control that siege raise important questions and one of the hostages died from a police bullet during the takedown.  With hindsight - it could have been managed better.

We have a police academy that ensures trainees get an overall preparation for the task they are expected to do and usually they work in a mix of experienced officers to expand that knowledge. Being a police officer require a mix of civil law as it applies to the rules of evidence and they make field decisions as circumstances require.   All instances where a firearm is used is subjected to an enquiry to determine if that action was appropriate.

Police are required to undertake regular practice sessions on firing ranges to prove their weapon proficiency, but it is possible for a police officer to serve for their entire lifetime without having to fire their pistol with intend to wound or kill.   Few would be regarded as skilled marksmen or women - and yet as this Hornsby incident showed - without warning they may be called upon to fire their weapon in a place crowded with innocent people.

To a soldier in our army the ability to use weapons efficiently - and accurately - is the purpose of their being.  The entire army life is relentless weapons training because at a moments notice they can be pitched into battle if a war scenario eventuates.

To a cop, the work load is in an entirely different direction.  Investigations involve talking to people and a portion of their duties will involve handing out traffic infringement notices and manning breath test stations.   They carry a weapon at all times, but actually firing it is extremely rare.   The reputation of the police suffers when police firepower wounds innocent members of the public.

Any gun is a dangerous item.   We have a stringent regimen in place to license firearms in public ownership and there are restrictions on the type that are permitted.   Many people are interested in a prosecution where police are accused of a coverup over the shooting of a mentally disturbed man attempting self harm.   It seems possible that a Glock pistol was mistakenly used when a Taser was intended, and the police are accused of closing ranks to mask this error by a common account which contrasts with the evidence of paramedics and the victims father - who were present when the victim died.

It is evident that almost annual firing range practice is insufficient to keep police weapons proficient. The police need their weapons in an increasingly dangerous world, but public safety requires that their skill be constantly tested - and kept up to the mark.

The last think we need - is cops who are lousy shots !