Six police bashed as mobs run amok

SIX police across the State were set upon and bashed by drunken mobs over the Australia Day long weekend. One policewoman was hospitalised after being punched and kicked by several people when she tried to make an arrest at St Helens. The constable received face, chest and abdominal injuries after she and other police were called to a disturbance involving up to 100 people on Saturday night.
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In other incidents on Saturday night, a policeman was kicked in the face and spat on when trying to make an arrest at Exton, near Deloraine. At Invermay, a man who police allege had attacked his ex-girlfriend, and was chasing her, assaulted the policeman who tried to arrest him.A 19-year-old man was charged with wounding after he allegedly king-hit a policeman with a full bottle of beer at White Beach, on the Tasman Peninsula, at 1am on Sunday. The policeman was taken to hospital with serious lacerations to the back of his head.

Police chase ends in fatality

Police have defended their actions surrounding the high-speed chase which was sparked when the Holden Commodore the man was driving was caught doing burnouts at Cross Rd, Clarence Gardens just before 2am.
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The car was not stolen and police would not comment on whether alcohol was involved as the crash was being investigated by Major Crash police.

Probe launched into police use of capsicum spray

The man allegedly became aggressive and struck the senior constable several times in the head and body moments after the officers began speaking to him.
He allegedly struggled when the officers tried to detain him, and one of them sprayed capsicum spray on the side of his face.
The man then allegedly spat at both officers, struck the policewoman in the mouth and scratched her colleague on the arms.
Police back-up was then called to help detain the man.
"At this time the man appeared to be unwell and losing consciousness," the police spokeswoman said.
"The ambulance service was called, and the officers provided CPR until the ambulance officers arrived."

Cops find impersonators, cannabis at party

"A search of the car located a blue shirt with replica badges and rank insignia as well as a blue light believed to have been used in the interceptions,'' the spokeswoman said.
Police then located the two men alleged to have impersonated police and were putting them into a police vehicle, when they were surrounded by party-goers who let the men escape.
Both men ran into bushland and were pursued on foot by police, who then located the cannabis crop with over 30 plants ranging from immature to three metres in height.

Man dies after release from police custody

He was released on Friday morning but went back to the clinic complaining of similar symptoms.
He died there about 4pm ACST on Friday afternoon.
Territory police say they are treating it as a death in custody, despite the fact the man had been released from their care.

Police officer concussed

A MALE police officer has been hit in the back of the head while attempting to arrest a 20-year-old man in Mooloolaba, on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.
After the officer was hit, the man who was being arrested fled the scene, but was later caught, police said.
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A 26-year-old man then allegedly attempted to assault a female police officer, but he was placed into a police vehicle with the assistance of an unknown man.

Tragic rookie told police he had tried to take his life

The young policeman who killed himself at a single-person station had a troubled mental health history. When Greg Norman Lundberg entered the NSW Police Academy at Goulburn two years ago he wrote on the application form that he had previously tried to take his own life.

He successfully completed his training, graduated as a constable and was armed with a Glock semi-automatic service pistol.
And last year he was given his first major assignment: to manage the one-officer station at the Menai Market Place shopping centre.

Police sniff out house fire

The police officers were on a routine patrol with their windows down when they smelled smoke coming from a house on Dinning Street.

They broke into the burning home and dragged an elderly woman free before the house became engulfed in flames.

Police defy bail order

The 16-year-old, accused of assaulting his girlfriend before waving a knife at Tour Down Under spectators at Willunga on Saturday, was arrested after an onlooker tackled and disarmed him.

Although police opposing bail told a duty magistrate that the youth could not tell them where he lived, bail was granted on condition he provide an address within 24 hours.

Concerned for the safety of the youth's alleged victim, police then used provisions of the Bail Act to remand him to the Magill Training Centre and will today ask the Supreme Court to overturn the magistrate's order.

New infra-red camera for police chopper

Police Air Wing officer-in-charge acting inspector Clinton Oversby said the new "eye in the sky" was a tremendous asset to the helicopter and the frontline police officers it supported.

“Our old FLIR (Forward Looking Infra Red) camera was about seven years old and with advances in technology was very outdated. This new model greatly enhances our capability to monitor and record incidents from the air in terms of range and clarity of pictures,” acting inspector Oversby said.

Readers' Comments: Mum's grief at shooting

Posted by: Serving Police Officer of Perth 10:31am today
May I also say that the WA Police Executive have acted shamefully in this matter. When the incident in Karratha happened we all received, via internal emails, updates on the officer's welfare. What have we heard about this junior police officer? Nothing! If it wasn't for the media we would not even know his name. We do a hard job and for the arm-chair officers out there give it a go before telling us how we should have reacted.

Posted by: country copper's wife of WA 12:41pm January 21, 2007
Mental illness is a factor here, but from the little i have read of the case, the officers didn't have time to establish this fact. If someone was coming at you with a knife, what would you do? think carefully about that for a split second! that is all the time the officer had. How different it was when the Karratha copper shot dead the scumbag who had killed two young women in Victoria, media couldn't stop singing his praises then. He had about as much time to decide him or me as Const Ferguson did, just his luck was better that day, his offender was a killer and Const Ferguson's wasn't - could you tell the difference?!

Shot son died in dad's arms

It is understood a police officer ran into the house chasing Mr Rolph, then ran outside again with Mr Rolph pursuing him with a kitchen knife.

Mr Rolph allegedly lunged at one police officer who staggered backwards, falling into the swimming pool. Then, it is alleged, Mr Rolph stabbed Constable Ferguson.

WA Cop shoots man after car chase

When police approached, the driver got out of the car and lunged at the officer with a knife, stabbing him in the shoulder.
The spokesman said the officer shot the man in self defence and he died at the scene.

Man charged after policeman run down

When the car eventually stopped, and the officers were walking towards it, it suddenly reversed and knocked one of them over.
The police officer who was run down then fired a number of shots at the car, which stopped about 200m away.

Police 'forced to shoot' bow man

The man allegedly assaulted one of the ambulance officers before two police in a divisional van from nearby Cowes and a traffic police officer responded.
The man initially confronted the police with a knife, but returned to his house and emerged with the bow.

Police shoot man in stand-off

Police had been called to Grantville, near Phillip Island, by ambulance officers.
They had been attacked by the man, who was threatening self-harm.

Police officer found dead at station

The officer had been alone in the building and the death is not being treated as suspicious.