Queensland police honour the fallen

29/09 Brisbane Times | Hundreds of Queensland Police Service officers and employees marched through Brisbane's CBD this morning for National Police Rememberance Day, making their way from police headquarters at Roma Street to St John's Cathedral on Ann Street. Leading the march was the police pipes and drums band, with officers - some with police dogs and some mounted on horses - marching behind.

... Since 1861, 137 police officers have been killed in the course of their duty in Queensland. But in the past 12 months, not a single officer has been killed on the job anywhere in Australia, something Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson today described as "a wonderful thing". Mr Atkinson, who gave the opening address at the service, said he believed the last time a whole year had passed without a fatality on duty was 1944.

QUEENSLAND: Police more at risk than ever: union

29/09 Brisbane Times | As police officers across the country prepare to honour their fallen comrades for National Police Remembrance Day, the Queensland Police Union says more officers are losing their lives in the line of duty than ever before, despite the advent of taser stun guns. "We are losing more police now more than ever," a police union spokesman said.

Although reluctant to pinpoint the rise in drugs or weapons in society, the union spokesman, who cited the senseless killings of Constable Brett Irwin in 2007 and Senior Sergeant Perry Irwin in 2003, said policing had become an "even more dangerous job". "Policing is an inherently dangerous job, but it's getting worse" he said. "Tragically, on average one police officer per year is murdered in Australia, while many others are assaulted."

VICTORIA: police remember fallen officers

29/09 Sydney Morning Herald | Two young Victorian police officers gunned down in an inner-city ambush were among hundreds honoured in police memorial services across Australia.

National Police Remembrance Day recognises members killed in the line of duty, which in Victoria alone 151 have died since the force was established in 1853 .... Victoria on Monday also marks the 20th anniversary of the Walsh Street murders of constables Steven Tynan, 22, and Damian Eyre, 19.

The pair were shot in the early hours of October 12, 1988, after investigating a car abandoned in the middle of Walsh Street in the Melbourne suburb of South Yarra. Four people were acquitted of the murders following one of Australia's longest police investigations that ran for 895 days.

Damian's father Frank Eyre, who retired from the Victorian police force in 2006 after 46 years of service, said he had resolved to continue serving after his son's death. "I knew that he would not want me to resign from Victoria Police and I continued to serve the local Shepparton community always with Damian on my mind and in my heart," an emotional Mr Eyre said.

"There is a huge photograph in the Shepparton police station of my son and every person who walks into the police station takes a moment to remember the job that police do everyday in our community

NSW: Police chopper zapped with laser

16/06 Sydney Morning Herald | Police have charged a man after a laser attack on a police helicopter in Sydney's north-west last night. The charges were laid as new laws banning laser pointers from public places without a reasonable explanation were passed through State Parliament last night. The helicopter was at a height of 500 metres over Bella Vista about 6pm when the crew were allegedly targeted with a green laser beam. The alleged attack "distracted and disoriented" the crew, but none were injured, police said.

The crew figured out the source of the laser beam, which was from the yard of a house in Eastbourne Way, Bella Vista. After landing the helicopter nearby, they contacted local police who arrested a 19-year-old man and seized a green laser device. The man was charged with interfering with a crew member while in an aircraft.

SA: Police scour Coober Pedy for toddler

02/05 Sydney Morning Herald |South Australia's outback mining town of Coober Pedy, an area notorious for thousands of unguarded and disused mine shafts, remains the focus of a desperate search for a missing Perth toddler. Police believe three-year-old Imran Zilic, who does not speak English, was left in the area by his father, Aliya Zilic, after travelling there almost two weeks ago.

West Australian police say they have since found Mr Zilic in Kununurra, in north WA, but the boy was not with him. Detective Inspector Doug Barr said Mr Zilic had not been of any help in locating his son and fears for the boy's safety were growing.

"Fears grow minute by minute," Insp Barr said. "It is concerning. You can imagine a mother without a child and who doesn't know where he is for just five minutes, never mind 11 days," Insp Barr said. He said police and volunteers were already searching the Coober Pedy area and were mindful of the number of mine shafts dotting the landscape.

Police battle to help youths succeed at Camp Victory

05/02 Padraic Murphy for The Australian | Camp Victory is a joint initiative between St Marys Local Area Command and members of the Australian Army designed to help offending, or at risk of offending, youths find a path to success in their lives. Camp Victory aims to reduce youth crime and repeat offending in the St Marys Local Area Command by developing personal skills and promoting respect and responsibility among participants.

Repeat offenders, or at risk of offending, juveniles between 14 – 17 years selected by police to participate in this program....The intensive phase consists of three day camps, each weekend over April, held at Glenfield Scout Activity Centre. Participants take part in conditioning and discipline activities to instil confidence, self esteem, teamwork and leadership. Participants will be required to adopt military style system of dress, drills, courtesy, discipline and physical training.

Classroom style sessions will discuss issues such as crime prevention, domestic violence, and anger and stress management. Each participant will be allocated a police mentor

Police officers receive special mental health training

03/03 NSW Police Force | Twenty-one police officers with new skills in dealing with people who have a mental illness or disability return to their commands this week after taking part in an intensive week-long course. It follows the formation of the Mental Health Intervention Team in June last year, a specialist unit comprising officers from the NSW Police Force and NSW Health.

... “NSW Police Force officers responded to more than 20,000 incidents concerning mentally-ill people last year and until now have not had any specialised skills or knowledge to assist in adequately dealing with them,” Deputy Commissioner Owens said.

“This project is about reducing risks to both police and mental health consumers, about promoting awareness among police officers when dealing with mentally-ill people and improving co-operation between police and health agencies in mental health incidents.

“By doing this we can also reduce the time spent by frontline police in dealing with mental health incidents and ensure mental health consumers are passed into the health care system without delay where appropriate.”

... Speakers included Dr Adam Winstock who has done extensive research in substance abuse, including the effects of crystal methylamphetamine (ice) on people; Rob Ramjan from the Schizophrenia Fellowship; and Wayne Peterson from the Mental Health Co-ordination Council.

“The training of these officers means they will be able to make a quick assessment of a situation to help them determine if a person may need to be delivered into health care,” Deputy Commissioner Owens said. “In Memphis, USA, where this program has been running for 20 years, the rate of injury to police officers and mental health consumers has dropped dramatically with non-criminal incidents being referred directly to health agencies rather than being dealt with by frontline police.

Police operation results – Mardi Gras

02/03 NSW Police Force | Police have praised revellers at this year’s Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade for their good behaviour, with only a small number of incidents occurring. But they have been disappointed by a number of incidents, mostly alcohol-related, occurring in the Hyde Park area in the early hours of today following the parade.

... That included a bottle being thrown at a mounted police officer, causing her to fall from her horse. She was taken to hospital as a precaution. A man was arrested immediately and is assisting with inquiries, as is a youth after an alleged attempt was made to set fire to a police horse’s tail.

Police were also forced to break up a number of brawls in the park and nearby streets with numerous people arrested for various offences including assault, assault police, robbery, throw missile and offensive behaviour. A number of those arrested were under 18.

All people were dispersed from the park by police about 1am to prevent further incidents occurring.

... The police operation comprised general duties police and specialist units including the Mounted Police, Public Order and Riot Squad and Polair.