Security News
Lending a helping hand - Bob Falconer 26.05.09
Good Samartian stabbed to death. 25.05.09
Victoria Police announce 2 new Deputy Commissioners: 25.05.09 The Age
Lend a helping hand when a fellow citizen is in trouble
Bob Falconer
May 26, 2009 12:00am
ONCE again a good Samaritan has lost his life in our city. And again the question is: What should you do if you see someone being attacked in the street?
As a senior police officer for many years I was obliged - as indeed I am now - to counsel members of the community to take great care in deciding to physically intervene.
Yet privately, both then and now, I am thankful that we still have such courageous people among us.
In fact, what decision a person makes in such circumstances is largely brought about by instinct, most likely determined by a range of factors, including the character of the individual.
In the aftermath, there is invariably public discussion as to the potential consequences of intervention and whether there is some moral obligation on a person to act when a fellow citizen is being victimised.
All those aspects were publicly discussed in June 2007, after the shooting of lawyer and father-of-three Brendan Keilar, who went to the aid of a woman being beaten in the centre of Melbourne by former Hells Angel bikie Christopher Wayne Hudson.
About a week later, the ABC morning show in Perth ran a poll on their website to which 1505 people responded.
The poll summarised the Melbourne incident and presented four alternatives as to what people thought they might do. Their responses were disturbing. The most dangerous course of action, "I would run and help her", was selected by 18 per cent. To my amazement, the most appropriate response, "I would call the emergency services, but not assist myself," was chosen by only 13 per cent.
The most disturbing response, "Nothing, it's not my business and I could get hurt," received 16 per cent.
But the response that shocked me most was, "I would look the other way and leave the area", which was ticked by 53 per cent of respondents.
Attitudes become extreme when debating the role of citizens in responding to dangerous situations.
At one end of the argument is vigilante activity and at the other end total inaction, which was selected by more than half of poll respondents.
If you wish to psychologically program yourself for any form of action in advance of rapidly escalating and dangerous events, do not choose either of these responses or non-responses.
In my view, the right answer was the one that received 13 per cent support.
It is our civic duty to call the police. Nearly everyone has a mobile phone. Of course, it is even better if, after calling the police, witnesses stay to provide evidence to assist the police.
Doing so is part of the unwritten contract between the public and the police in a peace-officer system such as ours. If you choose to do nothing and slink away, then our modern society is in dire straits.
As statesman Edmund Burke (1729-1797) said in one of his lesser known quotes: "When bad men combine, the good must associate else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle."
Bob Falconer is a former police commissioner and is chairman of whistleblower website STOPline
Good Samaritan stabbed to death
May 24, 2009 11:00am
A MAN stabbed five times in a sickening street attack had only minutes earlier helped protect a man who was also getting bashed.
Witnesses pleaded for his attackers to stop as they continued to kick him as he laid on the ground, The Herald Sun reports.
The man, a 29-year-old, from Victoria's Sanctuary Lakes, was rushed to hospital in a critical condition after the attack in Brunswick, Melbourne just after 2am. He died just hours later.
Police said just prior to the stabbing the man had intervened to protect a man who was being assaulted by three Asian men in Sydney Rd, near the Spot Nightclub.
"As he tried to intervene he was attacked by the group and hit with a broken pram,'' police spokesman Wayne Wilson said.
The attackers broke off and the man who tried to help went to a nearby convenience store with four of his mates. As the group left the store, a car pulled up and two Asian men got out of the vehicle began the assault.
Police said the attackers then fled in the same car.
Victoria Police announce 2 new Deputy Commissioners:
OUTSPOKEN British police chief Sir Ken Jones has been appointed one of three Victoria Police deputy commissioners after unsuccessfully applying for the top job.
Sir Ken, a decorated 38-year veteran, was a surprise appointment as Deputy Commissioner for crime, while Ken Lay, a 35-year Victoria Police veteran, was promoted from assistant to Deputy Commissioner for road policing.
Sir Ken made international headlines when he defended policing of the violent G20 protests in London in April, saying the response of officers was "proportionate" despite widespread criticism of police tactics.
Ian Tomlinson, a news vendor caught up in the protest, died after being pushed to the ground and reportedly hit by an officer.
At the time, Sir Ken was responding to comments from Nick Hardwick, chairman of the Independent Police Complaints Commission, who said allegations of brutality against individual officers raised "serious concerns".
Sir Ken, a Welshman and head of the Association of Chief Police Officers, was made a knight for services to the police and was regarded last year as a contender to replace outgoing Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair after he quit as head of Central London's elite police force.
Sir Ken admitted yesterday that he had also been a candidate for the Chief Commissioner's post in Victoria, but conceded that Simon Overland had been a "better fit".
It was a smart move as it was the chief who announced his appointment yesterday.
"I tried to nick it off him but to be fair … he was the best fit," Sir Ken said.
He said crime knew no borders and he would be bringing his experience to the fight against international crime syndicates.
Sir Ken trained as an engineer before joining the force in South Yorkshire, where he did beat work and specialist detective duties. He worked on anti-corruption in Hong Kong and in Zimbabwe as an election monitor.
In 2001, he was appointed Chief Constable of Sussex Police, an organisation with 6000 staff, and held roles as deputy chief constable and assistant chief constable in Avon and Somerset. Mr Overland said Sir Ken had a good reputation at all levels, particularly in fighting organised crime.
"He has a unique set of skills, he walked the beat for eight years, investigated homicides, served in three police organisations, tackled corruption in Hong Kong and has held a key national role, including a focus on terrorism during a critical period," Mr Overland said.
"I am pleased that he has decided to make Melbourne home.
"I look forward to working with the three deputy commissioners, including Kieran Walshe as Deputy Commissioner (public safety), who will all provide excellent leadership in what is a constantly evolving and challenging policing environment."
Police Association secretary Greg Davies said both men were highly qualified.
With Peter Gregory
