Taser Tragedy

Concerns Around Fatalities Induced by the Weapon

P. P. Zhang

THE DEATH OF 95-YEAR-OLD CLAIRE NOWLAND LAST WEEK AFTER SHE WAS TASERED BY A POLICE OFFICER HAS RAISED QUESTIONS SURROUNDING THE WEAPON AND REVIEWING POLICE POWERS. In the early hours of the morning on 17 May, Senior Police Constable Kristian White deployed his taser at a nursing home in Cooma, having asked Mrs Nowland to drop the steak knife she was holding. The 95-year-old suffered from dementia and was using a walking frame when she fell and fractured her skull, dying a week later at Cooma Hospital. The police officer was charged around the same time with multiple offences including recklessly causing grievous bodily harm, however, he plans to fight the charges during his trial. Whilst he has been stood down from his role as Senior Constable, the 33-year-old continues to receive full pay. Bodycam footage has revealed that the officer allegedly said “bugger it”, moments before he tasered the elderly lady, with the entire encounter taking place within the space of a minute.

The act has become a global news story as the debate around police power and violence continues. 

Tasers were introduced in Australia in the early 2000s as an alternative to the use of lethal force in the form of firearms that many other countries, notably the United States, still rely on. While the issue of police brutality is not as prevalent in Australia as in the States, taser use has still been widely debated due to an overuse of the weapon in recent years. Between 2014 and 2018, NSW Police deployed the weapon over 3000 times, with more than a third of victims suffering from a mental health issue. Another study conducted in 2010 found that three-quarters of all victims were unarmed at the time of the attack. 

In comparison to lethal firearms, it seems that police are excessively trigger-happy with the weapon, with the number of fatal police shootings in fact rising, reaching an all-time high in 2019-20 despite the intended prevention of the need to use lethal force. The main issue with tasers is the lack of accountability around the weapon. Unlike firearms, incidents involving tasers are not required to be publically reported by police in any Australian state or territory. This contrasts with other nations such as the United Kingdom and New Zealand, both of which mandate police reporting. Furthermore, it is not evident what benefit tasers actually offer over other safer options for police. For example, pepper spray, which, despite still being illegal in Australia for civilians to carry, offers a much less lethal alternative than tasers, batons and other commonly used weapons. The electric weapon has faced additional criticism internationally, cited for its escalation of incidents and increased aggressiveness, and in some cases, its ineffective nature. In Mrs Nowland’s case, a retired senior officer has argued that based on the victim’s age and weight, throwing a blanket over her would simply have been enough to subdue the threat. 

Calls have been made for inquiries into police treatment of dementia sufferers following revelations of another instance of brutality in 2020, when a nursing home resident, Rachel Grahame, was violently handcuffed after she had taken a staff member’s lanyard. Additionally, many believe an independent investigation into the incident is necessary to prevent potential corruption that arises from “police investigating police”. 

Finally, perhaps a less discussed but equally pressing issue is police presence at aged care facilities in the first place. By next month, it will be mandatory for a registered nurse to be present at aged care homes 24 hours a day, seven days a week. At least some change is occurring, but the haunting similarity of these incidents over three years suggests that NSW Police is not doing enough.