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NSW: Cops
critical of new pursuit laws By Andrew Drummond SYDNEY, March 9 AAP - New legislation aimed at cracking down on drivers involved in dangerous police pursuits isn't workable, says the union representing NSW officers. It said the laws contained a loophole, with the onus on police to prove errant drivers knew they were being pursued. The legislation, introduced to NSW Parliament on Tuesday, has been dubbed Skye's Law in honour of 19-month-old Skye Sassine. The toddler was killed on New Year's Eve as police were pursuing two alleged robbers on a Sydney highway. The fleeing men's car collided with her parents' Subaru on the Hume Highway at Ingleburn. The laws, approved by cabinet in February, propose penalties including five years jail for repeat offenders. However, just hours before the matter was to be debated in parliament, the Police Association of NSW called on Premier Kristina Keneally to beef up the legislation. It wants her to "step in and save and rectify Skye's Law", which it says the Attorney-General's Department "watered down". "Our experts in the traffic department, and our experts in legal, the solicitors, have said `this law is not workable'," association vice-president Scott Weber told reporters. The law requires police to prove a driver knew they were being pursued and were required to stop. "The driver involved in a police pursuit, that's trying to evade police. The onus should be on them to say that they did not know that they were in a pursuit," Mr Weber said. Attorney-General John Hatzistergos said wasn't aware of the union's concerns, but was happy to discuss the matter. However, he said the test for the law was objective and clearer than South Australian laws which formed the basis for the NSW legislation. "There's a requirement in the laws to be able to demonstrate that the person knew they were in a pursuit," Mr Hatzistergos said. "This can be done objectively rather than subjectively by looking at all the relevant circumstances, for example sirens and so on." Mr Weber said a delegation made representations to the Attorney-General's Department last week, but hadn't received a response. "A driver can turn around and say anything ... `the music was too loud. I didn't realise that you were actually chasing me. I thought you were chasing someone else'," he said. "We're looking at changing the onus to the driver." Mr Weber says the loophole will allow offenders to escape prosecution. "Speaking to the traffic department of NSW Police and also our legal professionals, they say it (the law) is not working ... that they cannot prove this legislation and most of them will actually walk out the door and get a slap on the wrist," Mr Weber said. Opposition police spokesman Mike Gallacher called on the government to rectify the proposed legislation so it can be passed by the end of the week. "We've got a silly piece in the legislation that says that the police must prove that the offender knew (they were involved in a pursuit)," he said. "What it means is that any hoodlum ... stands up in court and says `look, I didn't know I was being pursued. I had my iPod on ... I had the music on. I couldn't hear a thing'." |
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Police call on Premier to intervene
on Skyes Law
9 March 2010:
Police are calling on the Premier to intervene and stop the
watering down of Skyes Law when the legislation is considered
in State Parliament today. The Police
Association of NSW said the law as it stands is unworkable and
means lives will continue to be put at risk by reckless drivers
trying to evade police. This law is
well intentioned, but its been neutered by the Attorney
Generals Department, Police Association of NSW Vice President
Scott Weber said. Against the
advice of expert police in the traffic and legal areas, the
Attorney Generals Department has watered the law down to the
point where its virtually useless. Under the
legislation to be tabled today the onus will be placed on police
to prove that a driver was not only driving recklessly or at a
dangerous speed, but also that the driver knew that they were
required by police to stop. How can police
prove this knowledge? Its just ridiculous. The onus of proof
needs to lie with the person putting the lives of police and the
public in danger. We need Skyes
Law, theres no doubting that. We can prevent further tragedies
like the one that took Skyes life, but the law as it currently
stands isnt the way. The reality is
that if the legislation passes as it stands, police will be
unable to enforce it. |
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NSW: Police appeal for public help
to find handcuffed prisoner SYDNEY, March 9 AAP - A handcuffed prisoner who escaped custody on the NSW mid-north coast on Monday is still on the run, prompting a police appeal for the public to help find him. Cleveland Madden, 22, appeared in Kempsey Local Court about 4pm on Monday (AEST) but managed to escape while getting into a prison van after the hearing. He had been serving time at the Mid North Coast Correctional Centre for breaching parole, and was facing court on property-related charges including aggravated break, enter and steal. He is Aboriginal in appearance, with a slim build and dark brown eyes, and was wearing green prison clothes at the time of his escape. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is urged to call police on triple-zero. |
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NSW: Police call on public to help
find missing Chinese student SYDNEY, March 9 AAP - Police have called on the public to help find a Chinese student who disappeared in Sydney almost a year ago. Chaojin Xing (pronounced Chow-gin-zing), 18, has not been seen since May 25, 2009, when he is believed to have caught a train from Hurstville to Bondi Junction. Detectives know Mr Xing boarded a 333 prepaid bus, which terminated at the North Bondi shops. A pair of shoes and a backpack containing his passport, identification and cash were found on a rock platform at the base of a cliff at Ben Buckler Point, North Bondi, on June 2. Investigations revealed the items had been there for at least five days. Mr Xing, a Chinese national, arrived in Sydney in January last year to study information technology. His parents, who visited Sydney in June to find their son, have described his disappearance as totally out of character. Mr Xing is described as being 171cm tall, medium build with a fair complexion, clean shaven with curly/wavy, brown, shoulder-length hair. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. |
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NSW: Police catch over 150
party-goers with drugs at Sydney
events SYDNEY, March 7 AAP - Police caught more than 150 party-goers with drugs at at two big Sydney events on Saturday night. Police said more than 100 people were found to be carrying drugs during the Future Music Festival held at Randwick Racecourse on Saturday. More than 80 people were issued with field court attendance notices for drug possession while 28 people were charged with supplying a prohibited drug. More than 280 pills, believed to be ecstasy, were seized during the operation as well as a quantity of amphetamine, cannabis leaf and LSD, police said. Police ejected 67 people from the grounds, with 18 of the ejections involving people with links to known criminal groups or Outlaw Motor Cycle Gangs. As crowds left the precinct, three people were injured when a motorbike hit two pedestrians at the intersection of Alison Road and Darley Street. Two women, aged 18, and a 22-year-old man riding the motorbike were injured. All were taken to Royal Prince Alfred hospital. Meanwhile, at the wrap-up Mardi Gras Party 2010 held in Moore Park on Saturday night, police and drug detection dogs conducted searches of 102 people for prohibited drugs. Police issued 50 people with field court attendance notices after they were found to be carrying small amounts of ecstasy, amphetamine, LSD, GBH, amyl nitrates and cannabis. There was only one arrest with a 29-year-old Leichhardt man arrested and charged with supplying a prohibited drug after 61 ecstasy tablets were found in his underwear, police said. He's been granted conditional bail to appear in Downing Centre Local Court on March 29. |
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NSW: Police officers
injured during arrest SYDNEY, March 7 AAP - Three police officers were injured while arresting a man who'd been performing burnouts in his car in Sydney's west. Police were patrolling Bennet Road at Colyton on Saturday afternoon when they saw the man perform two burnouts in a 1997-model yellow Nissan 200SX. Police say the driver became aggressive when he was stopped and attacked the inspector and two constables who attempted to arrest him. The officers suffered minor injuries, including bruising and lacerations. A 34-year-old man from Chipping Norton was charged with several offences including reckless driving, assaulting police officers and hindering police. He was granted conditional bail and is due to appear in Penrith Local Court on March 29. The Nissan was confiscated and the driver's licence suspended. |
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NSW: Locked up after being knocked
up: Cops nab pregnancy crook SYDNEY, March 5 AAP - A pregnancy kit, flea medication and some pliers were among items stolen by 14 people arrested during a police operation targeting shoplifters in Sydney's southwest. Undercover officers launched the sting at a K-Mart and a Woolworths store in Marrickville on Thursday. Five men and nine women, with ages ranging between 19 and 75, were arrested. Among other items they took were meat, fresh fruit, soap and pharmaceuticals, police say. "People really need to ask themselves whether stealing a comparatively cheap and perishable item is worth winding up with a criminal record," Inspector Josh Maxwell said in a statement. |
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NSW: High ranking
"bikie" to front court SYDNEY, March 4 AAP - A 31-year-old man alleged to be a high-ranking bikie gang member will front court on Thursday. He was arrested on Wednesday after attending Castle Hill police station, in Sydney's northwest, and charged with a warrant for the revocation of parole and affray. It is alleged the man is a senior member of the Notorious outlaw gang. He was refused bail and is due at Parramatta Local Court on Thursday morning. A 28-year-old man, also said to be part of the gang, was arrested as he sat outside the police station in a car. He was charged with being a disqualified driver. Earlier on Wednesday detectives from the police's bikie-busting squad, Strike Force Raptor, executed a warrant at a property in Dural, near Castle Hill, and seized items of clothing. The clothes will be forensically examined as part of an investigation into an alleged assault at Silverwater, in Sydney's west, police say. |
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NSW: Police
warning after boy approached SYDNEY, March 4 AAP - A 13-year-old boy was approached by a stranger on Sydney's north shore as he tried to fix his bike. The man got out of a white van and offered the boy a lift, in Alfred Street, Narraweena, about 3pm (AEDT) on Wednesday. The boy immediately got on his bike and rode away. Police are now warning the public the man could pose a danger. He is described as Caucasian, about 40 to 50-years-old and had a bald, clean shaven head with a stud in his left earlobe and an earring in his right ear. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333000. |
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NSW: Police smash
drugs lab SYDNEY, March 3 AAP - A secret drugs laboratory has been discovered by police targeting a Sydney Asian drugs syndicate. The laboratory, in a garage, included a press capable of churning out ecstasy pills with an estimated value of $1 million, police say. A large amount of methylamphetamine, crystal meth, and precursor drug ingredients were also found. They were discovered during a raid on Tuesday night at a home in Heron Place, Hinchinbrook, in Sydney's southwest. A 27-year-old man was arrested and charged with manufacturing and supplying illegal drugs. He was refused bail to appear at Liverpool Local Court on Wednesday. A two-year-old boy was also found at the address and is now in the care of his mother. The arrest was made by officers working for Strike Force Forsythe, a Surry Hills-based squad targeting an Asian syndicate operating in the inner city and western suburbs. The squad has laid drugs-related charges against 10 alleged offenders and seized more than four kilograms of crystal meth. |
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NSW: Police make
booby-trap 'bombs' safe at pensioner's
home SYDNEY, March 3 AAP - Police have finished making safe up to 50 suspected bombs booby-trapped at a dead pensioner's home in southern Sydney. The devices were discovered throughout the home, inside a car on the driveway and on a gas meter. The one in the car consisted of a pressure switch on the front seat connected to canisters and wires, police said. But none of the devices were found to contain active explosives, police said. Bomb squad officers spent most of Tuesday at the property in Meagher Avenue, Maroubra South, after a neighbour raised the alarm. Further investigation revealed the 69-year-old man, who lived at the property, died in hospital more than a week ago. It is understood he was an electrician and a known recluse. Friends of the man visited his home early on Tuesday and alerted police to several suspicious devices in and around the house. Emergency services evacuated neighbours while the bomb sdquad officers did their work. "Six devices were rendered safe through the detonation of small charges, which were attached to the suspicious devices by bomb disposal robots," a police statement said. "The device in the vehicle was one of the devices detonated. "Examinations found that none of the suspicious devices contained active explosives." The operation ended at 2.30am on Wednesday and police thanked neighbours for their patience. |
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NSW: Man charged with theft that
sparked deadly revenge SYDNEY, March 2 AAP - Matthew Digby was allegedly murdered on suspicion that he broke into the NSW south coast home of one of his suspected killers and stole their property. On Monday, however, police charged a different man with the break and enter that is believed to have sparked the gruesome murder. The badly burnt remains of Mr Digby, 35, were found inside a blazing car at Mount Murray near Robertson in the NSW Southern Highlands on January 25. On February 23 four people were charged with his murder and all were refused bail by a Wollongong Local Court magistrate. They were Richard James Walsh, 31, from Dapto, Samantha Lea Wells, 35, from Dapto, Michael John Pearman, 30, from Cordeaux Heights, and Lauren Mae Batcheldor (Batcheldor), 29, from Albion Park Rail. On the day of their court appearance, police said the motive for the killing was retribution for a suspected theft. "We will be alleging that the four persons that were charged believe Mr Digby was responsible for a break, enter and steal at one of their premises and this was an attempt to recover some of that property and retribution for that," Inspector Mark Newham told reporters outside court. That theft is believed to have occurred on January 14 at the home of Batcheldor. Exactly what was stolen during the theft has not been revealed by police. About 3.30pm (AEDT) on Monday, police arrested a 36-year-old man at a West Wollongong address where officers also allegedly found property stolen during the theft. "The arrest relates to ongoing investigations into the murder of Matthew Digby," police said in a statement issued on Tuesday. The man was later charged with aggravated break, enter and steal and was due to face Wollongong Local Court on Tuesday. |
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NSW: Two-month
investigation leads to drugs arrests SYDNEY, March 2 AAP - Drugs, rottweilers, snakes and a lizard have been seized by police during a raid on a Sydney home following a two-month investigation. Detectives raided the property on Alma Road in Leppington on Monday, discovering an amount of methylamphetamine and cannabis, police said. The also removed three rottweiler dogs, two snakes and a lizard. A 37-year-old man was arrested at Warwick Farm railway station, also in Sydney's southwest, prior to the raid, and was later charged with supplying drugs. A 36-year-old woman has been charged with offences relating to knowingly taking part in the supply of drugs. Both were refused bail and will appear in Liverpool Local Court on Tuesday. |
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NSW: Police search for car stolen
during robbery SYDNEY, March 1 AAP - A man was hit with the butt of a handgun during the hold-up of a Sydney bowling club, before three masked men escaped in a white Ford Falcon, police said. The men, two wearing balaclavas and one wearing a motorcycle helmet, demanded money from a woman employee at the bowling club on Marsden Street in Eastwood about 10.30pm (AEDT) on Sunday. When the woman's husband arrived to take her home he was hit on the head with the butt of the handgun. He suffered minor injuries but did not need treatment. The three assailants, who stole money and a set of car keys, fled in a white 1994 Ford Falcon sedan with NSW registration TKB 922. The car has a shattered windscreen on the passenger side, police said. Anyone with information about the crime should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. |
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NSW: Positive result from
drink-drive crackdown SYDNEY, March 1 AAP - A 72-hour crackdown on drink-drivers in NSW has resulted in less than half the number of people being caught than during a similar operation last year, police say. "These results are promising and indicate the drink-driving message is getting through, but there's still a long way to go and I would warn drivers against becoming complacent," Acting Assistant Commissioner Mick Fuller said in a statement. A total of 136,484 breath tests were conducted during the three-day, statewide operation, which ended on Saturday night, resulting in 241 charges being laid. The same operation last year resulted in 489 charges from 126,934 breath tests. Among those caught this year were a 22-year-old male P-later clocked by police speeding on the M5 motorway near Moorebank, southwest Sydney. He returned a positive breath test. A 20-year-old male P-plater drove to a police station at Balranald, southwest NSW, on an unrelated matter, and returned a positive breath test after officers smelled booze. |
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This
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