95-year-old Clare Nowland tasered by police and ‘fighting for life

[Kung fu man]

Quite heartbreaking, but you can't really fault the Police in this case. What are you supposed to do when you have someone not themselves and refusing to disarm? 95 or not, a knife is a knife.

Bigger issue is how a 95 year old with dementia was in possession of a knife in the first place.

You have no idea! 95 she could have an Uzi and be no threat, 90 ffen 5 they should be straight back and be retrained or get an easier job!

 

[The DoggFather]

And their body worn camera's weren't on at the time.

Exactly.... funny how they are always "off" at times like this.

 

[The DoggFather]

btw what is the age where you begin to be above the law/taser?, we should agree on it and put it into the cops manual

i think 82

I wonder what a taser would do to people like me with implanted defibrillator/pacemakers?

 

[Kung fu man]

They said on the radio it was a male cop with over 10 years experience. It sounds like it wasn’t the taser that’s caused the injuries, she fractured her skull when she hit the ground. If you can’t wrestle a knife off a 95 year old woman or use a chair or your bat etc maybe you’re in the wrong job

Anyone with a brain knows a person of that age are in danger from falls even when they have use of arms hands etc to help them ,when tasered you cant break your fall at all to be honest i cant believe how this officer came to a conclusion to taser her FFS

 

[wendog33]

No back up riot shield in police cars. I just assumed they had them on hand for emergency situations.

In that case they needed to go to the car and get their empty donut box for protection

 

[Natboy]

Oh, and cops don’t carry ‘riot shields’ in their cars, so new tactic required…

Really? I thought they’d have them next to the coffee machine in case of siege situations. They should’ve made Man Monis a cup of hot chocolate to diffuse the situation at the Lindt cafe

 

[EL Hefe]

Clearly the 95yo is not woke enough for the cops to treat with kiddy gloves

 

[wendog33]

Clearly the 95yo is not woke enough for the cops to treat with kiddy gloves

They must have felt pretty confident going in without their shields and protective riot gear tho lol.

 

[John Matrix]

I wonder what a taser would do to people like me with implanted defibrillator/pacemakers?

Bro, never get yourself in a situation because I'm sure it wouldn't be good for you.

 

[Gene Krupa]

They are making themselves look worse.

https://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/crime/investigation-launched-after-elderly-woman-tasered-at-aged-care-homby-police/news-story/617055bdd08b9aedfdaf2d326c022694

 

[Dogmonster]

The cop could have offered 1/2 price moth balls and she would have dropped the knife.

 

[Alan79]

There's apparently been a few times now where the police union has threatened strike action if some of the ass holes using excessive force are punished to the extent they deserve. I'm not sure how the police union can strike without applying to the fair work commission like every other union. But if there was a strike organised to protect the turf who did this it'd reflect very badly on the entire police force.

 

[lovemachine]

I think we had to be there. She might have been slashing and putting others In harms way

I think this probably could have been diffused by the police differently but I think in the cops mins is why should they put themselves at risk?
Why risk a slash when they can just taze her.
Probably thinking if she dies, it’s on her for slashing with a weapon

 

[wendog33]

Seems as tho we need to issue our cops with protective screens at the ready as well.

 

[stingray]

I've worked and volunteered in nursing homes for 8 years in the actual secured dementia ward. Locked, security coded and fully gated. This type of distressing incidents happen quite a lot. Residents aren't themselves. They act in all kinds of odd ways and can get aggressive, shout, hit staff, wander around the corridor all night upset over something that has set them off. Could be anything and no one knows what it is unless it's a routine occurrence.

I have seen some very disturbing things and wanted to get my mother outa there. It seemed too confronting for the fairy tale placid place I thought she would see out her last years in.

Eventually, if you spend enough time in the ward, you realise 90% of the staff are angels and can handle these incidents as part of the job, as well as shower and toilet an unco-operative mentally challenged frail man or woman who resist at every turn. The staff deserve a huge pay increase.

I am assuming these were relatively new staff who couldn't handle the situation and called police.

The nursing home need to be investigated along with the police so that these types of incidences can be handled better by everyone.

Ever since covid a lot of experienced nurses and health staff are not around or left and you have a lot of junior inexperienced staff now working in nursing homes and hospitals. Most staff in nursing homes are just assistant nurses.

id understand if it was a young person with a knife who is sane,yeah taser him,but big overreaction to taser a 95yo lady,could of been diffused alot better

 

[senshidog]

It's a shitty situation, but one that crosses operational / procedural boundaries with potentially acting outside of training to deal with.

Was a taser the right way to resolve this? Operationally and procedurally yes it probably was. Realistically though probably not when all the potential issues are taken into account.
Police Training / Handbook would say something like "if person is armed and does not comply warn once, warn twice, remove taser, and warn and then fire.".

So officer gets in that situation, follows the procedure, and this happens. But is it fair for him to lose his job over?

However what if they acted outside of training ideals?
1. Pepper spray her - that's going to end badly as well and with a possible fall.
2. Try to restrain her - Police risk getting injured, AND "Police brutality" if shes injured or worse in the fall.
3. Toss something over her and restrain her - Police risk getting injured, AND "Police brutality" if shes injured or worse in the fall.

Unfortunately it's a situation where you have a split second to react (or maybe a little longer since she was coming at them with her zimmer frame and the knife), but still, it's not like you can go have a coffee and work out an operational plan.

If this happens in a retirement home, what ARE the operational procedures for staff meant to be?

I work in the pubic health system, Not sure what knife she had but most are plastic or made out of wood, so not sure if it was a metal knife.

Reported as a serrated steak knife. That in itself needs reviewing if elderly people with dementia have access to such knifes.

 

[The DoggFather]

They are making themselves look worse.

https://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/crime/investigation-launched-after-elderly-woman-tasered-at-aged-care-homby-police/news-story/617055bdd08b9aedfdaf2d326c022694

What are seniors doing with serated steak knives and how can they eat steak?

 

[CrittaMagic69]

I wonder what a taser would do to people like me with implanted defibrillator/pacemakers?

 

[Gene Krupa]

Ever since covid a lot of experienced nurses and health staff are not around or left and you have a lot of junior inexperienced staff now working in nursing homes and hospitals. Most staff in nursing homes are just assistant nurses.

Heaps are just student nurses. Who don't get paid. Same with the student nurses in hospitals.

They do most of the same thing as an enrolled nurse , but don't get paid.

 

[Bad Billy]

I wonder what a taser would do to people like me with implanted defibrillator/pacemakers?

Can anyone say supercharger?