Foxy.

You said,
"People should not have to be killed - no matter what."

What do you think a policeman who is being shot at by a criminal should do?

It's a fairly simple question.

As for my own experience, when being shot at, shoot back.

For all those who criticize police for shooting someone who is armed with a knife:
"The 21-foot rule has long been used by police officers. Essentially, it says that when an assailant wielding a knife is closing in, they will cover 21 feet in the time it takes you to draw and fire your gun. That’s a lot of ground and it also puts intense pressure on the person drawing the gun.

And you might not even have that much time. Recently, a study at Minnesota State University- Mankato found that the amount of distance covered can be greater than 21 feet. Some in law enforcement suggest that training officers on using edge tools is necessary to provide them with choices for dealing with an attack."

In other words, police should be trained in knife fighting, just as many soldiers are and were.
http://www.krudoknives.com/krudo-khronicles/knife-vs-gun-knives-are-a-better-option/

The recent events in the NT, and many other before, have little to do with law enforcement or crime prevention, but a lot to do with power and authority. Heavily armed police going into a vulnerable community supposedly to enforce the law in what was a minor matter, begs they question; Why was such a show of force necessary, if it was not to exert power and authority over already disadvantaged people.

Foxy, you have spoken a lot of sense here, don't be put off by the so called expert who is simply dismissive of any real inquiry into police behaviour. A copper shoots a citizen, well its nothing to get excited about, an occupational hazard, so it would seem. The supporters in the peanut gallery will always applaud that kind of police action, when it don't affect them.

Dear o sung wu,

Sorry mate, not having a bar of it.

You calling Foxy a foolish, foolish woman when this was very much the position of a coroner who found the training of the police inadequate for dealing with mentally ill people who are disproportionately the victims of police shootings in our society.

You rightly talk about the impact of a police officer when they have to shoot someone, but then reject calls for better training to better avoid such situations.

In the case of Courtney she was in a Hungry Jacks carpark seen repeatedly hitting herself in the head, constantly talking to herself, all while pointing a knife toward her stomach. The police arrived and in under a minute had peppersprayed her then shot her to death.

There is not only the impact on the girl's family but also on those who fired their weapons at a normally quite girl who was experiencing a psychotic episode.

There is little doubt that better training may well have produced a different outcome.

Quote

They also heard the young woman in a striped top and jeans was “waving” the knife about and “hitting herself in the head”.
There was concern Topic was about to hurt herself.
Despite this, senior police had not contacted Falzon to respond as an accredited member of the police mental health intervention team.
The 12-year veteran had only reacted to the urgent priority-two call in a general duties capacity.
He said that, since receiving the training in 2014, he had never been contacted by senior officers to employ his MHIT training.

End quote.

http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/mar/22/hungry-jacks-shooting-police-told-woman-was-wielding-large-knife-inquest-tol

IM,

A taser should be able to disable an attacker, the question is why are tasers not the first option.

With regards the charges, that the youth had already just stabbed one officer and was busy trying to stab the second when he was shot. I believe that the chances of convicting the policeman are slender.

Crims are crims & they'll always give no consideration to the outcome of their actions until they cop a dose of their own medicine !
Then the do-gooders will rub salt into the wounds.

THINK Catholic Priests found support, even from parents who refused to believe their own children, tell me that is not true!
Some want to do just that, blindly support every cop
The same result is the out come
READ nines online news this morning
About the cop who is stood down, truly absorb his long long list of bad/dreadful acts
Then tell me more training is not needed