Killed just for doing their jobs
Killed just for doing their jobs: The heroic police who put their lives on the line – only to be ambushed in lonely alleys and hacked to death with machetes by angry young men
- National Police Remembrance Day will honour 757 police killed on duty
- Ceremonies across the nation and the south Pacific will respect the fallen
- Police remembered include those shot or stabbed while investigating crimes
- Constables Steve Tynan and Damian Eyre were gunned down in Melbourne’s infamous Walsh Street shootings while investigating an abandoned car
- Constable David Carty was stabbed to death by men in a Sydney car park
- Geoffrey Bowen was killed by a parcel bomb during an Adelaide drug case
They went off to work for the day and never came home to their wives or families.
Constables Steven John Tynan, 22, and Damien Jeffrey Eyre, 20, were ambushed and shot by one of Melbourne most notorious crime families after they were deliberately lured to abandoned car and gunned down.
The two young Victorians are among 757 police officers killed in the line of duty who will be honoured across the nation today in a series of ceremonies to mark National Police Remembrance Day.
The Australian Federal Police will host a dusk service at the National Police Memorial on Monday evening to honour all Australian police officers who have lost their lives while serving the Australian community.
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Each state and territory police jurisdiction across Australia will pay tribute to the fallen officers, as well as those in Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Samoa and the Solomon Islands.
The National Police Memorial lists every Australian Police officer who has been killed or who has died as a result of their duties, starting with Constable Joseph Luker in 1803.
Luker was set upon while investigating burglaries on the night of August 25, 1803 in East Sydney and beaten to death, having a piece of his own sword embedded in his skull.
The 756 police officers who have followed Luker to the grave died from several different causes – car accidents while doing their job, plane crashes en route to a crime investigation and murder, by being shot, stabbed or blown up in a targeted letter bomb.
Despite constant calls from senior police or politicians to jail police killers for life, some of the most shocking murders have resulted in short sentences or acquittals.
These are the police murders which shocked the nation:
Shot in the back of the head: Constable Steven John Tynan (above, left) was just 22-years-old when he and fellow officer Damian Jeffery Eyre, 20, (right) were lured to a street where they were ambushed and shot in the head in a deliberate murder by one of Melbourne’s most notorious criminals, Victor Peirce
The Walsh Street killings
At 4.50am on Wednesday October, 12, 1988, Constables Steve Tynan and Damien Eyre responded to a report about a suspicious abandoned vehicle on a street in the inner south Melbourne suburb of South Yarra.
The two young officers turned up at 222 Walsh Street, unaware that they had been deliberately lured there by members of the notorious Melbourne crime family, the Pettingills.
One of four sons of the infamous Kath Pettingill – the former brothel owner upon whom the crime matriarch played by Jacki Weaver in the film Animal Kingdom is based – was Victor Peirce.
Peirce, who was shot dead in 2002, planned the ambush, according to an interview with his widow, Wendy, who said he had deliberately lured police to the scene for the purpose of murdering them.
Both Tynan and Eyre were shot in the back of the head at close range; while Eyre lay dying, his service revolver was taken from its holster and he was again shot in the head.
Peirce, his brother Trevor Pettingill and two other men, , Anthony Leigh Farrell and Peter David McEvoy, went on trial for the murders, but were acquitted in the Supreme Court of Victoria.
The brutal slaying of David Carty
On duty in the western Sydney suburb of Fairfield on April 17, 1997, Constable David Carty and other police spoke to a number of people on the street while conducting foot patrols.
When they had signed off for the evening, Carty and fellow officers went to the nearby Cambridge Tavern to relax over a few drinks.
Carty, 25, who was engaged to be married, was the among the last of the officers to leave the hotel at around 2.10am.He was set upon by a number of men in the tavern car park, among them some of the individuals he had reprimanded for using obscene language while on his earlier foot patrol.
During the attack, which was later described by a judge as brutal, ferocious and savage, Carty was fatally stabbed in the heart and then kicked, punched and stomped on by a group of men as he lay on the ground.
Senior Constable Michelle Auld who went to his assistance was also seriously assaulted.
According to his post mortem, Carty had several incised wounds to his head, bruising and trauma consistent with kicking, blunt trauma consistent with having been hit with a beer bottle, part of his earlobe has been cut, and he had a ‘scalping’ wound to the back of the head, possibly caused by a a sharp-edged machete.
Edward Esho, then aged 21, was convicted and sentenced to six years and five months for the killing and has since been released from prison.
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The Moorabbin police murders
In the early hours of Sunday, August 16, 1998, Victoria Police Officers Sergeant Gary Silk and Senior Constable Rodney Miller were staking out the Silky Emperor Restaurant in Moorabbin, in Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs during an investigation into a spate of armed robberies.
At 12.20 am, the two officers were gunned down at close range and the shooters fled.
Evidence at the crime scene included pieces of glass, which police later matched to a Hyundai hatchback and were eventually able to track down the exact model – and the vehicle, which was registered to the daughter of a known criminal, Bandali Debs.
Debs and an apprentice builder, Jason Joseph Roberts, were charged with the murders and with a string of armed robberies and in 2002 were found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Debs was subsequently convicted of two more murders, of sex workers, Kristy Harty, 18, and Donna Hicks, 34, during the 1990s, and is currently under investigation for the 24-year-old cold case murder of Sarah MacDiarmid, who disappeared from a railway station in 1990 and whose body has never been found.
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Death by letter bomb
Detective Sergeant Geoffrey Bowen was a Western Australian police officer who on March 2, 1994, was on secondment to the National Crime Authority in the NCA’s office in the Adelaide central business district.
St the time, he was investigating a man called Domenic Perre over a suspected mafia drug operation.
Detective Bowen was a senior investigator exclusively involved with Operation Cerberus, the investigation into Italian organised crime in Australia.
Two years earlier, police had uncovered a huge cannabis growing operation and charged men of Calabrian decsent who were believed to be members of the secret mafia society, ‘Ndrangheta.
Bowen had concluded that Perre was the financier and controller of the operation and the man was due to face court, when a parcel addressed to Bowen slipped through the security system at the NCA office and blew up in Bowen’s hands.
Neither Perre, nor anyone else, has been convicted for Bowen’s murder.
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The shooting of Lync Williams
Lyncon Williams did not even have the chance to get out of his patrol car when he arrived with his junior partner at the scene in Blair Athol, in northern Adelaide on August 29, 1985.
The police officers were responding to reports of gunfire when they pulled up on Ross Avenue and a 17-year-old shot him.
Police arrested and charged the shooter with murder. He was convicted and sentenced to imprisonment at the Governor’s pleasure.
Police Association president Peter Alexander later reflected on Williams’ death, saying ‘I didn’t know Lync Williams but ’ I’ll always remember the circumstances of that murder.
‘I remember the shock of it and the grief for his family and workmates. It was a tragedy that was reflected right across the job.’
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Peter Addison and Robert Spears
At 12.35am on July 9, 1995 Constables Peter Addison and Robert Spears were on the night shift at at the Kempsey Police Station on the NSW Mid North Coast.
They were called to a malicious damage and domestic violence complaint at the nearby coastal town of Crescent Head, where they attended one address and then drove to a house on Main Street.
They parked the car and began to walk towards the front door; they were unaware that a drunken man called John McGowan was lying in wait in the carport dressed in camouflage gear and armed with a .223 calibre Ruger rifle.
Neither of the officers had bullet proof vests or carried sufficient weaponry and in the next few moments they were ‘outgunned’.
McGowan shot Spears dead. At 1.22am, Senior Constable Addison radioed a message for urgent assistance.
Addison managed to enter a house across the road to use a phone for help, when he was told there was not one he left the house only to be shot himself.
McGowan then shot himself.
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Father of two knifed through the heart
On July 29, 1990, South Australian police officer David Thomas Barr was responding with his partner, officer Jamie Lewcock, to a report of a man threatening a woman.
The father-of-two young girls, Barr was attacked soon after he arrived at the scene as he attempted to arrest the man who was wielding a knife and refusing repeated requests to lay down thew weapon.
The man plunged the knife deep into the Barr’s heart. Barr was rushed to hospital, where doctors tried desperately to save him.
As his wife Gwenda waited in a room, Barr succumbed to massive loss of blood and died.
Gwenda Barr, who had been married for nine years and had daughters Nicola and Sarah, then aged eight and six, later described how devastated she had been by the death.
‘I was shocked stunned and numb’ she said. ‘I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t want to believe it either. It was terrifying.’
Barr’s murderer was sentenced to life imprisonment. Barr was later awarded posthumously the Australian Bravery Medal.
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When residents on a property complained to police that a number of arrows had been fired from a neighbouring farm, senior police officer Bryson Charles Anderson attended the scene.
It was shortly after 4.15pm on December 6, 2012 and Detective Inspector Anderson went to the property and was speaking with a man who was at the back door of the residence.
The man produced a knife and stabbed him to the face and chest. Anderson assisted other officers in subduing the offender and a female accomplice before he collapsed from his injuries.
He was unable to be revived and died at the scene.
Anderson had been a police officer for 26 years.
At a ceremony in Queensland on Monday, Police Commissioner Ian Stewart highlighted the inherent risks faced by police officers everyday as they provide for the safety and security of Queensland and acknowledged the tireless work of all QPS members, across a diverse state.
‘Our thoughts are with the families, friends and colleagues of those officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice, as we honour their memories on National Police Remembrance Day,’Commissioner Stewart said.
‘The QPS operates 24 hours-a-day, 365 days-a-year; and we have at least 15,000 interactions with the public every day, with each police officer swearing an oath to protect and serve the community,’Commissioner Stewart said
‘There are times however, when no matter how dedicated, committed and courageous our officers are, they face unbeatable odds.’
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Perils of the Police – 1903 article
From the New Zealand National Library Archives –
PERILS OF THE POLICE.
Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11010,
28 July 1903, Page 7
* Taking their Lives in their Hands
Long List of Fatalities.
The execution of Digby Grand and Henry Jones in Sydney the other day for the murder of Constable Long at Auburn a few months previously gives a sad interest to the subjoined list of New South Wales policemen who have either been killed or seriously wounded by desperate criminals while endeavouring to preserve the public peace. When bushranging was rife many constables lost their lives in endeavouring to rid the country of its human pest.
Sergeant MaGinnity was shot dead by Morgan at Tumberumba on June 24, 1864;
Senior-sergeant Smyth was shot dead by the same miscreant on September , 1864, near Kyambra;
Sergeant Parry was killed by bushrangers who had stuck up the mail from Gundagai to Yass, on November 15, 1864;
Constable Samuel Nelson was shot dead by Dunn at Collector, on January 27, 1863; and
Constable McHale was seriously wounded by Dunn when the bushranger was captured at Marthaguy Creek, on December 14, 1865.
Morgan was himself shot near Wangaratta (Victoria), while Dunn was executed at Sydney on March 19, 1866.
A particularly brave single-handed attack upon its party of bushrangers at Nerringundah on April 9, 1866 by a young constable named Miles O’Grady, led to the policeman being shot dead by Clark and Connell, two of the gang.
On 3 February, 1865 Senior-constable John Ward was shot dead by a Chinaman in Denison Town.
Constable Raymond on April 14, 1866 was shot dead by James Crookwell, a prisoner of Berrima Gaol, who with 10 others made a desperate attempt to escape. Crookwell was hanged at Sydney on the following July 2.
At Binnie Creek, a few miles from Cowra, Sergeant Sutherland was shot dead by two armed men on May 1, 1872.
In the Warren district, on September 20, 1878 Senior-sergeant Thomas Wallings was shot by Thomas Law, alias “Midnight,” who was himself pursued and shot by Constables Hatton and Gray.
Constable Bowen was shot dead by an armed gang, which stuck up the Wantabadgery Inn on November 16, 1879.
On March 12, 1885, two prisoners named Angel and Thurston, in Coonamble gaol shot Constable John Mitchell, the gaoler, and effected their escape. The offenders stuck up a store Slashers Flat, near Gulong in which Constables McKinlay and Day were awaiting them. They shot Charles Stewart, the storekeeper dead, but were themselves both shot by the police.
On August 13, 1885, Constable William Hird stopped two men at Canterbury, near Sydney early in the morning and interrogated them as to the contents of a parcel they were carrying. One of the men struck Hird with an axe and killed him. One of the pair was sentenced to imprisonment for life and the other to 15 years.
Sergeant Beatty of Penrith was stabbed to death in February, 1890 by a native of India. He also stabbed John Zahnliter who endevoured to apprehend him and save Beatty. The Indian was shot by Constable Mosdey.
On August 6, 1898, Constable McLean of Liverpool, had two men in custody; one of them, George Peisley, fired at the policeman (shooting him) and escaped, but was recaptured after a prolonged hunt in the bush, and sentenced to a term of imprisonment. ( Pursued by Police around Oatley, Mortdale and shooting to avoid apprehension. Eventually arrested at Arncliffe ).
Among the more important of recent cases are those of the late Constable David Sutherland shot by a burglar named James Morrison, in Rockwall Street, Potts Point, early on June 3, 1889;
Constable Slater, shot in the shoulder and thigh by burglar three weeks later;
Constable Pearce, shot in the shoulder while endeavouring to arrest a man in the grounds of Mr Oxbenham’s residence at Randwick on June 7, 1897;
Constable (now Detective) E.G. Ward, shot in the head by a man whose object, was to rescue a prisoner in Oxford Street, city, on October 22, 1900;
and the brutal murder by George Shaw, the coiner, in Shepherd Street Redfern, on July 19, 1902 of Constable Denis Guilfoyle, which occasioned a great sensation, owing to the escape of Shaw and his companion.
Constable Sutherland, who was only 28 years of age, was on duty in Rockwell Street at about 2.30 on the morning of June 3, 1883 ( 1889? ), when he saw Morrison, a noted burglar, slip out of a yard and walk hurriedly away. The constable, as Morrison would not stop, caught hold of him and the two fell to the ground. As they were struggling, the criminal drew a revolver and shot Sutherland in the groin. The dying constable struck him over the eye with his baton, inflicting a serious wound ; but Morrison, after firing another shot escaped, and throwing the weapon into a garden, ran down to Victoria Street where blood-stained and excited, he attracted the attention of Sergeant Hogan (now of Burwood) and Senior-constable Robinson, who arrested him. Constable Sutherland died some hours later in Sydney Hospital and Morrison was subsequently executed at Darlinghurst Gaol.
Mr Justice Stephen was awakened between 1 and 2 a.m. on June 25, 1889, by hearing two shots fired in his garden at Paddington. The judge ran out and discovered Constable Henry A Slater in his garden in the pouring rain, fainting from weakness and shot in two places, the shoulder and the thigh. Slater had seen a man entering the place, and endeavoured to arrest him, when two other men sprang out of the darkness, one of whom struck him on the head with a tomahawk, and the other fired at him. A tomahawk was found with a revolver, of which two chambers had recently been discharged. Slater recovered. Two men were arrested, and twice tried in connection with the affair, but they were not convicted.
The man who shot Constable Pearce was never discovered ;
but the assailant of Constable Ward received a sentence of seven years hard labour for his crime. Ward recovered, the bullet having only grazed his skull. This officer (says the Sydney Evening News) was one of the party that arrested Digby Grand.
http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast…
Richard JOHNSTON
Richard JOHNSTON
Victoria Police Force
Regd. # ?
Rank: Constable
Stations: ?
Service: From ? to ?
Awards: ?
Born: ? ? 1866
Died on: Sunday 12 October 1902
Cause: Murdered – shot
Event location: Milton St, Elwood
Age: ?
Funeral date: ?
Funeral location: ?
Buried at: ?
Memorial at: ?
[alert_green]RICHARD IS mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance[/alert_green]
Funeral location: ?
FURTHER INFORMATION IS NEEDED ABOUT THIS PERSON, THEIR LIFE, THEIR CAREER AND THEIR DEATH.
PLEASE SEND PHOTOS AND INFORMATION TO Cal
About 11 a.m. Sunday 12 October 1902 Constable Johnston was off duty at his home at Elwood. He responded to a complaint that a man had tried to abduct a neighbour’s 8 year old daughter. Johnston immediately set off in pursuit and located the man in Milton Street Elwood. The suspect George Shaw had a lengthy criminal record. Unbeknown to Johnston Shaw was also the prime suspect for the murder of Constable Guilfoyle in Redfern New South Wales some months previously. When Johnston approached him Shaw produced a revolver and fired. Fatally wounded Johnston died within minutes. Shaw committed suicide at the intersection of Chapel Street and Rosamond Street a short time later.
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About 11am on 12 October, 1902 Constable Richard Johnston was off duty at his home at Elwood (Victoria) when a neighbour informed him that a man had attempted to abduct her eight year-old daughter. The constable quickly set off on his bicycle after the suspect and located him a short distance away. When the suspect saw the approaching policeman the offender drew a revolver and shot Constable Johnston, inflicting fatal wounds. The offender then left the scene, only to commit suicide a short time later when confronted by other police.
It was later found that the man who had murdered Constable Johnson was the same offender (Shaw) who had murdered Constable Guilfoyle at Redfern (NSW) three months earlier.
Constable Guilfoyle was shot by an offender named Shaw at Redfern whilst attempting to arrest him and another man for passing counterfeit coins. Following an incident involving a storekeeper, Constable Guilfoyle had sought the assistance of an off-duty member, Constable Michael Maher, and after checking several shops the offenders had been in they located them in Shepherd Street. As the two constables approached the offenders, one produced a revolver and shot Constable Maher three times. Shaw then also produced a pistol and shot Constable Guilfoyle twice. Constable Maher later recovered, however Constable Guilfoyle’s wounds proved to be fatal. Shaw then made good his escape, making his way to Victoria.
Curtis CHENG
Curtis CHENG
New South Wales Police Force
Regd. # 9735065
Rank: Assistant management accountant – NSW Police Public Service
Stations: MA & R management accounting Corporate, Finance & Business services, Parramatta – H.Q.
Service: From ? ? 1997 to 2 October 2015 = 17 years Service to NSW Police
Awards: ?
Born: 28 November 1956
Died on: Friday 2 October 2015
Cause: Shot – Murdered – Terrorist related
Event location: Outside of NSW Police HQ, Parramatta
Age: 58
Funeral date: Saturday 17 October 2015 @ 10am
Funeral location: St Mary’s Cathedral, College St, 2 St Marys Rd, Sydney City – opposite Hyde Park.
Buried at: Cremated
is NOT mentioned on the Wall of Remembrance * BUT SHOULD BE
CURTIS IS mentioned on the Wall of Remembrance as of 2016
Funeral location: [codepeople-post-map]
Parramatta shooting: gunman a 15-year-old boy
The teenager shouted religious slogans before firing one shot in the back of the head of a police finance worker as the employee was heading home on Friday afternoon.
NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione (right) and NSW Premier Mike Baird front the media after shooting at Parramatta. Photo: AAP
The police employee has been named as Curtis Cheng, a 17-year veteran of the police force. Police say the shooter is of Iraqi-Kurdish background and was born in Iran.
“We believe that his actions were politically motivated and therefore linked to terrorism,” NSW police Commissioner, Andrew Scipione told reporters in Sydney.
Mr Scipione said police had no information to suggest the gunman posed “this type of threat”.
A police employee was shot dead outside the headquarters in Parramatta.
“We’re a long way from establishing a full picture of this man, his exact motivations still remain a mystery to us,” he said
“We are exploring every avenue with regard to why he did what he did.”
Premier Mike Baird described the events as “chilling”.
“The shock of this event will be felt everywhere,” he told reporters.
Mr Cheng was shot as he left work at the State Crime Command in Parramatta on Friday afternoon.
His killer was shot dead as officers returned fire.
A strike force has been established to investigate.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull described the terror-related shooting as a “cold-blooded murder”.
Mr Turnbull has urged Australians to go about their day normally despite the incident in Parramatta on Friday.
“This appears to have been an act of politically motivated violence so at this stage it appears to have been an act of terrorism. It is a shocking crime. It was a cold-blooded murder,” he told reporters in Melbourne.
with AAP
Daily Mail, Australia
‘He always put the family first’: Heartbroken family of accountant gunned down by radicalised Muslim teen, 15, release emotional statement
- Accountant Curtis Cheng, 58, was shot by Farhad Jabar Khalil Mohammad
- His family have paid tribute to the ‘kind, gentle, and loving’ father-of-two
- Police are probing why finance worker was targeted by lone gunman, 15
- Mr Cheng has been described as an ‘admired and gentle man’ by police
The heartbroken family of the accountant gunned down by a ‘radicalised’ Muslim 15-year-old have paid tribute to the ‘kind, gentle, and loving’ father-of-two.
Curtis Cheng, 58, was shot in the back of the head by lone gunman Farhad Jabar Khalil Mohammad after the teenager stormed the police headquarters in Parramatta, Sydney.
His wife Selina and two children Alpha and Zilvia, both in their 20s, said their father was ‘generous of heart’ and ‘always put family first’.
They said: ‘We would like to thank all those who have expressed their well wishes and blessings upon us following the tragic passing of our most loved husband and father, Curtis Cheng.
‘My father was a kind, gentle, and loving person. He was humourous, generous of heart and always put the family first. He has set a tremendous example for us as a family.
‘We are deeply saddened and heartbroken that he has been taken from us, but we are truly grateful for the fruitful and happy life he has shared with us.’
Mr Cheng, who worked in the Finance and Business Services department for 17 years, was shot dead as he was leaving work on Friday afternoon in an ‘act of terrorism’.
The ‘radicalised’ youth, who is reported to be a Sunni Muslim, was then killed in a shoot-out with three special constables guarding the station.
Mr Cheng’s family said they were ‘touched’ by a personal visit from NSW Premier Mike Baird and the Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione.
‘This was a comforting reminder of the warm regard that was held for him, especially by the New South Wales police community,’ they said.
‘He will be missed by all of us. We will cherish our memory of him forever.’
Police are now probing why Mr Cheng, 58, who had never worn a uniform, was targeted by the lone gunman in a ‘brutal’ and ‘callous murder’ on Friday.
Detectives have described the shooting as a ‘targeted attack’, but they are unsure why Farhad chose the civilian officer ‘who never had a badge’.
Commissioner Scipione said: ‘We are not sure whether he was targeted because he came from a police facility — we may never know. But he was certainly targeted in terms of the shooting.
‘It was a direct shooting. Certainly it wasn’t a ricochet, it was a targeted shot that took his life.’
He confirmed the teenager’s actions were ‘politically motivated and therefore linked to terrorism’.
But he admitted they were still unsure of the schoolboy’s ‘exact motivations’.
‘We’re a long way from establishing a full picture of this man, his exact motivations still remain a mystery to us,’ he said.
‘There is nothing to suggest that he was doing anything but acting alone.’
Floral tributes and messages of support have been left at the site where Mr Cheng was gunned down just metres away from a children’s day care centre.
‘He was a much-loved man, [he had] been with us a long time. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone have a bad word about Curtis and he will be missed,’ Commissioner Scipione said.
‘Curtis was admired and respected by his colleagues. He was a gentle man in every sense.
‘What has occurred is shocking and it is a very sad time for those who worked closely with him and all our employees.’
Farhad visited Parramatta Mosque where he changed into a black robe in the hours before the killing, according to reports.
The ‘radicalised’ youth, who is reported to be a Sunni Muslim, was allegedly able to walk unchallenged into the police headquarters and choose his victim.
The 15-year-old first came across a plain clothes female detective who was not carrying a gun, according to reports.
But he then shot Mr Cheng in the back on the head as the veteran of the police finance department was leaving work.
Witnesses have described seeing the teenagers dancing joyously after shooting the ‘gentle’ public servant while shouting Allah Allah.
Chilling footage has show the teenager running down the street brandishing his gun in the air just seconds after killing the father-of-two Curtis Cheng, 58.
He could be heard screaming at officers before having a shoot-out with three special constables guarding the station.
The 15-year-old continued to fire his handgun outside the police building until he was killed.
Police said the teenager was not on their radar, but revealed that his relative was known to law enforcement or intelligence agencies.
‘[The relative] was a bit of a problem, he did come to the attention of police and counter-terrorism [authorities],’ a source told ABC .
It has also emerged that his sister Shadi may have been attempting to reach Iraq or Syria the day before the shooting as she flew out of Australia on a flight bound for Istanbul on Thursday.
She reportedly took all her belongings with her, according to the ABC.
Farhad, who is of Iraqi-Kurdish background, is understood to have been living with his family in an apartment block in North Parramatta.
Officers searched the teenager’s North Parramatta family home on Friday and took his computer equipment.
But they revealed they had not yet discovered any messages, religious writings or notes left by Farhad.
Police are also looking into whether Farhad may have been on the fringe of an extremist group that had already come to the notice of police.
Farhad was previously active on social media, voicing his support for Team Ricky on reality singing contest The Voice in April 2013.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the Australian Muslim community would be appalled and shocked by the attack.
‘We must not vilify or blame the entire Muslim community with the actions of what is in truth a very small percentage of violent extremist individuals.
‘The Muslim community are our absolutely necessary partners in combating this type of violent extremism.’
He said the issue of radicalisation – particularly in young people – was complex and it was hard to understand the speed at which it was occurring.
NSW premiere Mike Baird said it was an ‘unthinkable act’ that ended his life.
‘I want the family of Curtis and the members of his Police community to know that you don’t face this loss alone. We mourn with you and we are here for you.’
A strike force, Fellows, has been set up to investigate and police are working with Islamic communities, who have offered their support.
NSW Police Association president Pat Gooley said he has spoken to Commissioner Scipione directly about increasing security at stations since Friday’s shooting.
‘Our message is we’ll keep Police Association members safe and the police commissioner is helping us do that,’ Mr Gooley said.
‘What changed on Friday night is that this is the first time in NSW that the NSW Police have been directly targeted as part of a terror incident.’
The commissioner revealed a number of warnings had been sent round to police in the past two years reminding them to be ‘vigilant’ about attacks, but assured that the people of NSW were ‘safe’.
‘I have viewed a number of pieces of footage, I can tell you that this was a brutal crime. It was a terrible crime.
‘We’re attempting to identify a man who was seen to approach the victim and discharge one single shot. Subsequently the assailant remained in the street here in Charles Street before he fired several further shots at a special constable.
‘A number of special constables came out of the building and as they’ve emerged they’ve come under fire.
‘In the exchange that followed the gunman was shot and killed. An employee of the NSW police force has been callously murdered here today. This is a very sobering time for us.’
Commissioner Scipione said it was likely the gunman waited around after the murder in order to ‘commit suicide by cop’.
It was previously reported that there had been increased ‘chatter’ in the past week about a possible attack on the Parramatta headquarters.
Sources said the building had been ‘cased’ and that every officer had been ordered to wear their guns on them at all times this week, even while at their desks.
When questioned about whether police were aware on a possible attack at the station, Commissioner Scipione revealed there had been a number of alerts in 2014 and 2015.
‘There has been activity around a number of locations in NSW, they’re the things we communicate to our officers,’ Commissioner Scipione said.
‘We have drawn officers back to the special warnings which are contained within alert 2015.
‘We’ve refreshed that alert and yet again highlighted the importance of remaining vigilant and being ready to respond should they have to at any location but particularly around police stations. I want to ensure that we don’t jump to conclusions, as I’ve said.
‘I’ve indicated that but we’re keeping an open mind. At this stage we’ve got nothing to link this event to any terrorist-related activity but we could not say that that wasn’t the case. So clearly you would understand we have officers from within the counter-terrorism command.’
The NSW Police Force building is home to the State Crime Command, which includes the homicide, drug, Middle Eastern organised crime and gangs squads.
An investigation was believed to be underway into whether the shooter had been recently charged by a detective from one of the State Crime Command squads.
He was also quizzed about whether staff had allegedly been sent a number of emails warning about men who had been taking photographs of the building’s entrance.
This man was simply leaving work this afternoon and he was gunned down. He was murdered on this street, this very street,’ he said.
Detectives launched a level one critical incident, the highest order they can give, after the attack.
Witnesses reported seeing two bodies lying on the ground covered in white sheets just metres apart.
Dozens of police officers were seen combing the area where the shooting took place from around 10pm on Friday, searching for clues.
Investigators also aimed huge spotlights at neighbouring apartments during the operation.
Residents were evacuated from their homes in buildings nearby the police station and most were allowed to return just after 11pm.
Real estate agent Edwin Almeida said he saw a man with a gun screaming and pacing up and down outside the building on Charles Street.
He said he then saw the man lying on the ground with a police officer pointing a gun at him.
‘We looked out the window, saw security guards and what appeared to be a plain clothes police officer with gun drawn pointing at the person that was now lying on the floor surrounded by a pool of blood,’ he said.
He wrote on his Facebook page: ‘Four five shots fired by man outside our office and in front of NSW police head quarters. Man shot down by guards and detectives.’
A man called Nathan told 2GB Radio that he saw a man lying on the street surrounded by blood.
‘I saw the guy dressed in black on the pavement with blood everywhere,’ he said.
Shopkeeper Sammy Shak told The Daily Telegraph he saw two bodies on the ground after hearing ‘six shots at least’.
‘WE’RE KEEPING AN OPEN MIND’: COMMISSIONER’S COMMENTS ON MOTIVE
Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione refused to be drawn on whether the double shooting was terror-related and said detectives do not yet know the motive.
In his media briefing on Friday night, he said: ‘We don’t know the motive and we don’t yet know who the gunman is but he has committed an appalling act of brutality.
‘I want to ensure that we don’t jump to conclusions, as I’ve said, we’re keeping an open mind but there is an investigation that’s on foot.
‘At this stage we’ve got nothing to link this event to any terrorist-related activity but we could not say that that wasn’t the case.
‘So clearly you would understand we have officers from within the counter-terrorism command working alongside homicide but this is a homicide investigation led by homicide.’
‘My message to the people of NSW is that they are safe. There is no threat that we’re dealing with that at this stage we haven’t resolved here.
‘We will get to the bottom of this matter, the investigation will be conducted, it will be very thorough and we’ll do that as soon as we possibly can.’
‘When I went out there was two bodies on the floor and there was cops everywhere all around the area and they told me to go inside the shop straight away,’ he said.
Channel Seven helicopter pilot Andrew Millett said two bodies were visible about 200m from the police station.
Finance worker Rizwan Shaikh, who lives opposite the police headquarters, said he heard the shooting.
‘I finished work and was in the shower and I heard the gunshots,’ Mr Shaikh told The Daily Telegraph.
‘I heard six or seven gunshots and it was pretty loud. In two to three minutes there were cops everywhere.’
Miffy Hong, 33, said her mother called her just after 5pm to tell her she could see a body covered by a sheer near police headquarters.
‘She told me come back I don’t know what’s happening, she doesn’t speak English,’ she said.
The attack occurred outside a daycare centre used by police force families and the children were locked inside for four hours after the shooting with a dead body at their doorstep.
Parents of the children locked inside Goodstart Early Learning voiced fears about their welfare.
Dennis Entriken, whose three-year-old daughter was not allowed to leave for four hours, told Daily Mail Australia: ‘It’s very frustrating. One of the dead bodies is right out of the front of the chilcare centre.
‘What did they see, what did they hear? Is she scared? Is she OK?
‘They’ve told us she’s safe which is good… it’s the unknown which is the issue.
‘If she saw nothing and she’s blissfully unaware then that’s good,’ he said.
In his press conference on Friday night, Commissioner Scipione confirmed that all the children were safe.
‘Everyone’s safe, that’s the good news. There was certainly no suggestion of anyone being injured there. That’s certainly very pleasing to us.
Parramatta shooting: Curtis Cheng was on his way home when shot dead
Nick Ralston
Crime Editor
Sydney shooting ‘linked to terrorism’
NSW Police reveal shooter was a 15-year-old boy of an Iraqi-Kurdish background, urging anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Vision courtesy ABC News.
- Teen shooting linked to terrorism
- Turnbull condemns cold-blooded murder
- People took photos outside HQ before shooting
- Gunman identified as Farhad Khalil Mohammad Jabar
- Police review security after shooting
The man shot by a 15-year-old gunman outside NSW police headquarters, accountant Curtis Cheng, was simply on his way home for the weekend when he died, NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione says.
Mr Cheng, 58, worked for the NSW Police finance and business services division and had been employed by the force for 17 years. He was married with two adult children.
Curtis Cheng, left, and his family.
“He was a much loved man, been with us a long time,” Mr Scipione said. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone have a bad word about Curtis.”
Mr Scipione was to meet Mr Cheng’s family on Saturday. He said the entire NSW Police Force family was in mourning.
“Curtis was admired and respected by his colleagues. He was a gentle man in every sense,” he said. “What has occurred is shocking and it is a very sad time for those who worked closely with him and all our employees.”
NSW Premier Mike Baird paid tribute to Mr Cheng and gave his condolences to his family.
“He sounds a wonderful man, very much loved by family and friends and indeed the police community,” Mr Baird said.
“We can’t forget that the police community are deeply impacted by this.
“A colleague and friend – it is going to hurt and hurt very deeply.”
Mr Cheng was shot once from behind at close range by a 15-year-old boy at 4.30pm on Friday.
The boy then continued to fire his handgun before he was shot dead by one of three special constables who responded to the shooting.
Mr Scipione said that police had no warning of the attack and that the 15-year-old, of Iraqi-Kurdish background and born in Iran, had not been on the police radar, nor had he any criminal history.
Fears Parramatta shooting may not be the last attack of its kind
CURTIS CHENG
28.11.1956 – 02.10.2015
Beloved husband of Selina.
The love in my heart is everlasting.
Loving father of Alpha and Zilvia.
Relatives, friends of the family, colleagues and members of the community are warmly invited to attend the funeral service for Mr CURTIS CHENG, to be held in St Mary’s Cathedral, College Street Sydney, on Saturday, October 17, 2015 commencing at 10.00am.
Private cremation.
In lieu of floral tributes, we ask that you consider a donation to NSW Police Legacy Appeal.
Saturday, 10 October 2015
We will never forget you.
Saturday, 10 October 2015
Our deepest condolences and prayers for your comfort in your time of unspeakable loss. The whole of decentAustralia sends you love and support at this difficult time. May your love and strength as a family help you to regain your hapipiness and harmony.
Two men arrested over murder of NSW police employee Curtis Cheng
VALEDICTORY
Mr Curtis Shu Kei Cheng (28 November 1956 to 2 October 2015)
A member of the New South Wales Police Force from 11 November 1997 to 2 October 2015
The 2nd of October 2015 was the Friday before a long weekend. Many people were getting away early, extending the time that they would have to spend with family and friends. And on most Fridays, Curtis Cheng would have done the same.
However, there had been the demands of preparing the current year’s budget, an enormous task, the last of it completed just a few weeks ago. And there was more to do for the Annual Report. So Curtis stayed back a little longer than usual.
Eventually satisfied he had done all that he could, Curtis left. In his customary, friendly way he said goodbye to his colleagues, wishing them well, and made his way towards the lifts to head home.
Improbable and unjust things happen. We read about them in newspapers and see them on television. We are shocked, often outraged, when they do. But when they happen, they invariably happen to someone else, somewhere else.
But Curtis was one of our own, one of our friends. His circumstances are our circumstances. And the pain and disorientation we feel at Curtis’s death is all the more acute as a result.
Curtis Shu Kei Cheng commenced with the NSW Police Force on the 11th of November 1997, Remembrance Day. And we will always remember Curtis.
His resume was impressive. A lecturer of Accounting at the Hang Seng School of Commerce in Hong Kong. And thereafter at the Open University of Hong Kong. A Management Accountant at the Bank of Bermuda. And later an Administration and Finance Consultant in Hong Kong private enterprise.
He studied in Hong Kong and his postgraduate qualifications, including a Master of Science in Business Administration, were mostly completed in England. He amassed an impressive list of research and publications in accounting, management and education, and on arriving in Australia put his education and skills to good effect in running his own business facilitating trade for companies in China.
Curtis worked in our Financial and Business Services Directorate and his earliest work was introducing business planning to the Force. Systematically measuring what worked well, and what worked less well, to ensure we achieved the best results for the people of New South Wales. At that time this type of work was new, but is now acknowledged as being vitally important to operational policing.
In that first role and in the promotions that deservedly followed Curtis took great pride in his performance, developing a reputation for producing work that could be trusted. In an accountant’s world he was gold.
Curtis continued to work in Financial and Business Services: in Corporate Performance, Finance Budget and Planning, Management Accounting, and as a Systems Accountant.
In recognition of his service with the NSW Police Force, Curtis received NSW Police Medallions recognising the milestones of 10 and 15 years service, the Commissioner’s Long Service Award for 15 years service, as well as the Commissioner’s Olympic and Sesquicentenary Citations.
And in between times, in 1998, the Australian Government recognised Curtis with Australian citizenship, an event he proudly announced to work mates.
Curtis was admired and respected by his colleagues, a gentle man in every sense. Hard working, measured, but unfailingly positive. As you would expect there has been a lot of reflecting over these past couple of weeks. Members of his team recounted Curtis’s familiar greeting, his hand on your shoulder as he asked you how your were. Genuinely interested in the answer.
He valued relationships and nurtured them over a coffee, or a shared meal. And if the topic turned to his beloved football, or his family, you knew you were in for a long chat.
One of his closest co-workers said:
“You know, we all get angry at things from time to time. There must have been things that made Curtis angry. But if there were, I never saw them. Not once. Not in all the years I knew him – he was nothing but positive.”
This year the NSW Police Force has been celebrating the centenary of women in policing. Just last month I attended a gala dinner – a highlight of those celebrations – close to a thousand people in attendance. And Curtis was there, showing his support. Resplendent in black tie, his NSW Police Force citations proudly pinned to his lapels. So proud to be part of the Force. So proud to help recognise a century of outstanding achievements by the women of the Force. It was a wonderful evening.
And more than a few of us were surprised, and we smiled, when Curtis hit the dance floor. This quiet, unassuming man from Finance, this man of numbers and spread-sheets, well he certainly knew how to move. He was a revelation. And he was soon surrounded by many others, up, relaxing, enjoying themselves. It was a night of celebration, a night to be positive, and Curtis led the way.
It is never easy to say goodbye to someone who meant so much to so many. The NSW Police Force has lost a respected and much loved member of its family, Selina, a devoted husband, Alpha and Zilvia, a loving and devoted father.
I can’t describe the devastation inside Police Headquarters and right across the NSW Police Force. The gentlest of friends lost to an act of terror. A man, the manner of whose death, stands in the starkest contrast to the gentle, honourable way he led his life.
But in the aftermath of this tragedy, my officers and I have been struck by the strength and unity of the Cheng family. Not an ounce of hate despite this senseless crime. At a time when they deserved our shoulders for support, they have shown a strength and grace of their own, an example to the rest of us, showing the way.
There cannot be any one of us, least of all Selina, Zilvia and Alpha, for whom Curtis’s death is not painful and incomprehensible. We meet it with grief and tears, shock and despair, hurt and anger. It makes no sense. Perhaps time will provide some answers. Perhaps it will dull the pain. But what cannot be allowed to be dulled is the contribution Curtis made.
I was leafing through Curtis’s Personnel File late one evening last week, reflecting on the man and his contribution. His most recent successful application for a promotion was there, and a couple of statements in particular struck me.
Discussing his data and information technology skills he said:
“One of my hobbies is to create forms and templates to make things organized no matter at work or at home”. And I smiled at the thought of Alpha, Zilvia, and Selina being gently organised on weekends or some other routine task by way of an Excel spread-sheet.
But Curtis also said this:
“Over the past years, I have enjoyed every minute working in the NSW Police Force. And if I am given the honour of becoming a system accountant, I have the confidence to maintain and enhance a harmonious and constructive team spirit.”
That was Curtis.
A man who loved his family, relished his work and held dear the opportunities and pleasures life in Australia afforded him. A man who didn’t take his good fortune for granted or keep it to himself, but who shared it with others through his positive spirit and generosity. At least while it lasted.
Curtis’s fate reminds us that life is fragile. It also reminds us that we are together responsible for the type of community we create. If a positive is to be taken from recent events, it is our collective realisation that our way of life, the freedoms and protections we enjoy, are not unassailable. They need to built, maintained and defended.
We owe it to Curtis to do that.
It is my honour today to posthumously confer a Commissioner’s Commendation for Service on Mr Curtis Cheng. In part the commendation reads:
For outstanding and meritorious performance of duty as a member of the New South Wales Police Force between 1997 and 2015.
Mr Cheng was a long serving member of Financial and Business Services, where he served with diligence and distinction, providing exemplary financial services to the New South Wales Police Force.
Mr Cheng was killed in a callous act of violence outside Police Headquarters in Parramatta on Friday 2 October 2015.
Mr Cheng displayed integrity, loyalty, commitment, professionalism and devotion to duty as a member of the New South Wales Police Force, and thus is highly commended for his service.
– – –
I am deeply honoured and, indeed, privileged to be able to represent every member of the New South Wales Police Force here today to farewell Curtis Cheng.
A man who served the people of New South Wales with honour, and with a caring and gentle heart.
A loving husband and father.
A cherished colleague.
Our friend.
We are grateful to have known you Curtis and to have worked alongside you.
Our prayers travel with you. May your loved ones be comforted. May you rest in peace.
A P Scipione APM
Commissioner of Police
17 October 2015
Lyncon Robert Dix WILLIAMS
Lyncon Robert Dix WILLIAMS
aka Lync
( late of Medindie Gardens )
South Australia Police Force
Regd. # ?
Rank: Constable 1st Class
Stations: ?, Region B, Holden Hill Police Station
Service: From ? to ?
Awards: ?
Born: ?
Died on: 29 August 1985
Cause: Murdered in his police car
Event location: Ross Ave, Blair Athol, S.A.
Event location: [codepeople-post-map]
Age: 30
Funeral date: 3 September 1985
Funeral location: ?
Buried at: Centennial Park Cemetery, 760 Goodwood Rd, Pasadena, S.A.
Grave location: Acacia D, Path DM, Grave 537
Buried with his mother: Margaret Yvonne WILLIAMS who was buried on 19 January 2012
http://www.npm.org.au/williams-2
[alert_green]LYNCON IS mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance[/alert_green]
Glen Anthony HUITSON
Glen Anthony HUITSON, BM VA
aka Japalyi
Northern Territory Police Force
Regd. # 1520
Rank: Brevet Sergeant
Stations: ?, O.I.C. – Adelaide River Police Stn
Service: From ? January 1987 to 3 August 2000 = 13+ years Service
Awards: National Medal – granted 6 August 1999
Bravery Medal – BM – granted 14 February 2000
Valour Award & bar – VA for act performed in February 1999
Born: 20 November 1961, Bridgetown, W.A.
Died on: 3 August 2000
Cause: Murdered – shot
Location: Stuart Hwy & Old Bynoe Rd, Livingstone, N.T.
Age: 37
Funeral date: Saturday 7 August 1999
Funeral location: St Mary’s Cathedral, Darwin
Buried at: Cremated. Ashes scattered at Daly River Crossing, N.T.
Memorial Service: Saturday 3 August 2019 ( 20th Anniversary ) 10.30am –
Glen Huitson Memorial, cnr Stuart Hwy & Old Bynoe Rd, Livingstone, N.T.
GLEN IS mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance[/alert_green]
Brevet Sergeant Glen Huitson memorial, 3 August 2015
GLEN HUITSON MEMORIAL
TWENTY YEAR REMEMBRANCE SERVICE
Saturday 3rd August 2019 will mark the 20th anniversary of the death of Brevet Sergeant Glen Huitson who was killed in the line of duty in 1999 whilst stationed at Adelaide River.
We will honour Glen with a gathering on Saturday 3rd August 2019 from 10.30am at the Glen Huitson Memorial, located at the corner of the Stuart Highway and Old Bynoe Road, Livingstone, N.T.
All current and former members are invited to join Glen’s family in remembering a husband, father, son, and workmate who was tragically taken from his family 20 years ago.
Glen Anthony HUITSON – Inquest document
Glen HUITSON joined the Northern Territory in January 1987. He served in both Southern and Northern districts of the Northern Territory.
During his service in the Northern Territory Police, Glen Huitson received a Commendation from the Commissioner of Police on 17 March 1994 when he attended a disturbance at a Community near Alice Springs. He disarmed a drunken person who was armed with a knife star picket and was threatening another person with a billy of boiling water.
In February of 1999 in Litchfield Park, Glen Huitson disarmed an armed man who was threatening the driver and passengers of a bus. He received a Valour Award over this incident.
On 3 August 1999 Glen Huitson was on duty at a road block on the Stuart Highway, 60 kms south of Darwin, in bushland.
There were on watch for an armed offender who had already shot and wounded two other persons several kilometres away during the previous night.
The armed offender had managed to come through bush on one side of the road block where he opened fire with a .30/30 calibre rifle. He fired the first round into the back of a civilian then a second shot at Huitson which struck him and was fatal.
For this incident he received the Australian Bravery Medal and a bar to his Valour Medal.
Glen Huitson Park
This park was named in memory of the late Sgt. Glen Anthony Huitson BM, VA, Service No. 1520 on 3 August 2000.
Sgt. Huitson was the officer in charge of the Adelaide River Police Station. He died on 3rd August 1999 as a result of gun shot wounds received in the execution of his duties whilst manning a roadblock on the corner of the Stuart Highway and Old Bynoe Road.
Twice Decorated as a serving Police Officer, Glen Huitson lived his personal life with the same intensity, and was an integral part of community life in Adelaide River. His untimely death has left a gap in this community which will never be filled. Glen is survived by his Widow Lisa and children Joey & Ruby.
Citizens of the Coomalie Region joined with serving Members of the Northern Territory Police Force at this site on 3rd August 2001 to dedicate this memorial stone on the occasion of the second anniversary of Sgt. Huitson’s death.
We honour the life and the achievements of a remarkable citizen.
May He Rest In Peace
http://www.gdaustralia.com/july2015photos.html/content/IMG_8914_large.html
Huitson Shooting
“On 3rd August 1999, at about 10:45 am, there was a shooting incident on the Stuart Highway at the corner of Old Bynoe Road in the Darwin rural district. In the course of the incident, two persons were shot dead. One, Glen Anthony Huitson, was a Sergeant of police on duty at the time he was killed.” (Coroner’s Findings)
Glen was performing duties on a roadblock with his partner in Livingstone at the Old Bynoe Road Turn off on the Stuart Highway, 55 Kilometres south of Darwin. They were stopping traffic entering the police cordon following a shooting incident the previous evening when the offender Rodney Ansell ambushed the roadblock shooting Huitson fataly and wounding a civilian in the back with his 30/30 rifle. For this incident he received the Australia Bravery Medal and a bar to his Valour Medal posthumously.
Police responded and set up a forward command post in the area. Roadblocks were set up on the Stuart Highway and other roads. Sergeant Glen Huitson and Senior Constable James O’Brien manned the roadblock on the corner of Old Bynoe Road and the Stuart Highway armed with their Glock Pistols a shotgun and a .308 rifle. It appears that during the night Ansell had escaped the cordon but for some reason chose to sneak up on the roadblock at Old Bynoe Road. Hewson had left the area.
At about 10.45 am on the 3rd of August 1999 the roadblock at Old Bynoe Road was still in place. A local man had approached the road block to talk to the police members and was leaning on the police vehicle when suddenly he was shot in the pelvis from behind a large water pipe in nearby scrub. Huitson used the shotgun from the police car and O’Brien returned fire with his Glock pistol. Huitson was hit by a 30/30 round and fell to the ground. O’Brien reloaded the shotgun and returned fire. He called on Ansell to put his weapons down but he called back “Your all dead”.
In response to the gun battle two Territory Response Group vehicles raced to the scene. Just prior to the roadblock the first vehicle swerved and braked and was struck by the second vehicle causing it to roll over. As police exited both vehicles and began to take up positions Ansell got up on one knee to position himself to fire at the arriving police members. This left him exposed to fire from O’Brien and the shotgun fire finally stopped him. As the Coroner, Mr Wallace, said “There is little doubt his (O’Brien’s) bravery prevented further loss of life”.
It was later determined that there were seven entry wounds on his body from return fire from Huitson and O’Brien and numerous grazes. His covered position behind the water pipe and a small tree had protected Ansell from more serious injury until he was forced to change position.
Glen Huitson joined the Northern Territory Police in January 1987, served in both Southern and Northern districts and was stationed at Adelaide River Police Station.
He received a Commendation from the Commissioner of Police on 17 March 1944 when he attended a disturbance at a Community near Alice Springs. He disarmed a drunken person who was armed with a knife star picket and was threatening another person with a billy of boiling water.
In February of 1999 in Litchfield Park Glen Huitson disarmed an armed man who was threatening the driver and passengers of a bus. He received a Valour Award over this incident.
Glen was survived by his wife Lisa and young children Joseph (2) and Ruby (6 months).
HUITSON, Glen
|
FUNERAL SERVICE FOR SERGEANT GLEN ANTHONY HUITSON
ST MARY’S CATHEDRAL, DARWIN, NORTHERN TERRITORY SATURDAY 7 AUGUST 1999EULOGY GIVEN BY COMMISSIONER BRIAN BATESSERGEANT GLEN HUITSON WAS A DEVOTED AND LOVING HUSBAND AND FATHER OF LISA, JOSEPH AND RUBY. I CAN ONLY CONVEY THE HEARTFELT CONDOLENCES AND SYMPATHY OF THE NORTHERN TERRITORY POLICE FORCE AND INDEED THE COMMUNITY OF THE NORTHERN TERRITORY TO GLEN’S WIFE, CHILDREN AND BOTH THEIR FAMILIES. WE WILL DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO HELP THEM, NOT ONLY THROUGH THIS TIME BUT IN THE TIME TO COME.IN HIS LETTER OF APPLICATION TO JOIN THE NORTHERN TERRITORY POLICE FORCE, SERGEANT GLEN HUITSON SAID, AND I QUOTE:“I WAS BORN ON 20 NOVEMBER 1961 IN BRIDGETOWN, WESTERN AUSTRALIA, THE OLDEST SON IN A FAMILY OF THREE. MY PARENTS OWNED AND OPERATED A SMALL TIN MINE ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF GREENBUSHES WHERE I LIVED FOR 12 YEARS. GREEN BUSHES WAS A GREAT ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH TO GROW UP AS A CHILD, BEING A SMALL TOWN SURROUNDED BY BUSH. WE SPENT MANY HOURS EXPLORING AND DISCOVERING NATURE.LOOKING BACK ON MY CHILDHOOD I AM GRATEFUL TO MY PARENTS FOR THE STRICT BUT FAIR METHOD OF INSTILLING IN ME A SET OF MORAL STANDARDS AND PRINCIPLES IN KEEPING WITH COMMUNITY IDEALS. THIS GUIDANCE WAS TO BENEFIT ME LATER IN LIFE.”GLEN GOES ON TO TALK ABOUT HIS GROWING UP YEARS AND HIS EARLY EMPLOYMENT, PARTICULARLY WHEN THE FAMILY MOVED IN 1978 TO BUSSLETON WHERE HE WAS INVOLVED IN THE LOCAL FOOTBALL CLUB AS A PLAYER AND AN ADMINISTRATOR, AS A COACH AND UMPIRE AND FOR THREE YEARS AS A FIREMAN IN THE VOLUNTEER FIRE BRIGADE AND WITH THE LOCAL ROSTRUM CLUB. TOWARDS THE END OF THIS LETTER OF APPLICATION GLEN SAYS, AND I AGAIN QUOTE: “APPROXIMATELY FIVE YEARS AGO I DECIDED THAT IF AT THE AGE OF 25 I WAS STILL DISAPPOINTED WITH THE WAY MY CAREER WAS HEADING, THIS WOULD BE THE TIME TO MAKE A START IN A POSITION IN LIFE THAT I WOULD ENJOY. THE MOST HONEST WAY I FOUND TO FIND A CAREER I WANTED WAS TO SIT DOWN WITH A PEN AND PAPER AND WRITE DOWN JOBS IN WHICH I WOULD WORK FOR NO FINANCIAL REWARD. MY LIST CONTAINED THE FOLLOWING: FISHERIES INSPECTOR, CUSTOMS OFFICER, AMBULANCE OFFICER, WELFARE WORKER AND A POLICE OFFICER. SINCE WRITING DOWN THAT LIST I HAVE WORKED TOWARDS EQUIPPING MYSELF FOR ONE OF THOSE POSITIONS. THIS HAS INCLUDED THE FOLLOWING: BEING A FIREMAN WITH OUR LOCAL VOLUNTEER FIRE BRIGADE, ACHIEVING A FIRST AID CERTIFICATE WITH A ST JOHN AMBULANCE BRIGADE, INVOLVING MYSELF HEAVILY IN COMMUNITY AFFAIRS, MAINLY THROUGH SPORT, AND INVOLVING MYSELF IN PUBLIC SPEAKING. AFTER READING ABOUT THE POSITION OF POLICE OFFICER FOR THE NORTHERN TERRITORY I DECIDED THAT THIS WOULD INDEED OFFER ME THE CAREER I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR. AS A POLICE OFFICER IN THE NORTHERN TERRITORY I WOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE A SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION IN MAKING THE NORTHERN TERRITORY A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE IN, THEREBY ACHIEVING MY GOAL OF JOB SATISFACTION.” ALL OF US WITHIN THE POLICE FORCE AND INDEED THE DEPARTMENT OF POLICE, FIRE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES, ARE EXTREMELY SHOCKED BY THE DEATH OF SERGEANT GLEN HUITSON. HIS LOSS IS A TRAGEDY FOR THE POLICE SERVICE AND THERE ARE SIMPLY NO WORDS TO DESCRIBE THAT SENSE OF LOSS, THE WASTE AND THE TRAGEDY THAT THE WHOLE POLICE FAMILY FEELS TODAY. I WOULD ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE THE PRESENCE HERE TODAY OF SERVING POLICE OFFICERS FROM ALL STATES AND TERRITORIES OF AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND. IT IS TRITE TO SAY THAT ALL POLICE FAMILIES KNOW THE DANGERS OF POLICE WORK, BUT NOTHING CAN EVER PREPARE US FOR SOMETHING LIKE GLEN’S DEATH. NO POLICE FORCE COULD BE MORE PROUD THAN TO HAVE IN ITS RANKS AN OFFICER OF THE CALIBRE OF GLEN HUITSON. HE TOUCHED AND AFFECTED SO MANY PEOPLE’S LIVES, NOT ONLY WITHIN THE POLICE FORCE BUT WITHIN THE COMMUNITY OF THE NORTHERN TERRITORY THAT HE SWORE TO SERVE AND PROTECT. AND HE DID MORE THAN THAT – BECAUSE ON NO LESS THAN THREE OCCASIONS, THE THIRD TRAGICALLY RESULTING IN HIS DEATH, HE WAS CONFRONTED WITH LIFE-THREATENING SITUATIONS. GLEN RECEIVED MY COMMENDATION FOR AN INCIDENT ON 17 MARCH 1994 WHEN HE ATTENDED A DISTURBANCE AT A COMMUNITY NEAR ALICE SPRINGS. HE DISARMED A DRUNKEN PERSON WHO WAS ARMED WITH A KNIFE, STEEL BAR, NULLA NULLA AND A STAR PICKET. THE PERSON WAS THREATENING ANOTHER COMMUNITY MEMBER WITH A BILLY OF BOILING WATER. WITHOUT REGARD FOR HIS OWN SAFETY SERGEANT HUITSON PREVENTED THIS PERSON THROWING THE BOILING WATER BUT IN FACT WAS STRUCK AND COVERED IN BOILING WATER HIMSELF OVER HIS UPPER BACK, RIGHT UPPER ARM AND LEFT FOREARM. HIS QUICK ACTIONS ALLOWED OTHER POLICE OFFICERS TO RESTRAIN THE OFFENDER AND REMOVE HIM AS A THREAT TO THE COMMUNITY. THE BURNS GLEN RECEIVED CAUSED HIM CONSIDERABLE PAIN AND SUFFERING AND HE REQUIRED HOSPITAL TREATMENT. AND THEN THERE WAS THE INCIDENT IN FEBRUARY THIS YEAR WHEN SERGEANT HUITSON DISARMED AN ARMED MAN WHO HAD JUMPED ON THE BULLBAR OF A TOURIST BUS IN LITCHFIELD PARK. THE MAN WAS UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF DRUGS AND ARMED WITH A LOADED .22 RIFLE AND WAS THREATENING THE DRIVER AND PASSENGERS OF THE BUS ON BATCHELOR ROAD. GLEN KNEW THAT HELP WAS ABOUT 15 MINUTES AWAY AND WAS DEEPLY CONCERNED FOR THE SAFETY OF THE DRIVER, PASSENGERS AND PASSING MOTORISTS. HE SINGLE-HANDEDLY ATTEMPTED TO DIRECT TRAFFIC, ENGAGE THE MAN IN CONVERSATION AND KEEP POLICE COMMUNICATIONS ADVISED OF THE SITUATION. HE THEN APPROACHED THE MAN TO DISTRACT HIS ATTENTION FROM THE BUS AND PASSENGERS, PLACING HIMSELF AT CONSIDERABLE RISK. GLEN ENGAGED THE MAN IN CONVERSATION FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES AND EVENTUALLY CONVINCED HIM TO PLACE THE FIREARM ON THE BULLBAR OF THE BUS AND WALK A SHORT DISTANCE AWAY WHERE GLEN TACKLED HIM TO THE GROUND AND WAS THEN HELPED BY OTHER POLICE WHO HAD JUST ARRIVED. THIS WAS WITHOUT DOUBT AN OUTSTANDING EXAMPLE OF PERSONAL COURAGE, AND SERGEANT HUITSON WAS IN FACT DUE TO RECEIVE A VALOUR AWARD OVER THAT INCIDENT. IN SERGEANT GLEN HUITSON THE NORTHERN TERRITORY POLICE HAD A TRUE BUSH COPPER AND AN IDEAL ROLE MODEL FOR OTHER POLICE. HE WAS A TOTAL PROFESSIONAL WHO GOT ALONG WITH COLLEAGUES AND THE PUBLIC ALIKE AND WAS EXTREMELY POPULAR WITH ABORIGINAL PEOPLE HE WORKED WITH, IN THE COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE TERRITORY. WHAT A TREMENDOUS LOSS HE IS, NOT ONLY TO THIS POLICE FORCE BUT TO THE TERRITORY. IN CLOSING THERE IS PERHAPS NO BETTER WAY TO TALK ABOUT THIS OUTSTANDING AND COMPASSIONATE POLICE OFFICER THAN BY TELLING YOU ABOUT A REPORT HE RECENTLY SUBMITTED, AND I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT I SHARE THIS WITH YOU ALL. GLEN HAD RESEARCHED THE HISTORY OF THE NORTHERN TERRITORY POLICE SERVICE AND HE FOUND MANY EXAMPLES OF UNRECOGNISED SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY BY FORMER MEMBERS, AND PARTICULARLY POLICE TRACKERS. HE SAID IN HIS MEMO THAT THIS UNRECOGNISED WORK WAS, AT THE TIME, NO DOUBT CONSIDERED TO BE JUST PART OF THE JOB, AND UNLESS YOU HAPPENED TO DIE ON DUTY OR REACHED A HIGH RANK, VERY LITTLE WAS DONE TO PRESERVE THE MEMORY OF THOSE MANY FORMER MEMBERS. GLEN APPRECIATED THE SERENITY AND BEAUTY OF THE ADELAIDE RIVER WAR CEMETERY WHERE HE ALSO NOTICED SEVERAL PLAQUES DEDICATED TO MILITARY MEMBERS. HE HAD SEVERAL IDEAS TO HONOUR THE MEMORY OF POLICE MEMBERS, INCLUDING PLANTING TREES WITH PLAQUES DEDICATED TO MEMBERS AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A MEMORIAL AVENUE IN OUR POLICE COMPLEX, THE PETER McAULAY CENTRE. HE SUGGESTED NEW PLAQUES COULD BE DEDICATED ANNUALLY ON A SIGNIFICANT DAY, FOR EXAMPLE, POLICE REMEMBRANCE DAY. THERE TOO, HE EMPHASISED THE WHOLE COMMUNITY SHOULD BE INVITED AND INVOLVED. IT IS MY INTENTION TO HONOUR GLEN’S SUGGESTIONS IN THAT REPORT, AND ALSO PAY TRIBUTE TO HIM, IN A WAY I FEEL SURE HE AND YOU WOULD APPROVE OF. FINALLY, IN THE WORDS OF THE 13TH CHAPTER OF CORINTHIANS: “THERE REMAINS THEN, FAITH, HOPE, LOVE, THESE THREE; BUT THE GREATEST OF THESE IS LOVE.” |
ABC News: Aboriginal communities to send reps to police officer’s funeral
Trudy and Rod Bray Fri, 6 Aug 1999 00:26:27 -0700
Fri, 6 Aug 1999 11:41 AEST Aboriginal communities to send reps to police officer's funeral. The Gurindji Aboriginal people, from two communities south-west of Darwin, are sending representatives to the funeral of a Northern Territory police officer. Sergeant Glen Huitson was killed by Rodney William Ansell on Tuesday. The sergeant's partner, Constable Jamie O'Brien, returned the fire, killing Ansell. A Gurindji representative, Roslyn Frith, says the sergeant was given the skin name, Japalyi, because of the community's respect and love for him. She says he will be missed greatly. "To the community he wasn't just a policeman, he was just another person who belonged to the community," Ms Frith said. "He got involved - like if there were ceremonies he'd go down and make sure everything was alright. "With the younger generation, he took them out. Like he was with the emergency services out here, he went out fishing and hunting with them," she said. � 1999 Australian Broadcasting Corporation https://www.mail-archive.com/recoznet2@paradigm4.com.au/msg01295.html
NT: Aborigines planning funeral for Ansell in Arnhem Land
AAP General News (Australia)
08-09-1999
NT: Aborigines planning funeral for Ansell in Arnhem Land
By Catharine Munro
DARWIN, Aug 9 AAP – Rod Ansell, the original Crocodile Dundee who shot dead a policeman last week, is expected be given an Aboriginal funeral in Arnhem Land.
Ansell, 44, was killed in a shootout with police after fatally wounding Sergeant Glen Huitson, 37, about 50km south of Darwin last Tuesday.
The violent deaths followed a 12-hour search for Ansell, who had shot at two houses in the area the previous night.
His motives remain a mystery and the case is being investigated by the coroner.
The events shocked Darwin, where Ansell was known as a buffalo hunter and a bushman who had been living on an Aboriginal-owned property in Arnhem Land, about 600km south-east of Darwin.
Ansell’s two sons, Shaun and Callum, are believed to have requested that an Aboriginal community at Mt Catt, near Bulman in central Arnhem Land, allow a funeral to be held on their grounds.
“The two boys said they want to have the funeral at Mt Catt,” said Lorna Martin, who works at the clinic at Bulman.
Ansell spent some time in the area in the 1980s as a buffalo catcher and continued to make frequent visits.
The service will interrupt an important ceremony being held at Mt Catt but arrangements were being made for the proceedings to be halted for one day for the funeral on Thursday, Mrs Martin said.
“Everybody said it’s okay,” she said.
Ansell’s parents, George and Eva, both in their 70s, are understood to have journeyed to the Northern Territory from their home in Murgon, 260km north-west of Brisbane, to say goodbye to their son.
Meanwhile, the widow of the slain policeman, Lisa, said she had just returned from Daly River Crossing, where she had scattered her husband’s ashes.
Mrs Huitson told reporters she had spent three happy years there with Sgt Huitson and they had taken their son, Joseph, two and Ruby, six months, back there to be baptised.
“It was just a special place for us,” Mrs Huitson said.
Sgt Huitson‘s brother Bevan, sister Julie and parents Carole and John attended a press conference to thank the police and the people of the NT for their support.
“We are absolutely amazed at your generosity, the funds raised, the flowers sent and the well wishes and toys for Joseph and Ruby,” Bevan Huitson said.
http://crownfd.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/nt-aborigines-planning-funeral-for.html
The day the real Crocodile Dundee Rod Ansell was shot dead
- Herald Sun
- January 05, 2014
ROD Ansell’s amazing story of Outback survival is one many Australians know – although they’ve probably never heard of his name.
As strong as an ox and as brave as a lion, the blond haired, barefoot bushman survived for more than seven weeks on a small island at the mouth of a crocodile-infested river in the remote Northern Territory, sleeping up a tree with a brown snake at night to avoid the salties lurking below.
His story was the inspiration for the 1986 film Crocodile Dundee. But the film only tells part of the story of Ansell’s wild life.
More than a decade after his tale of survival brought fame and fortune to actor Paul Hogan, the real Crocodile Dundee was shot dead by police after a drug-crazed rampage that saw a police officer killed and three other men wounded.
***
STRONG men in uniform broke down on the side of the Stuart Highway the day Territory police officer Glen Huitson was shot dead in a gun battle with Rod Ansell.
It was like a scene from a cops and robbers movie.
But nobody won.
Sergeant Huitson was gunned down at a roadblock in bushland 60km south of Darwin by Ansell, who had been on the run from police.
Ansell was shot in the chest as Senior Constable James O’Brien returned fire.
“The only verbal communication I had with the gunman was when I was reloading the shotgun for the first time,” the surviving officer, who has never spoken openly about the ordeal, said in a statement almost 15 years ago.
“I called out to him to put his weapons down. He called back, ‘You’re all dead‘.”
Ansell was deranged and wired on speed, more than 20 years after he emerged from the wild, a handsome young hunter armed only with a knife, a gun and a story to tell, his boat having capsized on the remote Victoria River.
His crazed life came to an end on August 3, 1999, but not before he had gunned down a police officer, leaving two young children to grow up without a father.
Northern Territory police say they lost “an all-round good bloke” that day.
Sgt Huitson’s family was robbed of much more.
In 1994, Sgt Huitson had been commended for bravery after arresting a knife-wielding drunk man – who was also armed with a star picket and a billy of boiling water in a bid to harm another person – at a community near Alice Springs.
He received a Valour Award after he talked delusional man Wayne Costan – who had tried to hijack a tourist coach with a sawn-off .22 rifle – into dropping the weapon, before tackling him to the ground at Litchfield Park in February 1999.
Six months later Sgt Huitson was killed, aged 37.
His then-infant daughter, Ruby, and five-year-old son, Joseph, grew up without their dad.
His widow, Lisa, took home her husband’s posthumous Australia Bravery Medal and a broken heart.
Former NT Police assistant commissioner John Daulby was among those who raced out to the double killing.
“Everyone was stunned,” he said. “It was just a tragedy.”
“The grief at the scene is something that sticks with me – grown men in tears.”
Ansell had wounded two men on a shooting spree in Darwin and fled into the bush, raving mad, on the night of August 2, 1999.
He was convinced members of the Freemasons had kidnapped his sons – Callum, then aged 20, and Shawn, 18.
His girlfriend, Cherie Ann Hewson, had told him that as a child she had witnessed the sacrifice of young girls that her family – members of the secret medieval fraternity – “brought out of the woods”. They were bound, raped and slaughtered, she said.
The shared paranoia came to a head when Ms Hewson claimed she spotted three bow hunters, dressed in camouflage with night vision goggles, near their bush camp.
NT Coroner Dick Wallace would later say the “wretched drivel” was at the root of Ansell‘s madness, after the couple visited mates Steven Robinson and his partner, Lee-Anne Musgrave, on a property at Noonamah, about 50km south of Darwin.
Ansell fired six shots at their caravan on Kentish Rd.
Resident David Hobden jumped in his truck, armed with his double-barrel shotty, and went to investigate the shootings. He lost an eye when Ansell put a bullet through the windscreen of his truck.
He ran to alert his neighbour, Brian Williams, who “waxed wrath” at the state of his mate’s face and grabbed a baseball bat.
He charged at Ansell, who was trying to steal Mr Hobden’s truck.
“He was going on about stealing his children, and Freemasons, and being a baby killer … oh, just, he was mad, mate.”
Ansell fired shots at the Williams‘ house.
Then he ran away, his rifle in one hand and Mr Hobden‘s shotgun in the other.
Ms Hewson disappeared before the police shootout. Some feared she had committed suicide.
About 11pm, Territory Response Group sent two troop carriers with six cops in each to set up a command post. They manned the north roadblock.
Adelaide River police station boss Sgt Huitson and his second-in-charge, Sen-Const O’Brien, guarded the south cordon – at the corner of Old Bynoe Rd – with a pistol each, a 12-gauge shotgun and standard police issue .308 rifle.
About 10.30am the next day, a removals worker named Jonathan Anthonysz was leaning on the cop car, chatting to the officers when a bullet blew a hole “the size of a baseball” in his pelvis.
He was flung forward, screaming, on to the ground.
Mr Anthonysz’s colleague – David Hobden‘s brother, Anthony – dragged him out of view as Snr-Const. O’Brien covered them.
The shots were coming from light scrub behind a roadside water pipe.
The cunning fugitive had sneaked through the bush and was hidden by dappled tree shadows.
In his statement, Snr-Const O’Brien said: “I heard Glen shout out, ‘Get on the ground’.
I swung round to look over the boot of the car with my Glock drawn …
“I saw my shots hit the ground close to where (Ansell) was,” he said.
Sgt Huitson called TRG for help and grabbed a 12-gauge shotgun.
He fired a shot through the windows of the police car and two shots over the roof.
But a bullet from Ansell‘s .30-30 lever-action rifle ricocheted off the top of the metal door and struck him in the abdomen.
His bulletproof vest hadn’t been properly fastened. The bullet tore through a velcro strap that should have been covered by a Kevlar panel.
Sgt Huitson fell, landing on top of the shotgun.
Snr-Const O’Brien, who wasn’t wearing a vest, dodged a bullet and rolled his bleeding colleague off the shotgun, reloaded it and returned fire.
“I realised unless TRG arrived I could run out of ammunition, in which case I would have to retreat with the others,” he said.
“I loaded two more rounds, looked up and saw the gunman wriggling forward.
“I heard a sound like a match being struck just past the right side of my head.”
Then the TRG troop carriers came hurtling down the highway.
The first driver hit the brakes and swerved as he heard gun fire – the 4WD rolled when the second car crashed into it, unable to stop in time.
Ansell got up on one knee and began lining up the cops, who were crawling out of the vehicle.
Snr-Const O’Brien got a clear shot.
The autopsy showed 33 bullet wounds and grazes to Ansell‘s body.
Two were fatal. One shot had ripped through his aorta.
He fell face down in the dirt.
Sgt Huitson was declared dead after being rushed to Royal Darwin Hospital.
Snr-Const O’Brien was scrutinised and cleared of any wrongdoing after a rigorous police investigation.
His actions were praised as “simply outstanding” when Magistrate Wallace handed down his coronial findings in September 2000.
“If he felt any fear, it seems to have been submerged by his concern for his wounded colleague and others,” he said. “There can be little doubt his bravery prevented further loss of life.”
Ms Hewson handed herself in to Queensland police four days later.
Evidence that Ansell clung to the back of a road train and escaped the roadblocks fuelled a question that would never be answered – why would a skilled bushman give up his ticket to freedom and return to gun down police when he could have slipped away?
IT was no secret the 44-year-old buffalo hunter and grazier was bitter.
Writer Robert Milliken, who spent time with Ansell while working on projects in the NT, said Ansell never saw a penny for the myth surrounding his tangled life, despite being the inspiration for the main character in Crocodile Dundee, which propelled actor Paul Hogan to fame in 1986.
Ansell blamed his troubles on a Federal Government program to wipe out wild buffalo, his livelihood, to eradicate tuberculosis from the cattle industry. He had told reporters he was living on unemployment benefits and “bush tucker”.
Magistrate Wallace heard Ansell believed police and the government were against him.
He had moved to the Territory aged 15 from the small town of Murgon, 270km north of Brisbane, in country Queensland.
The ordeal that brought him fame happened when he took a fishing trip in a motorboat on the Victoria River in May 1977.
When the boat sank, he jumped in a dinghy and salvaged his two eight-week-old bull terriers, a rifle, a knife, some canned food and bedding. The tinny drifted out to sea, washing up on a small island at the mouth of the Fitzmaurice River.
He slept in the fork of a tree, out of reach of crocodiles, at night, but shared the branches with a brown tree snake.
Ansell never counted on being rescued. He roamed for seven weeks before stumbling on two Aboriginal stockmen and their boss.
But he kept the adventure under his hat – fearing his recklessness would upset his mother – until media got hold of the yarn.
Dubbed the “modern day Robinson Crusoe”, Ansell said: “I think if you come through in one piece, then nothing else really matters.
“It’s like going out to shoot a kangaroo.
“You don’t come back and say you missed by half an inch – you either got him or you didn’t.”
Mr Milliken described Ansell as “strikingly handsome with blond hair, blue eyes and bare feet” when he met him in 1988. It was the year Ansell was named Territorian of the Year for his role in putting the Top End on the map.
At the time, he lived with his wife, Joanne van Os, and their two small sons on their buffalo farm at Melaleuca, between Darwin and Kakadu.
“He was charming,” Mr Milliken said.
“He seems never to have worn shoes, even when travelling on aircraft and staying in city hotels at the height of his fame.
“The press went mad over his story and no one seemed to mind if the details grew ever more incredible.
“A hero had been born.”
He said Ansell once told British TV personality Michael Parkinson he preferred to sleep on the floor of his five-star Sydney hotel in his swag rather than in the kingsize bed.
Ansell’s Parkinson interview sparked the interest of Hogan and led to the creation of Mick “Crocodile” Dundee.
But the fame took its toll on Ansell’s personal life. His marriage disintegrated.
In 1992, he was convicted of cattle rustling and assaulting the owner of a cattle station in Arnhem Land.
Police raided Melaleuca. He eventually lost the property.
For more than a year before his death, Ansell had been living with Ms Hewson, a former tour guide, on a billabong at the Aboriginal outstation Urapunga, on the Roper River, about 480km south of Darwin.
He was initiated as a white member of local Aboriginal clan and got on well with the Ngukkur community. But the spiral into a drug-induced psychosis continued as Ansell smoked cannabis and injected amphetamines with vengeance.
“I didn’t know Ansell really well, but I’d met him a few times,” long-time Territorian and former reporter Chips Mackinolty said.
“He was tough as nails, the sort of person that could do what he said he did, and did do it when he was working as a stockman, as a wrangler and that stuff.
“He was an extraordinary person at that level, but it ended up in tears.”
Mr Mackinolty was heading to Katherine and had been allowed through the roadblock earlier on the day the killing happened.
“It was one of those ‘goose steps on your own grave’ sort of feelings – you were very close to what ended up being a very awful thing.
“It’s always sad when the threat of poverty and frustrated ambition get mixed up and send people off the edge, big time,” Mr Mackinolty said.
“I was completely shocked, as were a lot of people who knew him in the earlier years.”
In his coronial ruling, Magistrate Wallace said the contrast between the “original Crocodile Dundee who appeared on television” and the emaciated drug addict – who weighed just 53kg when he opened fire on police – could hardly be more marked.
“His drug abuse rendered his mind so addled he believed fantasies that a child would dismiss with contempt,” he said.
“His pointless and destructive actions caused immediate agony and suffering to the men he wounded.”
The infamous rampage means Ansell is remembered in Darwin not as a knockabout bushman, but as the man who murdered a heroic cop.
Sergeant Glen Huitson
Along the side of the Stuart Highway, heading to Batchelor and points south, there’s a turnoff at Old Bynoe Road. On this corner there’s a simple cross like far too many you see on Australian roads. This one is the same in that it marks the point where a loved one lost his or her life. The ever-present, neatly-arrayed booze bottles testify to the fact that his friends have not forgotten him.
However this site is also different. It doesn’t mark a road fatality, but rather the death of a police officer on duty, Sergeant Glen Anthony Huitson, killed protecting the community from a man who had gone on an overnight shooting spree. The further tragedy is that this death, left a young widow and two little children who will never know their father: the risks that police face daily in doing their duty.
By all accounts Glen Huitson was a quietly impressive young man and an excellent policeman who was soon to receive the Police Valour medal, given posthumously to his wife, Lisa. Huitson had worked out bush and was well respected by the communities he’d worked in. Stationed at Adelaide River at the time of the shooting, Huitson is also remembered by a memorial there.
Across the new railway track on the Old Bynoe Road, there’s a different kind of memorial from the simple cross with beer bottles. It’s the official memorial in Glen Huitson Park. It has an impressively large stone brought from a distance and plaques to honour the man and the police officer.
I recognise that another family lost a person they’d loved that day. No doubt as they pass Huitson’s memorial they think of their own loved one. However for me this is about the loss of a man doing his duty. As you go about your routines today, please remember all those police officers who daily risk their lives to protect us.
I leave you with Glen Huitson’s eulogy, testifying to his concern for others and his true community spirit. Rest in Peace, Sergeant Glen Huitson, you did your duty well.
4 thoughts on “Sergeant Glen Huitson”
https://troppont.wordpress.com/2012/05/24/sergeant-glen-huitson/
Family and friends pay tribute to brave officer
- NT News
- August 03, 2014
IT was 15 years on Sunday since one of NT Police’s darkest days.
On August 3, 1999 Brevet Sergeant Glen Anthony Huitson was manning a roadblock on the Stuart Highway at Livingstone when he was shot and killed by “Crocodile Dundee” Rod Ansell.
Ansell was then hit with fatal return fire by Sgt Huitson’s partner, Senior Constable Jamie O’Brien.
Sgt Huitson’s wife Lisa said the anniversary was always emotional.
“But he’s always with us and it’s good to see his colleagues and friends return,” she said.
“It’s nice to come back.”
The couple’s children Joe and Ruby were just 2 and 10 months old when their father was killed.
Police Commissioner John McRoberts said the memorial was a sobering reminder of the dangers of policing.
“It’s really good to pay our respects to a man who died doing what he loved and wanted to do – which was serve and protect,” he said.
Sgt Huitson joined the NT Police in January 1987. He served in both Southern and Northern districts.
During his service, he received a Commendation from the Commissioner of Police in March 1994 when he attended a disturbance at a community near Alice Springs. He disarmed a drunk armed with a knife and star picket, and was threatening another person with a billy of boiling water.
Then in February of 1999 in Litchfield Park, he disarmed an armed man who was threatening the driver and passengers of a bus. He received a Valour Award over this incident.
For the incident which cost him his life, he was awarded the Australia Bravery Medal, and a bar to his Valour Medal.
Ernest ANDREWS
Ernest ANDREWS
New South Wales Police Force
Rank: Constable
Regd. # 31??
Stations: George Street North Police Station
Served: From 24 April 1929 to 3 January 1931 = 1+ years Service
Awards: No find on It’s An Honour
Born: ? ? 1908
Died: 3 January 1931
Age: 23
Cause: Shot – Murdered at Bondi Junction
Funeral date: 5 January 1931
Funeral location: Rookwood Cemetery
Buried: Buried in Rookwood Cemetery ( side by side with Norman Thomas ALLEN )
Zone: C Section: 09 Grave 4211
DOUBLE POLICE MURDER
Memorial location:
Ernest IS mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance
Constable Allen was shot in the street at Bondi Junction while attempting to detain an armed, deranged man named Kennedy who had earlier had an altercation with a local shopkeeper. The constable had been directing traffic and when informed of the dispute he found and confronted the offender. As he approached Kennedy from behind, the man spun around and shot Constable Allen in the chest at point blank range. He then shot the constable twice more in the heart. At this time Constable Andrews – unarmed, off duty and heading for the beach – passed by in a tram and saw a crowd gathered around the body of Constable Allen. Alighting from the tram he joined in the pursuit of Kennedy who managed to reach his home in nearby Lawson Street.
On arriving and finding the front door locked Constable Andrews went to the rear of the dwelling and burst through the back door. Unfortunately Kennedy was waiting with rifle raised and as Andrews lunged at him he shot him twice in the chest. He then took a knife and stabbed the constable in the throat. Sergeant Seery and Constable Johnson from Waverley Police then arrived and began to smash their way in through the front door. Although fired at by Kennedy, Constable Johnson returned fire, hitting Kennedy in the chest. Seery and Johnson then smashed their way in and found the offender in a bedroom bleeding to death. He died that night.
In the aftermath of the murders, the Brisbane Courier dated 5 January, 1931 published a complete account of the entire incident, and concluded with the following.
COMMISSIONER PRAISES MURDERED POLICE.
Both murdered constables were highly efficient and popular officers. Allen leaves a widow and young child. He lived in New Street, Bondi. Constable Andrews was single, his only relative in Australia being a sister, Mrs Clark. The men will be buried tomorrow with full police honours. The Commissioner of Police Mr. Childs, in an appreciation, said “I wish to pay a tribute to the manner in which both these young men carried out their duty according to the best traditions of the service. They saw their duty before them, and did not hesitate a moment in the execution of it. Although I would not make any distinction between them I cannot help referring to the action of Constable Andrews, who, though unarmed, rushed in to effect the arrest of a man who had already shot Constable Allen. “
Constable Norman Thomas ALLEN was born in 1901, joined the New South Wales Police Force on 14 May, 1926 and shortly thereafter resigned. He rejoined on 26 September, 1928. At the time of his death he was stationed at Waverley.
Constable Ernest ANDREWS was born in 1908 and joined the New South Wales Police Force on 24 April, 1929. At the time of his death he was stationed at George Street North Police Station.
The Sydney Morning Herald
Tuesday 6 January 1931 page 10 of 14
DEAD POLICEMEN.
Impressive Scenes at Funeral.
THOUSANDS PAY TRIBUTE.
The State paid homage yesterday to the two policemen, Constable Norman Thomas Allen and Constable Ernest Andrews who met their death at the hands of a madman at Bondi Junction on Saturday. There were mourners from almost every part of New South Wales.
Many thousands lined the route as the funeral cortege moved from Wood Coffill’s funeral parlours George-street to the mortuary station; the mortuary platform was thronged when the funeral train moved off to Rookwood and thousands had assembled in the cemetery.
The scene in the vicinity of Wood Coffill’s funeral parlours is likely to be remembered by the thousands of people who thronged the streets leading into Railway-square. Early in the morning bearers of wreaths and floral tributes passed through the doors to deposit their tokens of sympathy. At the approach of noon people began to assemble on the footpath and many entered the chapel to view the coffins. The near relatives arrived at 1 o’clock and the chapel was cleared while Constable Allen’s widow and her mother approached the silver mounted caskets which rested on trestles side by side. An affecting scene followed. Then the simple Church of England burial service was conducted by the Rev Frederick Riley and the coffins were borne to the waiting hearses.
MUFFLED DRUMS
The scene was unforgettable. A solid mass of people crowded the thoroughfares. Presently the mounted troopers urged their restive horses forward and with the deep roll of muffled drums the cortege moved off. Thousands of hats were removed.
Handel’s Dead March in “Saul” was played by the Police Band. Behind the band came a contingent of foot police under the direction of Superintendent Leary. Two hundred men drawn from the various stations, marched behind. Then came the hearses, the wreath-laden carriages, and the chief mourners, Firemen, the sun glinting on brightly-polished helmets, were represented by over 40 uniformed officers and men. At the end of the slow-moving procession came numbers of retired men, friends of the dead officers, and business people from the eastern suburbs.
Along the route to the mortuary thousands stood bareheaded as the cortege passed. At the mortuary gates another huge crowd paid tribute to the dead men.
Among those who marched in addition to the police and firemen, were employees of motor bus companies in the eastern suburbs.
“THEY SAW THEIR DUTY.”
A most affecting scene at the graveside in the Church of England section of the Rookwood Cemetery was the playing by the police band of the hymns “Lead Kindly Light” and “Abide With Me.” The remains were buried side by side.
“Let men’s opinions be what they may,” said the Rev. Frederick Riley in an address at the graveside, ” we should be doing violence to the most sacred emotions of human life if we were to allow our brethren to depart without a word of farewell. We are met here today to pay honour to the memory of two men who were comrades of yours men whom we all respected and loved. Let us remember that these two men died in the carrying out of their duty. They served their King and country as men and soldiers who fall for their King on the battlefield. They saw their duty and the fear of death could not deter them. They have not created a new tradition for the traditions of the police force of New South Wales are amongst the highest in the world already, but these two men have added a new lustre to the traditions of your past. These two young men Norman Thomas Allen and Ernest Andrews, died in the execution of their duty. There is no higher glory to which a man can aspire. We pray to God that those who have been so suddenly bereaved may share the comfort which we know these two brave men are experiencing in the nearer presence of God.”
MAGISTRATE’S TRIBUTE
At the Burwood Police Court yesterday Mr. G. R. Williams, S.M. commented on the bravery of the two constables. They acted nobly and upheld the traditions of the force,” he said.
PALL BEARERS AND MOURNERS.
The pall bearers were.- For late Constable Allen: Constables Tomkins, Martin, Moore, Hudson, Steele and White. For late Constable Andrews: Constables Booth, Kimber, Fraser, O’Neill, Morgan, and Wright.
The principal mourners were Relatives of the late Constable Allen: Mrs Allen (widow), Mrs Prankish (mother-in-law), Mr and Mrs N. Frankish (brother In law and sister in law), Mr and Mrs Sutcliffe (uncle and aunt) Mrs Lamb, Mrs Hourigan, and Mrs Cummings (aunts) and Mr Rowland Allen (cousin).
Relatives of the late Constable Andrews: Mr and Mrs Edward Clarke (sister and brother in law).
The Government was represented by Mr Gosling (Chief Secretary) and Mr McKell (Minister for local Government). Police representatives in addition to the non commissioned officers and men who marched were Mr W H Childs (Commissioner) Superintendents Leary, Mackay and Linegar, Inspectors Winter, Weir, Bennetts, McCauley, Woodrow, Lynch, Duffell, Roberts, McMaster, O’Brien, Chaseling, Anderson, White, Long, Roser, Scott, Michaelis, Robson, Allen, Farley and Fowler.
Retired members of the police force who attended were ex-Commissioner James Mitchell, ex-Superintendents Roche, Cook, McIntosh, Sinclair, Thom, Drew and Park, ex Inspectors Fullerton, W J Jones (also representing the Navy and Army Veterans Association) Fraser, Tracey, Bolton, Smith, Fewster, Doran, Mankletow, Stutchbury, Briggs, Ewen, Dunn, O’Dea and Robertson, ex-Sergeants McDonald, T. Dobson, Payne, A. Smith, Taylor, J. Salmon, J. Loomes, R. C. Harper, Bath and Butcher, ex-Constables Swan and Dixon.
The Board of Fire Commissioners of New South Wales was represented by Mr T J Smith, M.L.C. (president) Mr J McNamara (Commissioner), and Mr H M Webb (secretary and executive officer).
Mr Nance chief officer New South Wales Fire Brigades was present and 38 men marched under Mr Grimmond (deputy chief officer). Inspector Neeve, District Officer McLachlan, and Station Officers Arthur, Neville, Parkes, McCarthy, Rust, Currier and Sclater.
Others who attended were:- Judge Sheridan, Mir George Cann, ex M.L.A., Mr J Herlihy ( Under-Secretary for Lands) representatives of the Prisons Department including Mr Seery (superintendent of the Long Bay Penitentiary) Mr T.W. Irish (Assistant Under Secretary for Lands) Mr H. B. Mathews, (Surveyor General Department of Lands).
Mr N. W. Bond (representing the head office Bank, of New South Wales) representatives of ambulance divisions, Mr. and Mrs. C. R. Law, Mr. A. L. Parker (representing Superintendent O. H. Parker, of Goulburn) Mr Foster Doolan (vice president Police Association), Mr B Fortescue (secretary Police Association), Mr C T Thackeray (Police Association staff), Mr F M Jackson (representing Mr F C Hackett of Merriwa), Mr W T Missingham,
M.L.A., Mr A J Pollack, M.L.A., Mr W P Monaghan (Waverley Cemetery bus service), Mr W M Niland Mrs A Shuttleworth, Mr H L Harnett (representing Mr F M Burke, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly), Mr W E Clapin (representing Sir John Peden, President of the Legislative Council), Alderman David Hunter (Mayor of Waverley), Mr T J Thompson (Deputy Town Clerk of Waverley), Mr and Mrs A Williams, Miss Williams, Miss Beryl Williams, Miss Brady, Mr and Mrs McMorland, ex Warder Charles Stone, ex Warder Little and a number of eastern suburbs business people.
The wreaths Included those from the mother and other relatives of the late Constable Allen, relatives of the late Constable Andrews, the New South Wales Police Commissioned Officers Association, comrades of No 2 Division, Redfern Police, New South Wales Police Association, members of the Railway Detective Office, officers, detectives, and staff of the C.I.B., No 3 Police, comrades of No. 10 Division, cyclists and drivers of police headquarters, officers and men of Circular Quay Fire Station, comrades at No. 4 Station, police at No 7 Station, “police pals at Bondi Junction.” end eastern suburbs bus drivers and conductors.
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/16743642
Adam DUNNING
Adam DUNNING
Australian Protective Services Officer ( A.P.S. )
Australian Federal Police, 29 March 2003 – 22 December 2004
RAAF Reservist, 1995 –
Regd. # ?
Rank: PSO1 (Protective Services Officer )
Stations: Solomon Islands, 4 October 2004 – 22 December 2004
Service: From 29 March 2003 to 22 December 2004 = 1+ year Service
[blockquote]
Unit: RAMSI
Regiment: ?
Enlisted: ?
Service # ?
Rank: ?
Embarkation: ?
Next of kin: ?
Religion: ?
Single / Married: ?
Returned to Australia: ?
[/blockquote]
Awards: Meritorious Unit Citation for work in East Timor.
Commendation for efforts in disarming a male carrying a replica pistol in Honiara Court.
Born: ?
Died on: Wednesday 22 December 2004
Cause: Shot – Murdered
whilst deployed on official duties at Honiara, Solomon Islands
Age: 26
Funeral date: Thursday 30 December 2004
Funeral location: ANZAC Memorial Chapel,
Royal Military College, Duntroon, ACT
Buried at: Cremated
Memorial: The main street of a new AFP training village in Canberra was named Adam Dunning Drive in his memory.
Adam IS mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance
Tears for the fallen as Adam comes home
By Craig Skehan and Aban Contractor
December 24, 2004
They had slow-marched their comrade’s casket to the plane that would take him home.
Their backs were straight, but the emotions were too much: tears tumbled down the cheeks of the Australian Federal Police pallbearers as they did Adam Dunning this last honour.
Then, once his body was stowed in the hold of the RAAF jet on the tarmac in Honiara, his mates made a last gesture of solidarity with the colleague they were farewelling forever – forming a circle, heads bowed, arms locked around each other’s shoulders.
Adam Dunning, the 26-year-old AFP protective service officer who was killed by a sniper in the early hours of Wednesday morning, was accompanied home by the Minister for Justice, Chris Ellison, and the Opposition’s home affairs spokesman, Robert McClelland, but at Fairbairn air base in Canberra, where the RAAF 737 touched down just before 6pm, it was Mr Dunning’s family and friends – his parents, Michael and Christine, his sisters, Sarah and Emma, and his girlfriend, Elise Wiscombe – who formed the guard of honour.
Standing in two straight lines, they faced the plane.
With the Australian Federal Police Commissioner, Mick Keelty, standing watch nearby, Mr Dunning’s parents held their heads high, and his sisters and Ms Wiscombe quietly sobbed as eight AFP pallbearers bore his flag-draped casket from the plane. His parents held hands and seemed to stand even straighter as their only son was placed in the hearse that would take him to the mortuary.
In the Solomons, police are questioning a taxi driver about several suspects in the murder. A Solomon Islands police source told the Herald that the taxi – seen near the murder scene with several passengers before the shooting – had been seized.
On a narrow, potholed road on the outskirts of the Solomons capital, Honiara, locals offered heartfelt apologies for the shooting.
“I am so very sorry,” said one young man. “He came here to help us.”
By the roadside at Zion Junction, investigating officers had cut the long grass to help search for clues to the identity of the person who, in darkness shortly after 3am on Wednesday, shot Mr Dunning while he was on patrol in a Toyota Land Cruiser.
Zion Junction does not have a particularly dangerous reputation. Rather, locals said, other settlements further along the same ridge were known for trouble, ranging from extortion to payback shootings.
Moffat Suiga, a community elder who was awakened by the shots that killed Mr Dunning, said he and others were at a loss to explain the murder.
A middle-aged businessman said the overwhelming majority of Solomon Islanders wanted to see those responsible put in jail. He said it would be a good thing if the Australian-led intervention force remained for the next 40 years.
At a commemoration service earlier in Honiara, Mr Keelty said Mr Dunning had “died for peace”.
The Solomon Islands Prime Minister, Sir Allan Kemakeza, said the young man had been helping the country overcome ethnic strife and crime. “We will not forget him,” he said.
A police funeral will be held for Mr Dunning on a day to be announced.
Offenders: John Hen OME, 31 & James TATAU, 29
Location of Murder: [codepeople-post-map]
|
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2004-12-22/afp-officer-adam-dunning-was-murdered-while-on/606888
Family, friends, colleagues farewell peacekeeper
Political correspondent
Canberra
December 31, 2004
They stood side by side. Two long lines of blue uniforms facing each other along the tree-lined road. Like a slow Mexican wave, each snapped to attention and saluted as the body of one of their own passed by.
Adam Dunning, murdered by a sniper while on patrol in the Solomons early last week, had begun the last leg of his journey home.
Earlier, these men and women of the Australian Federal Police and the Royal Australian Air Force had wept openly as Mr Dunning was farewelled with full police and military honours in the Duntroon chapel. “He was a great man,” said his federal police mate Pat Castle.
The nation’s military chiefs turned out to pay tribute, as did Prime Minister John Howard, Governor-General Michael Jeffery and senior cabinet ministers.
But this ritual belonged to those who knew and loved Adam Dunning.
His mother, Christine, read from a tribute that she and her husband, Mike, had written to their son in February. They had praised his courage, sensitivity and mettle.
His partner, Elise, who had brought red roses for the man she had loved, said he was her greatest friend. “He was my strength, my inspiration, my love.”
Peacekeeper Beau Tennant, who was with Mr Dunning the night before he died, broke down as he recalled his friend’s generosity.
“Before he left me, his last words were: ‘Are you right for money mate?’ That was the kind of bloke he was,” he said.
Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty said Mr Dunning would live on in the memories of grateful Solomon Islanders.
“Adam Dunning died for peace and law and order. His work and his death will always be remembered by his colleagues,” he told mourners.
The federal police hope to build a memorial to Mr Dunning at their new training centre for overseas police peacekeepers.
Mr Dunning also served with RAAF in Timor before joining the AFP.
Police believe his murder and another attack on police on October 21 were carried out by three former members of the Malaitan Eagle Force militia.
They have charged two men – John Ome and Philip Kwaimani – over the attacks and are hunting James Tatau, who Mr Keelty said was present at both events and had access to a cache of weapons.
Police believe the trio were working on their own, with no sign of any broader uprising against the peacekeeping effort.
It fell to Emma, who had adored her older brother, to claim his service medals and caps from the flag-shrouded coffin and hand them to her grieving parents.
As his police mates carried Mr Dunning’s coffin from the chapel into the sunlight, drummers and bagpipers ushered him on his way. A police motorcade led the cortege through Canberra’s streets to a private service and cremation.
Body of sniper victim arrives in Canberra
A plane carrying the body of murdered Australian peacekeeper Adam Dunning has landed in his home town of Canberra.
The 26-year-old Australian Protective Services officer was shot twice in the back by a sniper while serving as part of a peacekeeping mission in the Solomon Islands yesterday morning.
Members of Mr Dunning’s family, and his colleagues were on hand to formally receive his body.
Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty returned from the Solomon Islands about half an hour before the plane bearing Officer Dunning’s body landed.
He was among those waiting for Justice Minister Chris Ellison and Labor’s homeland security spokesman Robert McClelland, who accompanied the body on the flight back to Canberra.
Commissioner Keelty, Senator Ellison, Mr McClelland and AFP officers formed a guard of honour before the coffin was removed from the plane.
Family members, including Officer Dunning’s parents Mike and Christine, and girlfriend Elise Wiscombe, stood arm in arm watching proceedings.
A guard of honour, carrying Officer Dunning’s hat, led the flag-draped coffin to the hearse.
Eight pall bearers stood tall under the weight, as Officer Dunning’s police colleagues watched on.
A cavalcade of AFP motorcycles is waiting to lead the hearse to Canberra’s mortuary.
A full police funeral will be held for Officer Dunning on a day to be announced.
Officer Dunning’s parents took the time to thank those who attended the short ceremony before the hearse headed for Kingston mortuary under police escort.
Senator Ellison later said the Solomons people were behind RAMSI and Australia’s efforts to bring law and order to the country.
He said some adjustments might be made to the conduct of night patrols but any final decision would depend on recommendations from the AFP.
He denied the Government had too quickly reduced the AFP’s military support in the Solomons.
“We’ve made fantastic progress in the Solomons and we never underestimated the danger that our people faced,” he told ABC television
More troops sent in as peacekeeper slain
December 23, 2004
Australia is rushing 100 extra troops to the Solomon Islands in defiant reaction to the sniper murder of Adam Dunning, the nation’s first peacekeeper to be killed by hostile fire.
The murder highlights the perils of the new interventionist role in the Pacific islands, but the Prime Minister, John Howard, vowed the mission to the Solomons would go on “undeterred, unrestrained, unaffected by what’s happened”.
“We won’t be cowed by this,” the Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer, added.
Mr Dunning, a 26-year-old Australian Protective Service officer from Canberra who had dodged bullets while serving in East Timor, was shot twice in the back while on a patrol in a four-wheel drives Toyota Land Cruiser in the capital, Honiara, at 3.10am on Wednesday. The bullets were among six shots fired rapidly from a high-powered military rifle.
“It looks as though the person who fired it had training in the use of such firearms,” a Solomon Islands official said.
Members of former ethnic militias – who had formed gangs and reduced the country to anarchy – are now being questioned. Australian investigators say the involvement of former Solomon Islands police officers, or an individual officer, cannot be ruled out.
At his Canberra home, Mr Dunning’s father, Michael, was distraught as he spoke of his son’s honourable death.
“It is sad as he cared for the [Solomons] people so much and was doing something really good on their behalf,” Mr Dunning told the Herald. “He always has been a decent person, tough and soft-hearted at the same time. He was totally honourable and very stubborn – nobody could make him do anything that he did not think was right. He was a credit to us.”
Adam Dunning had been planning a future with his 22-year-old girlfriend, Elise Wiscombe, on his return home next month. “I’m very, very proud of what he’s done over there,” she said. “He’s one of the greatest people I’ve ever met.”
Mr Dunning was part of the regional intervention force which has been seeking to stem ethnic and criminal violence in the Solomons since July last year.
A rapid-response, 100-member infantry company from the First Royal Australian Regiment was to leave Townsville on Thursday for the Solomons, just a day after the murder. The Defence Minister, Robert Hill, said: “This is to send a clear message to the thugs … that we will not tolerate the murder of our police officers.”
A meeting of departmental secretaries in Canberra recommended extra forces to support the 160 defence force personnel already there. Those troops are backing the 147 Australian Federal Police members who are serving in the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) – about 95 of them from the Australian Protective Service, which comes under the federal police. The Justice Minister, Chris Ellison, and the Federal Police Commissioner, Mick Keelty, flew to Honiara on Wednesday night. Australian forensic experts also flew in.
Mr Keelty said: “Over 4000 arrests have been made and over 3700 weapons have been seized [since the intervention began]. Clearly this indicates that there are some in the community in the Solomon Islands who are not happy about RAMSI’s presence.”
He said the hot tropical climate – and the large number of weapons already recovered – were among the reasons body armour had not been used for regular patrols. However, this is now under review.
Mr Keelty called Mr Dunning “a brave and courageous young Australian” and said his killing emphasised “the danger that our people face”.
The Solomons Prime Minister, Sir Allan Kemakeza, described the killing as barbaric and cowardly.
Mr Dunning’s partner on patrol, who had been driving, tried to resuscitate him.
The murder scene, on the outskirts of Honiara, was close to two settlements which are known to be frequented by former ethnic militiaman who formed criminal gangs.
The Australian police contingent has been at the forefront of efforts to clean up local police and officers have been charged with offences from corruption to assault and robbery. A number of local politicians are either under investigation or already facing various charges.
Mr Keelty said the ammunition used indicated the murder weapon was an SLR or possibly an AK-47. This was consistent with some of the weapons used before the arrival of the intervention force. The looting of many SLRs and other military-style weapons from Solomons police armouries had fuelled the five years of unrest that prompted the intervention of the Australian-led force.
There was a major riot at the Central Prison in Honiara this year, when inmates threw rocks at Australian personnel and painted anti-Australian slogans. Two months ago, an intervention force vehicle patrol was fired on.
Protective Service Officers were deployed along with other Australian law enforcement officers in the Solomon Islands as part of RAMSI. The peacekeeping force suffered their first casualty on 22 December 2004 when PSO1 Adam Dunning was shot and killed while deployed on official duties in the Solomon Islands. Two former members of a local militia were charged but acquitted of Dunning’s murder.[5] Officer Dunning was buried with full police honours.
The main street of a new AFP training village in Canberra was named Adam Dunning Drive in his memory.[6] The $2.8 million training facility at Mount Majura just outside Canberra, has been designed to replicate situations in regional countries to which personnel might be assigned.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Protective_Service
Dunning remembered in training complex
The main street of a new training village for Australian Federal Police and other personnel being sent overseas has been named after murdered peacekeeper Adam Dunning.
The $2.8 million training facility at Majura, just outside Canberra, has been designed to replicate situations in regional countries to which personnel might be assigned.
Prime Minister John Howard officially opened the facility on Thursday in the presence of police chiefs from across the country as well as from several regional nations.
Australian Protective Service officer Mr Dunning, 26, was fatally shot twice in the back while on night patrol in the Solomon Islands capital of Honiara in December.
He was serving as part of the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomons.
His parents attended the opening of the village, through the centre of which runs a road now named Adam Dunning Drive.
“The loss of Adam Dunning signified that this is very dangerous work,” Justice Minister Senator Chris Ellison said.
Mr Howard said the new facility reflected the new security reality for Australia and its region.
“Events of the last five years have totally transformed both the demands and the expectations of the Australian community on the Australian Federal Police,” he told the gathering.
“In that five-year period we have seen the threatening arrival of international terrorism.
“We’ve (also) seen the emergence of an ongoing need on the part of this country, in cooperation with our friends in the Pacific region, to involve ourselves in the restoration of conditions of law and order and cooperation with police services and governments of those countries.”
The training village, to be used by a range of emergency services personnel as well as police, recreates the environment that police experience when on overseas missions.
Designed to reflect the streetscape of a small overseas township, it enables true-to-life scenario training which helps to prepare police for unknown and sometimes dangerous challenges.
It includes 18 buildings and structures including a corner store, a town hall, a police station, a school, a pub, a marketplace and even a cemetery, reflecting the fact that police are sometimes required to perform exhumations in the course of their work.
The spokesman said 124 personnel had already trained at the complex which was completed in March.
Stephen Paul NAYLOR
Stephen Paul NAYLOR
New South Wales Police Force
Redfern Police Academy Class # 134
Regd. # 15685
Ranks: Commenced Training at Redfern Police Academy on Monday 26 February 1973 ( aged 21 years, 4 months, 12 days )
Probationary Constable – appointed Monday 2 April 1973 ( aged 21 years, 5 months, 19 days )
Constable – appointed 2 April 1974
Constable 1st Class – appointed 2 April 1978
Final Rank: Constable 1st Class
Stations: Burwood, Five Dock – Death
Service: From 26 February 1973 to 7 December 1979 = 6 years, 9 months, 11 days Service
Awards: No Find on Australian Honours system
Born: Sunday 14 October 1951
Died: Friday 7 December 1979
Age: 28 years, 1 months, 23 days
Cause: Murdered – Pedestrian – Drive at – Off Duty
Location of event: Parramatta Rd, Burwood, NSW
Funeral date: ? ? ?
Funeral location: Rookwood Memorial Gardens & Crematorium, Rookwood ( Lidcombe ), NSW
Grave location: Cremated. Ashes Scattered.
No Memorial.
Stephen is NOT mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance- BUT SHOULD BE
The Canberra Times
Saturday 8 December 1979 Page 3
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/110972240
Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 – 1995),
Tuesday 11 December 1979, page 11
Youth on two murder counts
SYDNEY: A youth aged 17 had called, ” See what I can do, copper, see what I can do “, after driving toward six men and killing two of them, one a policeman, a Children’s Court was told yesterday.
The youth appeared before Mr Blackmore, SM, in the Metropolitan Children’s Court on 12 counts, including two of murder at Burwood last Friday.
Mr C. Phegan, prosecuting, said the incidents occurred after the youth left a party to sleep in his car after an earlier altercation with his host.
Mr Blackmore allowed the Press into the hearing, but ordered that the youth’s name and address not be published.
Mr Phegan asked that the charges be adjourned to Glebe Coroner’s Court on December 19, for mention.
Mr K. G. Hickey, for the youth, asked for bail for his client after agreeing to the remand date.
Mr Phegan, asking that bail be refused, said the youth had an altercation with his host at a party.
” As a result he left the party intending to sleep in his car “, Mr Phegan said.
” It is further alleged he was involved in an altercation with off-duty police officers who were joined by a number of civilians “.
Mr Phegan said the youth drove his car along the footpath on Parramatta Road. There were six men on the footpath and the youth drove towards them. Four jumped out of the vehicle’s path.
The car had hit Mr Peter Petracco, 32, and Constable first-class Stephen Naylor, 29, fatally injuring both.
The youth was remanded without bail until December 19.
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/110972914
Richard Baxter, FB – Support Aussie Cops, on 23 December 2011, recalls a work mate by the name of Stephen NAYLOR being attached to Burwood ( NSW ) being murdered about 1979.
First Published 8 December 2014
Updated 8 January 2025
Richard John HAZEL
Richard John HAZEL
aka Rick
New South Wales Police Force
Regd. # ?
Rank: Detective
Stations: Redfern ( about 1985 ), Kings Cross
Awards: ?
Service: From ? to ?
Born: ?
Age: ?
Died: September 2002
Cause: Suicide at Caringbah. Knife in the chest, but also a suspected murder.
Funeral date: ?
Funeral location: ?
Grave site: ?
FURTHER INFORMATION IS NEEDED ON THIS PERSON
[alert_yellow]HAZEL is NOT mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance[/alert_yellow]
It should be noted that there was a suicide of a former Police officer by the name of Hazell who killed himself allegedly surrounded by news articles of the 1996 Royal Commission, in which he had been summonsed as a witness at the time.
It shows the long lasting and continued effects of the Royal Commission on those involved.
Letter to Bronwyn Bishop, Parliament House in 2002
Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional affairs – 19 Feb 2003
Not obscured by the thin blue line
- Name Savage Obssesions
- Genre Mystery/Crime
- Author Glen McNamara
- Publisher New Holland
- Year 2012
- Pages 147
- RRP 29.95
Glen McNamara – who was set up in the police force by corrupt officers he investigated, then was cleared, then pensioned off – is presented here as the archetypal honest cop who flew in the face of a corrupt system and was savaged by it. Even though he is writing about himself, it has a ring of authenticity. A former investigator with the National Crime Authority and with the NSW Police, where he was a detective stationed in Kings Cross and Sydney’s south, he gave evidence to the NSW Police Royal Commission about alleged police protection of paedophiles.
With Savage Obsessions: True Crime from the Streets of Kings Cross, McNamara has joined other former police, such as former assistant commissioner Clive Small, in writing about crime, capitalising on its popularity – as exemplified by the success of the Underbelly TV series – and drawing on the vast volume of inside information available to police.
His chapters are fairly short and each tells a different story. But the linking theme, about criminal obsession (”The criminal mind is self-obsessed and determined, and I realised that this trait knows no boundaries, professional or otherwise”) seems to work.
What amounts to a series of snapshots of police work does give some revealing insights, including into the corruption and brutality once prevalent in Kings Cross, seen from the inside.
Some insights are new, such as the horrific sexual abuse paedophile ”Dolly” Dunn committed while on the staff of Catholic schools – an aspect of Dunn’s life hinted at but never disclosed. It does raise the question of how he continued so long.
McNamara confirms what was suggested as a defence in the Schapelle Corby case, that there has been a corrupt ring of airport baggage handlers dealing in illicit drugs, and mentions the case of an unnamed couple who got right through the international barriers and then found drugs in their bag.
He goes in detail into the wretched tangle surrounding drug dealer Warren Lanfranchi and his supposed girlfriend Sally Ann Huckstepp. Also, he deals with the wretchedness of Rick Hazell, who was drawn into paedophile protection, gave evidence to the Police Royal Commission and died in circumstances a coroner found were an accident but which McNamara believes was murder.
Like any account by a former cop, the presentation is all black and white, with no attempt at interpretation on sociological lines. People are either law abiders or rotters.
There could be no compassion for sex offender Bruce Synold who, according to McNamara, boasted that he would crawl naked into people’s bedrooms, slither across the floor like a snake and touch the sleeping couple lightly ”to see if they would stir”. Or cat burglar John Harvey Rider, who sneaked into the bedrooms of sleeping children. There is no doubt that a ”homicidal maniac”, Mark Hampson, with his Rasputin-like beard and his penchant for swords, was a bad man. And so were rapist Bilal Skaf and adoptive parent-killer Heidi McGarvie.
But the selection of cases rather glosses over, by omission, the vast array of other stories that could be told about people who have committed offences. Qualifications can be written into some accounts of crime to explain how these dreadful things happened. And, from time to time, how people are wrongly convicted.
SAVAGE OBSESSIONS
Glen McNamara
New Holland, 147pp, $29.95
What a wonderful tribute …thank you for bringing us this introduction to a man without whom the world is a poorer place.
Thanks Chris. It happened a couple of years after we got here and was a great tragedy. I really feel for his family and the loss of a good man.
I stumbled across this post today… For some reason Glen came to my mind, and I did a search. Maybe this all came about as I saw a photo of his gorgeous sister and his 2 beautiful children.
Glen was a friend and I know his family well. He was a great man and it was an extremely sad day the day he left this life.
hi Vicki, sorry I hadn’t realised I’d omitted to reply. Thanks for sharing…it was indeed a tragic day for all concerned…we have a connection through the other officer that day though we didn’t know him at the time.