The investigation into police Taser safety
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ABC Listen. Podcasts, radio, news, music and more. Hello, I'm Fran Kelly and every day on the Radio National Hour, I take a deep breath and dive in.
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The nation was shocked when 95-year-old great-grandmother Claire Noland died after being tasered by a New South Wales police officer at an aged care facility in 2023. So, are police turning to tasers too often? And are the devices really as safe as their maker insists? Today, investigative reporter Grace Tobin on her Four Corners report into the multi-billion dollar taser industry. I'm Sam Hawley on Gadigal land in Sydney. This is ABC News Daily.
Grace, I think we all remember the case of Claire Nowland, the 95-year-old who died after being tasered by a New South Wales police officer.
Former New South Wales police officer Christian White was spared jail time, ordered to serve 423 hours of community service. 35-year-old White tasered 95-year-old aged care resident Claire Nowland in 2023. She was using a walking frame and holding a steak knife during the confrontation,
Before he shot his taser, White said, which the judge said suggested a loss of patience. The New South Wales Supreme Court has heard she fell back and hit her head. About a week later, she died in Cooma Hospital.
And now you have actually spoken with Claire's son, Mick Noland, and he really still has questions about why those officers felt like it was justified to use a taser in that instance.
Yeah, absolutely. I think he described it to me as something that they still toss over.
She couldn't have been a threat to anyone if she wanted to. 95 years old, 43 kilos, we still toss and turn to this very day, asking us, you know, why did this happen, you know? There were so many solutions for it to be de-escalated, you know?
This is three years on and at the front of their minds is really this question over whether all officers are being trained properly on when to use tasers.
I still can't understand why either of them would think that their actions were appropriate, you know. It was a gutless action and an inhumane action.
And just to note, the New South Wales Police, Grace, it does defend its training and its taser policies, doesn't it?
That's right. I spoke with New South Wales Police. They showed us some of the taser training that they undergo every year. It's mandatory for officers using a taser to do this. It includes things like role play scenarios, how to use the device correctly.
Let's go. Stop where you are. Look down at the chest. See those lasers? I don't care about the lasers. Okay, I don't want you to come in.
This is a warning that the taser will be deployed... And after Claire's death, actually, New South Wales Police reviewed its taser policies. Interestingly, it found that it wasn't necessary to make any changes. I spoke with Superintendent Pat Sharkey from New South Wales Police and he says each individual circumstance needs to be looked at on its own. And he was clear, yes, that it's not a compliance tool, but rather it's used to protect life in confronting situations.
There are more tasers being used across the state by police more generally. It is a tactical option. Often, you know, it is a situation that police are confronted by. Angry, argumentative people may be violent and they do it to protect life, essentially.
Should it ever be used just purely for compliance?
It's not a compliance tool.
Well, Grace, let's have a look more deeply at the use of tasers because in Australia they have become a main tool for policing, haven't they?
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