Queensland police officers involved in weekend fatal shooting weren't equipped with latest taser model
Police were called to a North Ward street on Saturday morning to reports a man was armed with a machete and a knife.
It's alleged the man advanced towards officers while armed.
After what the union has described as a "failed taser deployment", three officers fired multiple shots into the man's chest and legs.
Authorities said he was provided immediate medical assistance but died at the scene.
More than $47 million in funding was allocated in the state government's most recent budget for the purchase of 6,500 new taser models, known as Taser 10s.
But Premier David Crisafulli said the officers in Townsville did not yet have the new equipment.
"The first thing we did in our first budget was to fund the rollout of the Taser 10s that police have been crying (out) for, for a few years," Mr Crisafulli said.
"It gives the officers the protection they need, but it also helps save the life of individuals as well, it works both ways.
The former Labor government committed funding for 1,000 of the updated tasers last year after a trial in 2023.
The Queensland Police Service (QPS) did not give an update on the progress of the rollout when contacted for comment.
Instead, a police spokesperson said officers were trained to use "ongoing threat assessment and communication strategies aimed at reducing the risk of harm to the community".
"Officer and community safety is paramount when police are responding to dangerous situations, with officers trained to conduct threat assessments to use the minimum force necessary to resolve an incident, with the focus on de-escalation of the situation," they said.
Queensland Police Union president Shane Prior said he understood the new tasers would be available across the state from 2026, and would be safer for officers.
"We're going to have the ability to stand at greater lengths, we're going to have more shots and better accuracy,' Mr Prior said.
"The Queensland Police Union advocated and has continued to advocate heavily for the complete rollout of Taser 10s, that's why at the last election we lobbied both Liberal and Labor party to commit to a full rollout."
'We are very appreciative of that ... but we have to acknowledge that the delay has and may very well cost lives in Queensland.'
Mr Prior said a taser was an essential piece of equipment for officers and he was looking forward to every single officer being equipped with one.
He said it was particularly important given the "increasing violence" police officers were facing on the frontline.
'Never has it been as dangerous as it is right now for police in Queensland," Mr Prior said.
QPS said the shooting would be investigated by the Ethical Standards Command, with oversight from the Crime and Corruption Commission.
That would include examination of the officers' body-cam footage as well as CCTV.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Australian
2 hours ago
- The Australian
Dickson MP Ali France honours late 19yo son Henry
The disabled, single mum who ended Peter Dutton's 24-year run in politics has shared the emotional, private battle behind her uphill campaign to unseat the former opposition leader at her third attempt. Giving her inaugural speech in parliament, Ali France said that while the 2025 federal campaign was 'obviously my best,' she remained heartbroken over the death of her 19-year-old son Henry, who lost his battle to leukaemia in February 2024. 'The 2025 campaign was obviously my best, and that is quite a bizarre thing because behind the curtain I was grieving and desperately wanting to hold my son Henry,' she told parliament. The 52-year-old became a Labor legend after she defeated Mr Dutton in the outer Brisbane seat of Dickson, a seat he had held since 2001. While the electorate was one of the country's most marginal at 1.7 per cent, Ms France achieved a 7.7 per cent swing. Former politician Ali France credited her election win to her 19-year-old son Henry, who died from leukaemia in 2024. Source: X Ali France MP delivered her inaugural speech in the House of Representatives at Parliament House on Tuesday. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman Ms France, a former journalist and staffer to former Queensland premier Steven Miles, credited Henry, who she said was 'in another place, hopefully looking on with a big, wide smile,' as being 'instrumental' to her unexpected election win. She also shared a private moment in the days before his death, when Henry was able to return home from hospital 'for a couple of nights'. 'He asked to sleep in my bed, next to his mum, like he did for years when he was little,' she said, her voice occasionally breaking. 'I watched him breathe all night, in awe of him, his courage and his ability to smile every day despite unbelievable pain and the never-ending hospital stays and treatment. 'I am so grateful for those hours.' She said her son told her she would win the seat of Dickson. 'He told me many times, that this election was my time. He was convinced I would win and said a number of times, 'don't make me the excuse for you not doing important things,' she said. 'His words, his courage, were with me every day of the campaign. Henry was instrumental in getting me to this place.' Ali France, with the Prime Minister, was the first of the new MPs elected at the May 3 election to give their inaugural speech. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman Ali France hugs the Prime Minister after giving her first speech to parliament on Tuesday. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman Ms France also spoke about the 2011 car accident which resulted in the amputation of her leg. The incident occurred in the after a car crashed into her, and pinned her against another vehicle. At the time, Ms France was taking her youngest son Zac to a doctor's appointment, however she managed to push the child out of the car's path. She referred to the incident as the 'day I was supposed to die,' and thanked her trauma surgeon Martin Wullschleger, the bystanders and staff at the Royal Brisbane Hospital for saving her life. 'Martin's split-second decision to amputate my leg with a makeshift tourniquet saved me and ensured my kids had their mum,' she said. 'We kept in touch, Martin is in the gallery.' Ms France said that while she was told she was 'unlikely to ever work again,' she owed her recovery to a 'refugee (orthopaedic) surgeon from Iraq', Professor Munjed Al Muderis, who successfully completed a 'groundbreaking and risky' osseointegration surgery, which at the time had only been completed 25 times. Supporters of Ali France, including her son Zac and father Peter Lawlor (fourth and fifth from the left) were in the gallery for her inaugural speech. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman Fellow Labor MPs applaud Ali France after her speech. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman 'I've now been walking for 11 years – with a little help from my wheelchair,' she said. 'Munjed is in the gallery. And I am so grateful you stepped outside the boundaries of what was thought to be medically possible at the time. 'I literally would not be standing here today without you.' The Brisbane MP also paid a special tribute to Anthony Albanese and her former boss Mr Miles, and referred to them as her 'greatest political believers'. Notably the Prime Minister visited the seat of Dickson twice during the federal campaign, and began his election run in what was originally regarded as an unwinnable seat. 'When you're running for a third time, there will always be those who question if you're the right candidate,' she said. 'The Prime Minister and Steven have always been in my corner. 'Their support has meant I've continued to climb the mountain and succeed, when many others said I should step away.' The woman who beat Greens leader gives speech The woman who defeated another party leader at the election, Sarah Witty, has also given her first speech – highlighting the policy area that was key to the Greens. Sarah Witty, who upset Greens leader Adam Bandt to win back the seat of Melbourne for Labor after 15 years, has highlighted housing affordability as policy of concern. 'Most of Melbourne's high-density suburbs sit right here in the seat of Melbourne, and that places us at the very heart of the housing crisis,' said Ms Witty told parliament. Sarah Witty also made her first speech in the House of Representatives on Tuesday. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman 'The crisis didn't happen overnight. It is a result of underinvestment from previous governments and blocking of good housing policies that has slowed progress and kept supply dangerously low. 'You must confront this crisis now with honesty and urgency and courage.' 'Safe, secure housing is not a luxury, it's a human right. Today, it's harder than ever to get into the housing market.' Meanwhile, another new Labor MP, Gabriel Ng, who won the seat of Menzies from rising Liberal star Keith Wolahan, citied Pauline Hanson as an inspiration for him to enter public life. Senator Hanson used her first speech in 1996 to warn that Australia was in danger of 'being swamped by Asians'. 'For the first time, I felt there were some in the population, maybe a sizeable number, who considered me less Australian because of my race,' Mr Ng, who is of Chinese-Singaporean descent, said in his first speech. 'I raise Miss Hanson's … speech not to elicit sympathy, but to remind all of us in this house, if we needed any reminding, that what we do in this place matters. 'Not only in the legislation we pass, but in the words we speak. 'We have one of the most powerful platforms in the nation, and I urge all of us in this parliament to turn away from opportunistic division and embrace and tell the story of modern Australia as it is.' Read related topics: Peter Dutton Jessica Wang NewsWire Federal Politics Reporter Jessica Wang is a federal politics reporter for NewsWire based in the Canberra Press Gallery. She previously covered NSW state politics for the Wire and has also worked at and Mamamia covering breaking news, entertainment, and lifestyle. @imjesswang_ Jessica Wang
West Australian
2 hours ago
- West Australian
UK shows off military might as Carrier Strike Group arrives in Darwin
The UK's Carrier Strike Group has arrived in Darwin as it undergoes an eight-month deployment to showcase its commitment to the security of the Indo-Pacific. Ahead of the fleet's arrival Britain's new High Commissioner Dame Sarah MacIntosh talked up the UK-Australia partnership as an 'anchor relationship in a dangerous world'. The prosperity and stability of the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions were 'indivisible,' she said. 'We are in an era of radical uncertainty, to be navigated with agility, speed and clarity.' Operation Highmast, led by Royal Navy flagship HMS Prince of Wales, embarked on its mission to the Pacific and Australia in late April as a signal of the British Government's intent to maintain a presence in the Indo-Pacific despite the war in Ukraine on Europe's doorstep. The international Task Group is made up of five core ships, 24 F-35 fighter jets, and 17 helicopters, centred around the UK's flagship aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales. Its deployment follows a British Government commitment to hike defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027, raising it well above Australia's projected target of 2.33 per cent by 2033. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer went even further in June, pledging to boost Britain's overall defence and security spending to five per cent of economic output by 2035 to meet a NATO target – the highest level since the Cold War. Australia's Government has so far refused to follow its UK ally to lift its spending any higher, deferring to a defence review next year and a 'needs-based' approach despite pressure from the Trump administration to pour 3.5 per cent of GDP into defence spending. The participation of the UK's Carrier Strike Group in Australia's multinational exercise Talisman Sabre comes alongside Britain's renewed commitment to the $368 billion trilateral AUKUS program to provide nuclear-powered submarines to Australia. British AUKUS envoy Sir Stephen Lovegrove told the Australian Strategic Policy Institute earlier this month that London viewed AUKUS as a 'momentous collaboration' between three allies, playing down fears about an ongoing Pentagon review of the landmark project. More than 3,000 UK personnel are taking part in Talisman Sabre, the largest military exercise Australia has ever hosted, with the participation of 19 countries in total, including the United States. The UK contingent includes British Army and Royal Air Force units in drills to build towards 'full operational capability' of the UK's carrier strike group, said a statement from the High Commission. It said the deployment demonstrated British commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific at a time when trade between the UK and the region accounted for 17 per cent of total UK trade in the 12 months to September 2024. ' The visit demonstrates how the UK is delivering on our Strategic Defence Review commitments to the Indo-Pacific,' said Dame Sarah MacIntosh. 'It's about turning policy into action, together with our allies and partners here in Australia.'
News.com.au
3 hours ago
- News.com.au
Urgent search for baby and two children missing from Gold Coast
A desperate search continues for two missing schoolchildren and a baby last seen on Queensland's Gold Coast on Friday. On Tuesday evening, police released photos of a 7-week-old baby girl, a 10-year-old girl and six-year-old boy. The image of 41-year-old Monique, who is described as caucasian, with dark brown hair and brown eyes, was also released. She is known to the children and is believed to be with them. Police did not share Monique's surname. Officers believe Monique is driving a white Nissan X-Trail and may be in the Tenterfield area in NSW's Northern Tablelands. The children were last seen near Mirambeena Drive in Pimpama shortly before 9am on July 18. Police and the children's family are concerned about their welfare due to their age. Anyone who may have seen the children or the Nissan, which bears the Queensland registration 992XPS, are urged to contact police.
