Latest news with #GrantStevens
ABC News
14-07-2025
- ABC News
Magistrate lashes cruel email mocking SA police chief's grief
WARNING: This article includes offensive language. A man who sent South Australian Police Commissioner Grant Stevens a highly offensive email just hours after Mr Stevens's son had died following a car crash has been sentenced to community service. Robert James Angus, 36, of Millicent, was convicted in the Mount Gambier Magistrates Court on Monday for using a carriage service in a harassing or offensive way over the email he sent on November 18, 2023, to Mr Stevens's personal SA Police email account. It contained three words: "Sucked in c***." Mr Stevens's 18-year-old son Charlie was hit by a car in Goolwa on the night of November 17, 2023, and died at 7pm the next day in Adelaide. The court heard Angus — a married father of four — sent the email later that night after hearing of Charlie's death in the media. "Although comprised of only three words, the defendant's email was an expression of enjoyment and derision towards the commissioner's grief at the loss of his son," the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) said in its submission to the court ahead of sentencing. Magistrate Koula Kossiavelos said the DPP alleged Angus knew the "deliberate timing of this offending would inflict maximum distress". "It is submitted that the hypothetical reasonable person would be shocked, outraged and disgusted at your behaviour," she said. "More importantly, this is what the commissioner has said in relation to being subjected to your email: he found the offending to be abhorrent, deeply offensive and cruel. "In your record of interview, you showed no remorse or understanding of the gravity of your actions to the extent that you queried why police were bothering to investigate it. "When asked why you sent the email, you responded, 'Because you could.'" The court heard that since his offending, Angus had apologised in a letter to the commissioner and had been diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder and impulsive aggressive disorder. Magistrate Kossiavelos said the conditions contributed to the offending, but were not the cause of it. "I find that his moral culpability for the offence is partially reduced, but there is a need for general and personal deterrence," she said. The court heard Angus did not remember sending the email and had not explained why he sent it. The court heard Angus was undergoing cognitive behaviour therapy and taking medication to stabilise his moods. The truck sales manager's last criminal conviction was in 2008. The maximum penalty for the crime is 12 months in jail and an $18,780 fine if convicted in a magistrate's court. Angus's lawyer pushed for no conviction to be recorded and for her client to be given a good behaviour bond. Magistrate Kossiavelos ordered Angus to do 150 hours of community service within 12 months and to pay prosecution costs of $512. "Reasonable persons would all find that what you did on November 18, 2023, was very offensive," she said. "It was probably at the higher end of the scale of what offensive can actually be in all the circumstances." The man who hit and killed Charlie was given a suspended sentence last October.
ABC News
03-07-2025
- ABC News
SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens opens up about 1991 firearm incident
When Grant Stevens was confronted by waiting journalists as he left the ABC's Adelaide studios following a radio interview on Wednesday morning, he smiled wryly. "I'm not armed. It's OK," the SA Police Commissioner said. The quip was in reference to an incident from the commissioner's professional past in which he had, he said, accidentally discharged his firearm during a raid on the house of an alleged drug dealer. A recent newspaper story had drawn attention to the episode, which dates back to the early 1990s when the now-commissioner was a young criminal investigator. Here's a look at what happened, why it has now made headlines, and why an Office for Public Integrity assessment will be conducted. Earlier this week, Adelaide's Sunday Mail newspaper published a report containing allegations relating to a "high-ranking South Australian police officer". The story claimed the officer had accidentally fired their gun while attending a house in the northern suburbs during the 1990s. The article stated that, while no-one had been injured, the officer was now "under investigation over [the] historical claims" — and the report questioned whether details had been "properly disclosed" at the time in accordance with police rules. The officer was not named in the story. On Wednesday, the SA Police Commissioner — who disputed several of the claims made in the article, and insisted the incident had been handled in "accordance with our procedures" at the time — confirmed he was the officer in question. "It was me," he said at the start of the interview on ABC Radio Adelaide. The commissioner said while rigid statutory restrictions typically prevented public reporting about details relating to police complaints and ongoing internal investigations, he was authorising disclosures to stop suspicion falling on others. "In the interests of removing the cloud from other very senior officers in SAPOL … I'm making the decision to say this was me, this is what happened," he said. According to the commissioner, the incident occurred when he was a junior Senior Constable with the Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB) at Elizabeth in 1991. "We were doing a drug raid on a known heroin dealer, and during the course of trying to gain entry to the house, it became apparent he was trying to dispose of the drugs," he said. "On that basis, we started to force entry to the house and in the course of trying to force entry I accidentally discharged my firearm." The commissioner said his supervisor was present at the time and that the police internal investigation branch was notified. "I received what we would call now managerial guidance and that is essentially the same process that would apply to a police officer who found themselves in a similar situation today," he told ABC Radio Adelaide. The Sunday Mail reported there had been a second incident "several months later" in which the commissioner had again accidentally fired his gun — a claim he strongly rejected. "I'm aware of the incident they're referring to but there was no discharge of a firearm," he said. "It didn't happen twice. There has only ever been one occasion that I have accidentally discharged my firearm." On Wednesday, the commissioner was asked about the fact that the incident had publicly surfaced after more than three decades, and whether he thought it was part of an attempt to undermine him. The source of the story, he said, could have been someone who either had "access to records regarding the incident" or actually attended. "I know who was there on the day — I consider most of those people friends, so I don't know it would be them," he said. The commissioner later said he could not speculate "on the motivations for whoever relayed this incident to a journalist". "There are always going to be detractors for people who have positions of responsibility in the community," he said. But he added that he did not find the revelation "damaging" and that he had never "shied away from" discussing it with other officers. "I've actually relayed the story on occasions over the last 34 years for different reasons to let other police officers understand how fragile circumstances can be," he said. "It serves as a lesson to the community that policing has inherent risks in it, mistakes do happen." The commissioner said that, because of the way in which the incident had resurfaced, authorities were now duty-bound to carry out a formal assessment. "If you ask questions of the South Australia Police and in the context of that question there's an allegation of wrongdoing, we must in accordance with the act treat it as a complaint," he said. "Our ethical and professional standards branch have received the information … so they are bound to do an assessment." That process would, he said, be overseen by the Office for Public Integrity. "I'm happy to speak to our investigators if they need to do so," he said. "People who act in good faith generally aren't adversely affected by those actions."
Daily Mail
02-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Yet another blow for top cop after teenage son Charlie was tragically killed in hit-and-run at Schoolies
South Australia's most senior police officer, still reeling from the death of his son in a Schoolies hit-and-run, has revealed he is the subject of a misconduct investigation. South Australia 's Police Commissioner Grant Stevens confirmed he is being investigated over claims he accidentally discharged his firearm during a police operation in the 1990s. The revelation follows days of speculation over media reports on Sunday about a probe into an unidentified 'senior police officer.' Calling in to Adelaide radio station FIVEaa's David and Will on Wednesday morning, Commissioner Stevens said he wanted to be transparent. 'I thought I'd take the opportunity to come on and just maybe clear the air and put people out of their misery as to who the senior officer was that, 34 years ago, accidentally discharged their firearm while doing a police raid on a heroin dealer. 'The officer concerned was actually me.' The incident occurred during a raid on a suspected drug dealer's home in Adelaide's northern suburbs. According to Stevens, a bullet was unintentionally fired into the house during the operation and no one was injured. 'This is an incident that was managed in accordance with our procedures back at the time,' Commissioner Stevens explained. 'We were attempting to force entry into a house where a drug dealer was trying to get rid of drugs. And in the course of breaking a window to gain entry, I did discharge my firearm.' 'My supervisor was there at the time. I did the police report that was necessary, and it was reported to [the] Internal Investigations Branch on the day.' He firmly denied reports suggesting there had been a second accidental discharge of the gun. Commissioner Stevens and his family are still mourning the loss of their son Charlie, 18, who was killed in a hit-and-run while celebrating Schoolies at Goolwa Beach, south of Adelaide, in November of 2023. Mr Steven's son Charlie suffered significant brain damage in the crash and died at Flinders Medical Centre the next day, surrounded by family and friends. Dhirren Singh Randhawa, the 19-year-old driver of the car that struck Charlie, was given a suspended jail sentence. Randhawa was banned from driving for 10 years. Despite the crushing loss of their son, the Stevens family have been bravely advocating for organ donation and road safety. Mr Stevens, who has been SA's top cop since 2015, was one of four people nominated for the state's Australian of the Year in 2024.
News.com.au
02-07-2025
- News.com.au
SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens under investigation for 1990s firearm discharge
South Australian Police Commissioner Grant Stevens is under investigation for discharging his firearm during a raid on a drug dealer in the 1990s. The investigation into a 'senior police officer' was first revealed on Sunday and Mr Stevens outed himself as the subject of the probe in a radio interview with Adelaide station FIVEaa on Wednesday. 'I thought I'd take the opportunity to come on and just maybe clear the air and put people out of their misery as to who the senior officer was that 34 years accidentally discharged their firearm while doing a police raid on a heroin dealer,' he said. 'The officer concerned was actually me.' In the incident, a bullet was fired into a house in the city's northern suburbs. Nobody was hurt, Mr Stevens said, and the discharge was recorded with the police's internal investigation branch. 'This is an incident that was managed in accordance with our procedures back at the time,' Mr Stevens said. 'We were attempting to force entry into a house where a drug dealer was trying to get rid of drugs. 'And in the course of breaking a window to gain entry, I did discharge my firearm. 'My supervisor was there at the time. I did the police report that was necessary and it was reported to internal investigations branch on the day.' Mr Stevens has denied reports of a second accidental discharge. SA Police has been contacted for comment. Mr Stevens has led SA Police since 2015 and is contracted until 2028. This year, he was a nominee in the Australian of the Year awards. 'Grant is known for his authoritative yet good-humoured leadership during the Covid pandemic when his high-profile job saw him become a household name,' his nomination states. 'He is also deeply respected for his strength and capacity for forgiveness in the face of awful loss. 'In 2023, Grant's youngest son Charlie passed away after being hit by a car. 'Grant and his wife Emma chose to ask mourners to donate to Operation Flinders Foundation in lieu of flowers. Over $217,000 has so far been donated towards the future of young and disadvantaged South Australians.'
Telegraph
23-06-2025
- Telegraph
Do you have one of these jobs? You should move to Australia
An Australian twang rings out as the camera zooms out and shows a police officer in full uniform – on the beach in swimming trunks. Grant Stevens, commissioner of the South Australia Police (Sapol), is on a charm offensive on TikTok to recruit experienced police officers from Britain to fill their hiring shortages. He highlights the 'competitive advantages' such as an attractive salary and coverage of permanent visa costs for applicants and their families. The Queensland Police Service and the Western Australian Police have also been heavily recruiting in the UK. The latter even has its own TV series about British recruits, West Coast Cops. And it's working. Oliver Vale, 38, recently moved his family over to Australia to start a new job as a police officer in Adelaide. Over the years, the Vale family had toyed with moving abroad. 'We nearly moved abroad 10 years ago, but after we had the boys [Logan, 7, and Parker, 5], we began thinking if it's not going to be now, then when?' says Helen, 34, a former school inspector. 'The time felt right for the boys to make the move.' Oliver, an experienced police officer in Hampshire and Nottingham, has often been targeted by recruiters in Commonwealth nations. The couple decided on Australia because labour agreements with the UK make it easier for skilled workers, such as British police officers, to transfer there. The Vale family had never visited Australia but were 'good at travelling', she adds, and loved the idea of having that outdoor lifestyle revolving around beaches, barbecues and sport. Helen says her biggest worry about moving to the other side of the world was 'spiders and snakes'. They had started planning a year before, visiting Down Under Live, a UK based emigration event, says Helen. 'It opened my eyes to the fact that thousands make this move every year.' 'We sold everything and jumped on a plane' From the post-war 'Ten Pound Poms' assisted-migration scheme to those rite-of-passage working holidays, there's a long history of Britons moving to Australia for employment opportunities. Britons are the largest migrant population there, with 1.1 million living there in 2023, albeit down 6pc from 10 years before, according to the Department of Home Affairs. In July 2023-24, there were 9,916 permanent migration visas granted, of which 4,500 were employer-sponsored places. Decent relocation packages for sponsored places is part of the appeal. The starting salary for a police officer with at least three years' experience is AUD $80,190 (£38,550), says Monika Setka of Sapol. 'After permanent appointment [after probation], an experienced officer can earn up to $121,805,' she adds. In the UK, police constables earn £29,907 to £48,231, with a sergeant bringing in up to £53,943, according to the Police Federation. Setka adds that 72 officers have joined from the UK and the Republic of Ireland in the past year, after 1,000 registrations of interest. Oliver applied to three forces and opted for Sapol for the best benefits package, which includes a government-sponsored permanent residency visa and healthcare. On January 1, the family moved to Adelaide. 'We sold everything and jumped on a plane,' says Helen. They were on the same flight as another British family making the same move through Sapol, which made the leap less daunting. 'We had met the Wilsons before we left. We got on well as their children are a similar age to ours,' says Helen. 'They were staying in the same hotel at Heathrow the night before, and ever since they have been a great support – they now live 30 minutes away.' They have also received assistance from the mentor provided by Sapol, who is a former British police officer. 'He's been amazing, helping us to decide where best to live and find a rental property,' says Oliver. The family live in a three-bedroom house in Modbury, a popular suburb of Adelaide, which is around 30 minutes to the beach. The house, which they have for a year, is £1,100 a month, after which they hope to buy a property – a three-bedroom home costs around $850,000. Luckily for the family, this is lower than the average price of an Australian home, which in March surpassed $1m for the first time, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. On April 1, a ban on the purchase of second-hand homes by foreigners began that will last until March 2027, to help reduce pressure on housing supply. Temporary residents cannot apply to buy, but permanent residents such as the Vales can do so, and also apply for mortgages. Foreigners have to apply for approval to buy from the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB), an online process with a fee that depends on the value of the property, but starts from around $4,000. Families moving to Australia cannot apply for a place in a public (state) school until they have an Australian address to prove they live in the catchment zone. Since the academic year starts in January, it's easier enroling then. Helen says getting the boys into school proved to be fairly easy. 'I contacted three schools, and they were all very approachable and had spaces. The boys soon made friends.' Also fairly painless was getting a job as a school support officer, rather like a teaching assistant in the UK, at a special needs school nearby. 'I am earning the same as when I left the UK, but with a third of the responsibility,' says Helen. Weekends spent indoors or on car trips to soft play, Ikea or Costco are now full of BBQs, outdoor sports and bike rides. 'There are so many more opportunities to be healthier, and public facilities are better organised than in the UK. It feels like taxes are being spent in the right way.' Both boys have got into Aussie Rules football and basketball. They have met British expats aside from the Wilsons, including other police officers on the same three-month training course as Oliver, alongside Canadian Mounties and Irish Gardai. How to get a visa It's now harder to make a move Down Under than it once was. 'Australia is moving towards the New Zealand model of visas for highly-skilled workers who secure a job before first,' says Chris Tunbridge, of immigration consultancy, Tri-Nations Migration. But there has been an increase in availability of the Skills in Demand (SID) visas that replaced the Temporary Skills Shortage (TSS) visa at the end of 2024, which means more people can move over on this visa per year. It's a fast-changing landscape. Each year, the Australian government has quotas for the different types of skilled migrants, but the quota of three other types of general skills visas has been halved. It is not just what you may assume – doctors, nurses, teachers, carers and police officers. He says that in-demand occupations in Australia include chefs, mechanical engineers, civil engineers, software engineers and accountants. You can stay as long as your visa lasts – and remain in the country longer if nominated by an employer for a new visa. 'Once your residence is approved, you may work in any job you like.' Curiously, police officers aren't on that list despite being in great demand. This is because of security reasons, says Tunbridge, but state governments can recruit foreigners to meet a specific need. Only police officers from the UK, Ireland, Canada and New Zealand are eligible to apply for a job without being a permanent resident or citizen of Australia. Tunbridge says that many Britons don't get a job until they arrive on either a working holiday visa, or a six-month visitor visa. 'It's easier to meet prospective employers once they have experience in the country.' The one-year working holiday visa is now open to under-35s, while other visa options include the National Innovation Visa (NIV), a permanent visa for exceptionally talented individuals. The government ended its golden visa (Significant Investor Visa) aimed at attracting wealthy foreign investors last year, while New Zealand has since revamped its own version. Such a move requires a lot of planning. At the recent Down Under Live events, Tunbridge had demand from 200 families, with Perth and Queensland especially favoured. 'Assess your eligibility from the lists. Which state can sponsor you?' he advises. 'There are hundreds of immigration channels so seek advice – you need a strategy. Government fees are very expensive if you get it wrong.' The high cost of Oz Once you have found a job, the big problem can be affording the house and lifestyle you had in mind, says Michael Lang, of Savills. Salaries for many jobs can be higher than in the UK, but the cost of living is also high. 'Many of the best work opportunities are in southern Australia where housing prices are high. So a typical trend is arrivals renting until they get their permanent residency and buying a home in Brisbane, up north.' With this status, they will also pay lower stamp duty surcharges than non-residents. The median house price for Brisbane is around $1m – the same as the Australian average – according to McGrath, an estate agent. Investors are being attracted by the value of the smaller cities for better value. The median in Sydney is nearly 50pc more, or a hefty $4m in Manly, a beachside suburb traditionally favoured by British expats. 'We are seeing people look to the Sunshine Coast [in southern Queensland] for better affordability – especially Noosa and Buderim,' says James Baker, of McGrath. In the latter, a hillside suburb, a three- to four-bedroom house costs between $1m to $1.3m. But there is an exchange rate advantage for those with British pounds, making prime homes effectively 5pc cheaper than a year ago, according to McGrath, despite their 1.8pc rise. In Adelaide, Helen reckons the cost of living is pretty similar to the UK, as is the level of personal income tax paid each month. 'Grocery shopping is often a bit more costly, but better quality. Energy prices are lower, fuel is only 76p per litre and there is no council tax.' The biggest downside of moving Down Under is missing family and friends. 'If you think it's 60pc worth doing, it's worth trying,' says Helen.
