Coincidentally after the SafetyAtWorkBlog article on the Braidwood Inquiry, the Queensland government investigation into the use of stun guns by police officers has been leaked to an Australian newspaper a day before the official release.
According to a media story in The Australian on 4 September 2009:
The joint Crime and Misconduct Commission-police review, launched after the June heart-attack death of north Queensland man Antonio Galeano, has ordered an overhaul of police training and operational policy, requiring the stun guns to be used only when there is a “risk of serious injury”.
The review, to be released today and obtained exclusively by The Australian, marks the first time an Australian authority has recognised the possibility the stun guns can injure or kill, especially when fired repeatedly at a person.
Within eight hours of the story above being released, a report, again in The Australian, but by a different writer, says:
“A CMC spokeswoman said the contents of the report were yet to be released but claims the weapons would be banned were untrue.”
The confusing reports may say more about journalism than stun guns but it also indicates the extreme sensitivity about the use of these items by emergency and security officers.
SafetyAtWorkBlog will include a link to the Queensland report once it has been publicly released.
UPDATE – Report released
The Queensland report into stun gun use has been released and is now available for download.
