Phillip fatality/ Police pursuit
Media Conference, Commander Leanne Close, Woden Police Station
14 November 2006 (3:30pm)
Leanne Close: Approximately 11:27 this morning, plain clothed police officers in an unmarked police vehicle have activated warning devices and notified police communications of pursuit as result of observations of a motor vehicle travelling in the area of Callam Street, Phillip. A matter of seconds later, it’s alleged that the offending vehicle travelled through a red traffic light and collided with another vehicle at the intersection of Callam and Neptune Streets, Phillip. As a result of this collision the female driver of the second vehicle which had entered the intersection, is now deceased. Two other persons are also injured. The driver of the other vehicle, which allegedly disobeyed the red traffic light, is currently in police custody at the Canberra Hospital. A full investigation of this tragic collision is underway by our Collision Investigation and Reconstruction team, and a report will be prepared for the Coroner. AFP Professional Standards as per normal protocol is investigating police involvement in this critical incident and have advised the Ombudsman’s office of this incident. We’re asking anyone who’s not yet spoken to police, but who has witnessed the accident to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Journalist: [inaudible] police chase was the red light? You went through a red light?
Leanne Close: No, the person has gone through a red light after the lights and sirens have been activated.
Journalist: Then why was that happening in the first place?
Leanne Close: That’s still part of the ongoing investigation and our members are in fact being interviewed as we speak in relation to what occurred to lead up to this incident.
Journalist: What speed what the police car chasing at?
Leanne Close: I don’t have any of those details about speed at this point. Again, that’s something that’s Collision Investigation and Reconstruction Team will be looking at.
Journalist: What kind of information can you gather from the security cameras outside the police station?
Leanne Close: We’ll be gathering all of the security footage from, not just the Woden Police Station, but from any other cameras that are active at this point today to be able to reconstruct the whole incident.
Journalist: So will we be able to have a look at those today?
Leanne Close: Ah, I don’t know when we’ll be able to get access to all of them but that’s a matter for the investigators to make sure that they’re obtained.
Journalist: [inaudible] do you have any information on the status on the people that have been taken to hospital?
Leanne Close: I don’t have any sort of updates at this point. I know that two people are in hospital receiving attention.
Journalist: Can you tell us anything about the person that’s deceased?
Leanne Close: At this stage I can’t give any further details about the female as her next of kin haven’t been advised.
Journalist: Do you have an age of the female driver of the alleged [inaudible].
Leanne Close: Not at this point, no.
Journalist: Witnesses have said that they saw the police in the unmarked car approach the driver of the brown car and ask him to get out of the car at gun point, do you have any information on that?
Leanne Close: I have no information, I haven’t been advised of anything in relation to that. That’d be a matter for the ongoing investigation.
Journalist: Was the male in the car with the deceased female her next of kin?
Leanne Close: I don’t know.
Journalist: Are you able to tell us a little bit more about the offender? [inaudible] how old he is or?
Leanne Close: I can’t give you any details about that at this point, that’s still part of the ongoing investigation.
Journalist: Just to clarify, the two people in hospital, were they from separate vehicles or are they both in the gold car?
Leanne Close: No they were from a separate vehicle, so there were two people in the white Magna, and there was another person in the brown vehicle.
Journalist: And just that one person in the brown vehicle?
Leanne Close: Yes.
Journalist: [inaudible] Length of time police were in pursuit?
Leanne Close: At this stage that information is it was less than 30 seconds, however that’s part of the ongoing investigation and the reconstruction that will have to take place.
Journalist: Can you also just [inaudible] and the collection of evidence, what are you doing in relation to that, is there I guess [inaudible], the actual car [inaudible].
Leanne Close: Sure, any of the CCTV cameras that are in place around Woden Station or in the vicinity of Woden in any of the other buildings; that footage will be collected by the investigators and form part of the investigation process.
Journalist: So you can’t tell us for what reason that car was being pursued?
Leanne Close: Not at this point no, because the investigators are still giving their statements.
Journalist: What about, there have been rumours of the person in the brown car having a weapon, can you say anything about that?
Leanne Close: I’ve got no information in relation to that at this point no.
Journalist: When do you think the investigation will be wound up?
Leanne Close: It will take several days for the investigators to analyse the crash scene, also to speak to all the witnesses involved in this.
Journalist: You don’t know if that was a male or female.
Leanne Close: It was a female in the other vehicle.
Journalist: In the brown car?
Leanne Close: Yes.
Journalist: Given that this has happened around a year after the death of Clea Rose, do you think it raises concerns about police pursuit guidelines?
Leanne Close: We always assess each accident in relation to when a police car is involved following that collision, this one will be no different. It is our Professional Standards unit that’s oversighting this investigation and we’ve also advised the Ombudsman’s office in relation to that.
Journalist: For those of us that don’t know, can you just outline what the guidelines are in terms of police pursuits.
Darryl Webb: we’ve got them available on the internet if you want to look them up.
Leanne Close: Yeah, they are very long.
Journalist: [inaudible] was the car stolen [inaudible].
Leanne Close: I don’t have any further details in relation to that part of the investigation at this point.
Journalist: During the Clea Rose investigation there was criticism that it wasn’t transparent enough, the investigation process, have you learnt from that investigation and will this one be perhaps more transparent?
Leanne Close: As I said we investigate every accident involving police vehicles, [inaudible] and analyse each one, and this investigation will be no different.
Journalist: Was the deceased from Canberra.
Leanne Close: I don’t have any information in relation to the deceased to be able to give you at this point.
Journalist: And what about the sorts of injuries the person in that car has sustained?
Leanne Close: We haven’t been given an update from Canberra Hospital at this point either.
Ends//