Source: NZ Police Association
The New Zealand Police Association rejects most of the coroner’s findings into the 2016 death of Shargin Stephens in Rotorua.
The entire process has been shambolic, with multiple coroners involved over more than nine years, Police Association president Chris Cahill says.
“The ruling of Coroner Michael Robb, released this morning, shows a complete lack of understanding of how both the human mind and memory work in volatile situations, and the level of risk an offender such as Mr Stephens presents,” Mr Cahill says.
“It is well established that if you have multiple witnesses to an event, there will be multiple differing accounts of that event. The prolonged nature of this coronial process has only amplified the existence of differing accounts.”
Mr Cahill says the coroner’s criticism of Officer L05’s recall of events fails to acknowledge that in critical, dangerous situations people under threat see only the direct threat posed, not what is around or behind them.
“It is common for witnesses in such situations to later attempt to account for the facts brought to their attention despite not being aware of them at the time. We are concerned today’s report has not taken this into consideration,” he says.
“Given the veracity of research into dealing with scenarios such as that in Rotorua in July 2016, it would seem vital that coroners were skilled in the science when they preside over such critical reviews.”
Mr Cahill also questions the inference that junior officers should not have access to M4 rifles.
“This shows an absolute lack of understanding of the risks regularly presented to the public – risks that officers are required to respond to in protection of their communities.”
Mr Stephens presented a very real and imminent threat to officers and members of the public, Mr Cahill says, and less-lethal options had failed to remove that threat.
“The association believes Officer L05 was justified in taking the actions he did. Looking through a distorted lens nine years later cannot change that fact.”
