http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/police-the-true-story-of-the-lindt-sie...remember there is always two sides...
In the early hours of December 15, fourteen serving NSW Police officers called their loved ones and said their goodbyes.
They were preparing to storm the Lindt Cafe where a mentally ill criminal, Man Haron Monis, out on bail had been holed up with four of the 18 hostages he had taken 16 hours earlier. They had been advised there was a bomb that the hostage-taker would likely detonate. Entire city blocks had been cleared with this expectation.
Under established anti-terror protocols, it was time to bring the crisis to a head. What followed over the next few minutes would see one of the hostages shot by Man Monis, triggering an Emergency Action that led to another tragic fatality and the death of the gunman.
For those who stormed the cafe — and the hundreds of officers who supported them that day — there would be no peace once the guns went silent. Instead they have been subjected to a two-year ordeal by a coronial inquest driven by lawyers who were hellbent on turning the inquiry into a public witch-hunt.
Katrina Dawson died during the siege.
Tori Johnson was executed by Monis.
I’ve had over 30 years policing experience and have been a police negotiator for the last two decades. I’ve worked on sieges where kids have been kidnapped by their parents, stand-offs where a mentally ill person has locked themselves away with high-powered firearms. I’ve had to talk mentally unstable individuals down from the abyss.
In those decades I’ve learnt that successful siege negotiations take time, they take empathy, they take courage. I’ve learnt to read the moments where a hostage taker can be engaged and when they can be pushed over the edge. I know what good policing looks like and I know that when confronted with disturbed people in stressful situations how important it is to stick to the well practised procedures.
In NSW we have developed a world-regarded system of dealing with sieges where the negotiators work hand-in-hand with tactical police to attempt to secure a peaceful resolution. The policy of contain and negotiate is what NSW Police are required to adhere to and for the most part it works well ensuring the safety of all involved.
For those who stormed the cafe — and the hundreds of officers who supported them that day — there would be no peace once the guns went silent
At the centre of this approach are a series of guidelines that dictate when to intervene through a Deliberate Action (DA) order and when to sit tight and only intervene when the situation escalates to such an extent that an Emergency Action (EA) trigger is reached.
Every siege is a judgment around whether to escalate or not, everyone involved should have the benefit of a debrief where the levels of escalation are reviewed to allow us to learn and improve. It is inexact but it is a science — and it is a science that saves lives. I am proud to say that NSW Police do it better than most other jurisdictions in the world. The training, protocols and expertise of the NSW Police Negotiators has been exported, implemented and used by numerous western countries around the world.
I am also an Executive member of the Police Association of NSW where I represent the interests of my members every day. Having watched this Coronial Inquest unfold I just can’t sit back and let what’s been allowed to happen within the courtroom go unchallenged.
In putting this post together, I have spoken to many of my colleagues who were in the field that day. Some of them were called to give evidence by the Coroner, others didn’t seem to have anything the Coroner wanted to hear.
But, within the limits of what can be legally disclosed, I believe these officers deserve to have their story told before the history of the Lindt cafe siege is written as a story of a botched police operation. The reality is that nothing could be further from the truth.
The Police
The morning of December 15 was to be the second day on the street for nearly 20 probationary constables from Sydney Central. That was the day when they get allocated their lockers, receive induction briefings, meet their education officer.
Only days earlier they swore their oath of office,….that I will well and truly serve our Sovereign Lady the Queen as a police officer without favour or affection, malice or ill-will until I am legally discharged, that I will cause Her Majesty’s peace to be kept and preserved, and that I will prevent to the best of my power all offences against that peace, and that while I continue to be a police officer I will to the best of my skill and knowledge discharge all my duties faithfully according to law. So help me God. “
As these new recruits were being briefed a highway patrol cyclist rode into Martin Place as news was breaking of a disturbance in the Lindt Café. The first officer on the scene, went to the window to get as much information as possible via non-verbal communications with the hostages.
Hostage Elly Chen runs into the arms of police. Picture: Adam Taylor
That officer stayed at the window putting himself at risk to understand what was happening. No body armour and with only a Glock he placed himself at extraordinary risk to obtain first hand intelligence for the operation to come. Such was his commitment to protect the lives of the hostages he had to be directed to by