Australian police pepper-spray 10-year-old girl armed with scissors

[Judi Lynn]

Australian police pepper-spray 10-year-old girl armed with scissors

SYDNEY, June 15, 2006
(AFP) - Australian police faced criticism Thursday for using pepper spray to subdue a 10-year-old Aboriginal girl who was allegedly threatening teachers and classmates with a pair of scissors and a brick.

West Australian Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan said officers had used the spray to avoid wrestling the girl to the ground.

"Apparently the child was very aggressive, they were concerned for the child's personal welfare and for the welfare of other people in the vicinity," O'Callaghan told the Australian Associated Press.

"If you went in there and physically wrestled with the child she could have been bruised or got a broken bone," he added. "This resolved the situation very quickly with no residual damage to the child."
(snip/...)

http://www.politicalgateway.com/news/read/19196

[Kutjara]

1. Assuming everything the cops say is true...

...would they have done it to a middle-class white child?

Didn't think so.

[michreject]

2. I disagree

The police would have did it to anyone who threatened them in any way. Even their own mother.

[Kutjara]

3. Good point, they would do it to anyone...

...who isn't paying their salary.

[shadowknows69]

4. I'd rather have them do this

than taser the girl. which is apparently what we're too quick to do in this country(US). still a couple policemen should be able to subdue a 10 year old with a weapon.

[Kailassa]

5. And there are 2 advertisements on the forum page here`

for pepper spray ....

They must think we all need protection against these scissor and brick-toting littlies.

Btw, It is part of the police culture here in Australia to treat different sections of society differently. The police used to be given a booklet explaining how to differentiate between different classes, and how to treat them. These days it's just quietly understood.

Ten years back I was in a shopping centre, and was stopped by four armed police who immediately surrounded me, and all aimed their guns at me. They screamed at me, wanting to know if I was armed, and, utterly brainless from the shock, I waved my arms in the air and said, "Of course I'm armed. See, I have two of them."

I promise you, if I was not a well dressed white speaking to them in an upper-class accent, I'd have been mince-meat on that pavement.

There is a long story about why that incident happened, it was not random, just completely unexpected.
And, of course, I had not broken any laws or done anything to deserve it.