Latest news with #ColBlanch
West Australian
21-05-2025
- West Australian
Police Commissioner Col Blanch concerned as assaults on officers reaches an ‘alarming' two decade high
The West Australian exclusive Police Commissioner Col Blanch concerned as assaults on officers reaches an 'alarming' two decade high
ABC News
02-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch talks down severity of gaps in domestic violence offender GPS monitoring
WA's police commissioner has deflected blame for gaps in the monitoring of the most serious domestic violence offenders, saying he would put them "all behind bars" if it were up to him. WA Labor's flagship family and domestic violence laws mandated electronic bracelets for some serious, repeat perpetrators – but issues relating to the GPS tracking devices meant at least three offenders have been released on bail without them. The laws were designed to add an extra layer of security for victims, with the former attorney-general at the time saying the GPS monitoring would only be lifted in "exceptional circumstances" against a "very high threshold". But last month it was The state government pinned the blame on mobile phone black spots and "technical limitations" while saying the courts and Department of Justice (DOJ) needed time to acclimatise to the new rules. Commissioner faces questions Questioned about the tracking issues on Friday, WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch shifted the focus to the courts. Col Blanch speaks to ABC Radio Perth about the GPS tracking of serious and repeat FDV offenders. ( ABC News: Jake Sturmer ) "The entire conversation has been missed. If someone is carrying too much risk to be in a community, police have vigorously opposed bail at court," he told ABC Radio Perth. "The conversation needs to go back to … 'why is the court bailing high-risk people?' "I don't support high-risk people in our community … sex offenders or family violence offenders, they should be behind bars when there is a risk posed. "If an electronic monitor is taken off someone and they pose an immediate risk, they're probably too high risk for us, but that is a decision for the courts, not police." The commissioner's stance mirrors comments made by WA Premier Roger Cook in the wake of the revelations about issues with GPS tracking outside of Perth. "Quite frankly, if the courts cannot make an arrangement whereby an accused serial domestic violence offender cannot be properly monitored, they need to be put behind bars," he said on April 15. 'Just technical stuff' Documents seen by the ABC have revealed Photo shows Man in suit behind podium and microphone talking. A letter has revealed just how the implementation of WA's domestic violence strategy targeting repeat offenders went so badly wrong. It included a letter from Corrective Services Commissioner Brad Royce to the police commissioner stating the DOJ "will not recommend or support" GPS tracking outside of Perth. Commissioner Blanch said the issue boiled down to "administrative issues with the technology". "We need to fix the machine, there's something wrong, it's not charging properly, needs a better battery, whatever. Just technical stuff," he said. "Because of the increase in volume [of FDV offenders being required to wear the bracelets] and because of the increase in technical faults, albeit small, they've said 'we're struggling to get people into regional areas at times to fix these small technical faults'." "If there's a deliberate breach by the offender, police are rolling 24/7, we are out —we're capturing these people who breach. "But if there's something wrong from an IT perspective or administrative function that needs fixing, sometimes staff are not available after hours from Department of Corrections to do that, and Corrections saw that as a risk." Corrective Services Minister Paul Papalia said on Thursday there had been updated advice from the corrective services commissioner to the courts asking for "additional conditions" to be considered outside of GPS tracking. In the letter, which the minister provided to the ABC, Commissioner Royce stated electronic monitoring was only suitable for accused offenders who were eligible for bail in any case. Loading
The Independent
11-03-2025
- The Independent
Surfer feared dead in shark attack after board with bite marks retrieved
A missing surfer is feared dead after he was attacked by a shark at one of Australia's most popular surfing spots, police said on Tuesday. The 30-year-old man from Melbourne was seen in distress at the remote Wharton Beach in Western Australia on Monday. Witnesses heard screams before the surfer vanished following a shark attack. His surfing board, showing evidence of bite marks, was retrieved from the water later but his body remained missing. 'The family has been notified," Western Australia police commissioner Col Blanch told Perth radio station 6PR. 'I suspect it will be a recovery of a body if we can find it.' He added that drone footage shot by a witness showed a shark swimming away from a cloud of blood close to the shoreline. The family of the missing surfer, who wasn't identified, said they did not expect him to be found. The man was travelling with his girlfriend when the incident took place. The couple had planned to meet his family in Western Australia later in the week. Police said emergency services were called to Wharton Beach at around 12.10pm local time on Monday following reports of a possible shark attack. "There were screams,' beachgoer Joscelin Boissieux said, adding that the surfer's partner could only watch in horror. 'There were people saying like 'get out', everything. It was a very panicked moment," she told 9News. She said the witnesses scrambled to get out of the water as the surfboard floated meters from the shore. 'The water next to it was dark, with a shark's fin circling around,' Ms Boissieux recalled. The beach was shut, with signage at the entrance warning visitors of a shark in the area, as police, Marine Rescue and State Emergency Service personnel launched a search operation. The surfer's suspected death would be the fourth in a shark attack in the area since 2017. Two of the attacks reportedly involved great white sharks. The death of two local people in shark attacks in 2020 had rocked the coastal community. Shark attacks are rare in Australia with 255 fatal bites recorded since 1791 in the country of 27 million, according to the Australian Shark Incident Database.
