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BALLINA POLICE DEALING
WITH YOUTHS |
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 UPDATED
On Friday 17 April 2015 at 22:35, a police unit with the call sign
Richmond 186 called police radio asking for assistance at a
skatepark. They requested a police truck indicating they had someone
in custody requiring transport.
Some commotion could be heard
in the background but the situation was not made clear.
Richmond 186 is a specialist unit often used in the Richmond Local
Area Command. They usually comprise two officers, drive an unmarked
vehicle and wear plain clothes. This was the situation during this
incident.
Police looking
to assist sought clarification as to which skatepark between
Goonellabah or Lismore but police radio could not make contact with
Richmond 186 again for some time to confirm.
Lismore police headed to
both skateparks to look for them. A Ballina vehicle advised they
thought they might be at the Ballina skatepark on Kingsford Smith
Drive so they headed to that location. |
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 The
Lismore skatepark was cleared a short time later at the same time a
couple of police vehicles approached the Ballina skatepark. Contact
had still not been made with Richmond 186.
Backup finally
located Richmond 186 at Ballina skatepark with a number of police
vehicles going
off at the location to assist.
Police arriving advised
police radio that Richmond 186 were dealing with six persons and
they were going to assist them with searches. A few more police vehicles
also arrived at the location.
Considerable information has
been coming in throughout the day about what has transpired and a
number of enquiries are being made in relation to that information.
At this stage, it appears all the persons involved were
under 18.
One male involved was reportedly on a bond and was the
person
arrested and transported to the station. He has since reportedly
been placed on a curfew from 8pm to 8am.
At least five other
males were also at the location.
Police advised
they were transporting one male and moving the rest of the group on
at 22:52. No adverse incidents were actually reported by police over police
radio.
Initial enquiries indicate there was
some commotion but no further arrests followed and no charges have
been laid at the time of writing this.
It has been confirmed
that police have confiscated a number of
mobile phones from the youths involved in the incident which are yet to be returned.
It appears police are seeking evidence that may be contained
in recordings that were made using those phones that evening.
Another mobile phone, which police overlooked that evening when
searching the youths, also recorded part of the incident which has
been provided to North Coast Crime.
The images appearing in
this report are still shots taken from the recording provided. The
complete recording as received has been made available unedited. It
contains offensive language so discretion is advised.
Further
information will be released once enquiries are complete.
Published 20April 2015
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*** EXTREME LANGUAGE WARNING ***
*** VIDEO LINK 01 *** |
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NEW VIDEO FOOTAGE AVAILABLE
Further
information and additional footage has been received with regards to
what transpired on Friday 17 April 2015 at the Ballina skatepark
between police and a group of underage males.
Minimal
information has been forthcoming from police other than to say
considerable notes were taken about a chain of events justifying
their actions in handling one young person as they did and taking a
number of mobile phones.
Information from others at the scene indicates two males in plain
clothes approached a group of young people in the Missingham Bridge
Ampitheatre near the skatepark. They asked about drugs but the young
people did not have any.
The two males did say they were
police as they grabbed one young person in a headlock and an arm
lock forcing him towards an unmarked vehicle. The young person can
be heard asking for identification on the videos provided as others
try to get the two males to ease up on him. The underage young
person was reportedly searched by these two males who were yet to
show their identification.
The information received also
indicates the two males, then assisted by a number of police
officers in uniform arriving a short later, demanded a number of
young people hand over not only their mobile phones but also their
passcodes to access them.
No drugs or alcohol or anything
else adverse was reportedly found by police attending the location.
The young person was still arrested and transported to the
police station where he was reportedly charged with offensive
language, resisting arrest and for drinking in a public place.
Even though no alcohol was reportedly found, if it was the
penalty is only a small fine or court election and the alcohol is
confiscated and not returned. There is no penalty warranting being
placed in a headlock and arm lock, dragged to a police vehicle,
arrested, searched and having your private mobile phone or those of
your friends taken by police for a number of days without a warrant.
The second complete recording as received has been made
available with only the brightness being turned right up in an
attempt to make it more viewable. It contains offensive language so
discretion is advised.
Further information will be released
as received.
Published 23April 2015 |
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*** EXTREME LANGUAGE WARNING ***
*** VIDEO LINK 02 *** |
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