1. Ugly Mawson shooter sought:
- ACT Policing has released a facefit of a man who they believe played a central role in the brazen daylight shooting and robbery of a security guard outside the Mawson club in May 2004.
The release of facefit comes after detectives investigating Operation Galvanic received new information indicating the man may have been one of the two main offenders involved in the incident.
About 3.45pm on 10 May 2004, two security guards were transferring cash bags from the Mawson Club in Heard Street to their armoured vehicle when they were confronted by two men, one armed with a shot-gun. During the incident, one security officer, a 56-year-old man at the time, was shot in the upper body. He was transported to The Canberra Hospital suffering pellet wounds to his face, chest and abdomen. Due to the seriousness of injuries police continue to treat the incident as an attempted murder.
The two offenders stole an undisclosed sum of money during the armed hold-up and escaped in a silver hatchback which was driven north on Heard Street and then east on Mawson Drive.
The release of the new facefit comes as ACT Policing continues its investigations into a series of robberies at clubs across Canberra over the past few months. Detectives examining these recent robberies have now expanded the scope of their investigations to include cold cases such as the Mawson shooting and robbery under the new task force dubbed Operation Tondo.
The male depicted is described as approximately 185cm (6’1”) tall, with a thin build, brown hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion.
Police are again appealing to the public for anyone who may witnessed the robbery and attempted murder on 10 May, 2004 or know the identity of the male depicted to contact Crime Stoppers.
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- ACT Policing lost approximately 600 work hours in the period between 1 January and 30 June this year due to hoax, nuisance or inappropriate telephone calls made to Police Operations.
Of the 15,700 calls made to the triple zero emergency service during this period, 60% (9,400) were identified as a hoax or an inappropriate use of the service, and ACT Policing Superintendent Operations Chris Sheehan says this reduces ACT Policing’s capacity to respond to genuine incidents in a timely manner.
“These calls occupy emergency service lines unnecessarily and have the potential to delay a genuine call for emergency assistance being answered. This can obviously have dire consequences,” Superintendent Sheehan said.
“Nuisance or hoax phone calls may also lead to emergency responses being activated, such as urgent duty driving, creating an unnecessary risk for police, emergency services members and the general public,” he said.
“This is something that is taken very seriously by police, and as recently as last night a 16-year-old male was apprehended and subsequently charged with causing public mischief in relation to alleged hoax calls made to triple zero.”
Supt Sheehan says the triple zero emergency number is there to ensure that emergency service resources are able to respond to urgent requests for assistance as a priority, and should only be used for life threatening or emergency situations.
“Incorrect or inappropriate use of the triple zero service may delay a police response to a real life and death situation. If members of the public wish to report a crime or a non life threatening incident, they can contact ACT Policing assistance line on 131 444,” Supt Sheehan said.
“Alternatively, if people have information about illegal activity or suspect offenders, they can contact Crime Stoppers.
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- The number of drink-drivers apprehended during July has continued at the same rate as the preceding month, despite the highly visible campaigns and efforts by ACT Policing.
“A total of 117 drivers were apprehended for drink-driving offences during July, the same as in June,” ACT Policing’s Supt Mark Colbran said.
“This result, coming after such a concerted effort by police and road safety agencies during July to alert the public to the dangers associated with drink-driving, shows that we need ramp up our awareness and enforcement even more.”
The ACT recorded its highest-ever number of drink-drive apprehensions during the 2008-09 reporting year: 1789.
This was an increase of 203 over the previous corresponding period (2007-08), and 404 more than in 2006-07.
Supt Colbran warned the Canberra community to expect a combination of targeted and random breath testing by police in the weeks ahead.
“The drink-driving problem in the ACT has to be tackled in different ways for different audiences; that’s why we have introduced the ‘Real Decisions, Real Consequences’ program for young drivers in senior schools and colleges,” Supt Colbran said.
“But as is the case with some recent apprehensions, unfortunately some people in the community ignore the messages. That’s why enforcement is an important component of our anti-drink drive effort.”
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If you can help police, contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or via the Crime Stoppers website on www.act.crimestoppers.com.au.
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