In their darkest moments, too many Australians are being met with lethal force instead of love and care | Lorena Allam

"When police tasered and killed Clare Nowland a 95-year-old aged care resident with dementia after her nursing home called triple zero for help managing her behaviour, her family were devastated and the public were shocked. How could a frail and elderly woman on a walking frame, albeit grasping a steak knife, die in such a violent way? Nowland's death intensified calls to explore alternatives to police officers as first responders."

"She was one of at least five people who died in 2023 after interactions with New South Wales police, including gentle soul Steve Pampalian, shot in his driveway suffering a psychotic episode; beloved son Jesse Deacon, shot by police after a concerned neighbour called triple zero when seeing Jesse had self-harmed, and Newcastle mother Krista Kach who died after officers forced their way into her apartment after a nine-hour standoff and shot her with beanbag rounds."

"In May, Kumanjayi White, a 24-year-old disabled Warlpiri man from Yuendumu, died after being restrained by police in the Coles supermarket in Alice Springs. In April, Abdifatah Ahmed, a Somali refugee experiencing homelessness, in mental distress and allegedly brandishing a knife, was shot dead by Victorian police. In June, NSW police shot a 52-year-old man said to have been holding a knife, after a three-hour siege at a Elderslie caravan park. A neighbour called triple zero out of concern for the man's welfare."

Multiple fatal encounters between police and vulnerable people have intensified calls to replace police as first responders for mental-health and welfare crises. A 95-year-old aged-care resident with dementia, Clare Nowland, was tasered and killed after staff called triple zero while she held a steak knife. At least five people died in 2023 following interactions with New South Wales police, including Steve Pampalian, Jesse Deacon and Krista Kach. Additional recent cases include Kumanjayi White, Abdifatah Ahmed, and a 52-year-old man shot after a siege in Elderslie. Neighbours and carers repeatedly called triple zero out of concern for welfare before several fatal outcomes.

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