"Confronting" body cam footage shows a senior officer fired his Taser at a 95-year-old woman in an aged care facility as she was walking slowly using a walker while holding a knife, police say.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The status of the police officer who fired the weapon is now under review, as the woman involved remained in a critical condition in Cooma Hospital on Friday evening.
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb on Saturday said Mrs Nowland remained in a stable condition.
"But certainly the next few days will be critical and is likely to be very difficult for the family, and my condolences and thoughts are with the family," she said.
Mrs Nowland was receiving end-of-life care in Cooma District Hospital surrounded by her distraught family after being critically injured during the incident.
A family spokesperson said she suffered life-threatening head injuries, including a fractured skull and a brain bleed, when she fell during the altercation.
NSW Police assistant commissioner Peter Cotter said on Friday Ms Nowland was approaching police holding a steak knife, at a slow pace while using a walker, about 4am on Wednesday.
Ms Nowland, who has dementia, is 43kg and about 155cm tall and uses a walking frame.
The knife was reportedly taken from the kitchen at Yallambee Lodge, the southern NSW aged care home where she lived.
It is understood Ms Nowland was walking around the facility for a number of hours before police arrived and paramedics had been the only ones on the scene.
NSW Police said they attempted to speak to Ms Nowland to get her to drop the knife before a senior constable discharged his Taser causing the woman to fall and strike her head.
It is understood the police officer had 12 years of experience.
Mr Cotter said police had classified the investigation as a "level one critical incident", which has the criteria of "an injury that leads to death or imminent death, with exceptional circumstances to be attached".
"The homicide squad are involved and that is because of their independence ... but also their specialist skill set in dealing with complicated and complex legal matters that surround potentially coronial investigations as a result of homicide," he said.
Mr Cotter declined to say whether the officer might face criminal charges, saying it would breach procedural fairness.
"No officer, not one of us, is above the law and all our actions will be scrutinised robustly, from a criminal perspective as well as a departmental perspective."
Ms Nowland was treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics before she was taken to Cooma District Hospital, where she remains in a critical condition.
Body cam footage from the incident is "confronting", and won't be made public, Mr Cotter said.
Police guidelines say an officer can use a stun gun when violent resistance is occurring or imminent, or when an officer is in danger of being overpowered.
But the guidelines also list a range of situations where a Taser should not be used "unless exceptional circumstances exist".
These include using the weapon on an elderly or disabled subject, or on a subject of particularly small body mass.
Police initially described the incident as "an interaction" between officers and Ms Nowland, but NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb stressed the force understood the gravity of the situation.
NSW Greens MP Sue Higginson said the alleged actions of the police were "not that surprising ... if you look across a number of other recent incidences".
"You look at the NSW Police performance, and we do tend to have a pattern of rapid response that is escalating rather than deescalating," she said.
"I think the reason things like this continue to happen is because we have got police investigating police after instances like this, which is a really absurd concept.
"We're seeing dangerous police behaviour, and you've got to wonder who is instigating and orchestrating these programs.
"It's almost incomprehensible to imagine what was actually going through the police officer's mind at the time."
Ms Higginson said there are no circumstances where a Taser should be used on a person with dementia.
"No matter what, there are other tools and mechanisms. There are peaceful ways to disarm a 95-year-old woman with a knife whether she is wielding it or not," she said.
"There are a number of ways, and with the right training, we know you would be able to disarm a person, no matter how aggressive they are being. There are other strategies that could have been used, like shutting doors.
"There are absolutely no circumstances based on this scenario where this response was warranted."
Dementia Australia said it is devastated following the incident.
"While situations like this are rare, tragically this has highlighted the need for everyone working across healthcare industries to receive compulsory education about dementia to increase their understanding, knowledge and skills in dementia care," a statement said.
"This includes everyone working in the health, aged care and disability systems - including emergency services staff."
It also urged anyone experiencing distress as a result of this incident to contact the National Dementia Helpline service, available 24/7 on 1800 100 500 or at dementia.org.au.
NSW Police said they are working closely with the family.
The Snowy Monaro Regional Council, which runs Yallambee Lodge, said staff had followed procedure and support was being provided to them and residents.
READ MORE:
with AAP
Sara Garrity
Sara writes about general Canberra news. She has previously worked as the journalist at Allhomes, writing about property news through a Canberra lens. You can email story ideas or tips to Sara at sgarrity@austcommunitymedia.com.au.
Sara writes about general Canberra news. She has previously worked as the journalist at Allhomes, writing about property news through a Canberra lens. You can email story ideas or tips to Sara at sgarrity@austcommunitymedia.com.au.
