Chief commissioner says Victoria Police were “doing their job” in Hares & Hyenas raid
Victoria Police’s Chief Commissioner has spoken out about the mistaken raid at Hares & Hyenas, calling the incident “very regrettable” but saying that the police were “doing their job”.
In a radio interview with 3AW, Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton defended the officers who broke Nik Dimopoulos’ arm during the botched raid.
“They came across these premises and were of the belief the offender was in the premises and they’ve gone in on that basis,” he told 3AW.
“That’s them doing their job, and it’s very regrettable its been the home of this chap, and it’s very regrettable that he’s injured.”
Earlier this month, police mistakenly raided the apartment attached to popular Fitzroy LGBTI bookstore and performance space Hares & Hyenas in the early hours of Saturday morning, hospitalising Dimopoulos.
The raid occurred around 2am, with armed officers allegedly failing to identify themselves as they looked for a suspected carjacker.
“They just stormed into a dark room shining torches and it was impossible to identify them as police,” said bookstore staff member Crusader Hillis in a Facebook post.
“Nik Dimopoulos, thinking that it was an anti-gay home invasion, rushed out the door, downstairs and onto the street where he was forcefully detained.
“At no time did the police when they were chasing him say ‘stop, police’ as you would expect.
“He had his hands tethered behind his back way beyond what can be endured, and then they had no implement to remove them even after an ambulance had been called.
“He could only see boots and rifles and was assuming he was going to be bashed or shot.
“He said he thought he was about to be killed.”
The Independent broad-based anti-corruption commission will investigate the raid.
I don’t think we should let this unfortunate incident colour how we perceive and interact with the police in general. My own experience of the bad old days should have me not accepting any of the remarkable changes within the police force that have happened over the past few decades since the inception of the LGBTIQ Gay & Lesbian plus police officers.
However my attitudes like those of many within the police force have changed. Having worked with the police in my work practice in sexual health and HIV, I’ve seen and interacted with police who are LGBTIQ who work together with non-LGBTIQ police to help change those century old attitudes.
Think back to Sydney’s Mardi Gras and our own very popular Pride March and watch the reaction of (most) of the peeps who assemble to march and those cheering them on.
I respectively disagree with the view that all police forces around the country are homophobic. Some of the old guard most certainly but by no means all, especially those recruited in the past couple of decades.
Perhaps we should be asking why an” innocent man” runs away from police doing their job?
Are you kidding me?? It’s factual that the police raided the incorrect property and a terrified gay man ran out of his house onto the street thinking they were the victims of a home invasion. The police even state that the innocent man, Nik, was doing nothing wrong.
What on earth makes you think that it’s at all appropriate to put the word ‘innocent’ in quotations??
Let’s hope you never have to experience being gay bashed or having a group of people bash you in a home invasion whilst your asleep!
Of course the Police Commissioner will claim that the now discredited Victorian Police were doing their job. The Victorian Police, like all Australia Police Forces are hugely homophobic. They still think that just being homosexual is a crime.. The Victorian Police hierarchy condone homophobic attitudes by Senior Victorian Police as was reported last week.
Oh, yes, they chatter endlessly as to how they accept, tolerate members of the GLBTIQ Community within their ranks but that is just chatter – the sort of chatter we have been accustomed to for decades.
The Police Commissioner should resign.
Sounds like the Vic Police would regard this as an outstanding success. They show no remorse for this home invasion and very violent assault.
The message is crystal clear, ‘no-one is safe from us ‘.
Only in Victoria!
Seems that the Tactical Response Group never did hang up their battering rams. How is injuring someone reasonable force.
The police would have known by the time he was tackled that he he unarmed, plus he was considerably outnumbered.
Let’s hope we never reach the stage of Missouri Police where officers shoot when they see a blonde woman approaching their vehicle wearing pyjamas.
If the Police Commissioner regrets that it’s a part of an officers job to injure an innocent person, perhaps the Police Commissioner can do something to prevent it from happening?