The Year 9/10 ‘Issues in Law’ elective students have been investigating the law and legal processes and were keen to learn about what happens when you break the law so we invited Senior Constable, Tony McLachlan from the Port Campbell Police Station, into the classroom to answer their questions. Tony, originally a welder and dairy farmer, has been in the police force for 12 years, joining when he was 40 and described the broad range of duties and roles involved in policing. As a regional policeman he is often first on scene with incidents ranging from traffic accidents, missing persons, assaults, domestic violence, murders, suicide prevention, welfare checks, general emergency incidents or stolen goods. A primary role is to lock down scenes when necessary to preserve evidence or try to obtain or establish someone’s ID which can at times be obtained during an interview at a police station. Tony described prosecution scenarios in a range of offences ranging from a caution to summary, indictable or criminal offences. He explained that a caution can be issued if someone is under 18, has no priors and has committed a minor, non indictable offence, admitted their wrongdoing or sought to rectify it as 80% of people have some sort of police engagement but only 5% have ongoing police interaction. Students examined Tony’s bullet proof vest, handcuffs, baton, body cam and spray before he showed them how the police car was set up with radar, lights, beacons, rescue gear, breath testing apparatus and other police / emergency equipment. When asked for a final piece of advice for students when dealing with police, he advised them to be upfront and honest as everyone makes mistakes. Thanks for your time Tony, a great session. Comments are closed.
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April 2024
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