A white-hot piece of 3mm-wide shrapnel exploded out of a revolver
just four metres away from Constable William Truesdale as he undertook
IMOST firearm training at Echunga on June 1.
The shrapnel – from a standard-issue Smith and Wesson model 66 revolver
– struck Truesdale on the side of his neck. And, according to witnesses,
it had ricocheted onto his skin after first striking his earmuff.
Only moments later, another piece of shrapnel – from a different
revolver of the same model – struck Truesdale between the thumb and
forefinger of his left hand.
The two dangerous incidents occurred despite the controlled, supervised
environment, and the standard-issue safety gear – boots, goggles and
earmuffs – Const Truesdale wore.
“How can one of our
members be struck not once, but twice, with two different guns in
one training session, and still nothing be done?” asked Police Association
assistant secretary, Tom Scheffler. “How bad do the injuries have
to get? Does someone need to lose an eye for these guns to be replaced?”
The Truesdale incident comes after several others involving SAPOL’s
ageing Smith and Wesson revolvers. The Police Association has continued
to receive reports of members injured from shrapnel, but the issue
remains unresolved.
SAPOL was first alerted to the potential danger two years ago. Nonetheless,
it is still “...using the Smith and Wesson...revolvers and will continue
to do so in the foreseeable future”, according to a letter from Assistant
Commissioner Graham Barton to PASA secretary, Andy Dunn, last February.
As well as making no attempt to discard the deteriorating firearms
– in favour of a more suitable weapon – SAPOL has taken delivery last
May of a new shipment of the revolvers.
Asst Commissioner Barton asserts that “...the likelihood of splatter
should be significantly reduced” through extra servicing of current
revolvers, and “…the enforcement of firing range guidelines.”
“Our members don’t want the risks reduced, they want the risks eliminated,”
said a clearly frustrated Mr Scheffler. “The revolvers are outdated,
inadequate and dangerous.”
The South Australia and Victoria police forces remain the only two
that continue to use the Smith and Wesson revolvers. Despite the growing
list of injuries to members, and persistent calls from PASA to upgrade
the weapons, SAPOL insists they “...are within factory specifications”.
But Mr Scheffler said that, by persisting with the current revolver,
SAPOL had “failed to meet its employer obligation to take every precaution
reasonable for the protection of the worker.”
“Given that there is better technology available, this is just not
on,” he said.
Experts say the semi-automatic Glock pistol, used by interstate and
overseas police forces, comes with better technology, and is safer
and more powerful. Preferred by police who use it, the Glock:
- Has superior grip and handling.
- Is much lighter and more comfortable to carry.
- Shoots 13 rounds as opposed to the revolver’s six.
- Has enhanced accuracy.
- Is easy to assemble and disassemble.
According to estimations, the purchase of, and training with, new
firearms would cost around $3.9 million over three years.
Revolvers
still pose shrapnel-injury threat