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NITV makes formal complaint against AFP

NITV reporter claims he was intimidated by police whilst filming a march in Canberra on ANZAC Day.

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NITV has called on the Federal Police to apologise and has made a formal complaint, alleging intimidation of one of its journalists on ANZAC Day.

ABC reports NITV News journalist Myles Morgan was filming a march by Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Canberra when a scuffle broke out between protesters and members of ACT Policing. One officer reportedly drew his taser.

Officers confronted Morgan demanding he hand over a copy of his vision as evidence but the footage recorded shows him telling police he has been intimidated.

“You’re shaking almost uncontrollably, are you OK?” said one sergeant.

“I’ve never seen someone’s face twitch like that, that’s all.”

 

During the discussion police can be seen questioning the news-value of the events and even his use of Commonwealth property, in the form of his camera.

“Is that a Commonwealth asset being used …for private purpose?” asked one officer. “That’s a bit of misuse of a Commonwealth asset.”

They maintained a police member had been assaulted and wanted a copy of his footage.

An ACT Policing spokeswoman told ABC a complaint had been received and it would be inappropriate to comment.

17 Responses

  3. Fact is both parties were both as arrogant as each other. The law requires you to provide name and address if u witness and oftence. I can’t see any fault with either party here.

    1. Yes you have to provide your details, but the police must clearly state why they want your details. Just a guess here as the first bit wasn’t shown, but everyone’s adrenaline was probably pumping and logical thought went out the window on both sides. But that said police should be better trained to deal with it. The first cop should have seen he was upsetting the jouranlist to start with and changed his approach. In my opinion the last sergeant should have kept his trap shut – he made it worse and most of what he said was irrelevant.

  4. The arrogance of all three of those AFP officers was disgusting. Considering they knew they were being filmed, they made absolute fools of themselves.

  5. Can Sergeant Juxaposition get a role on the great aussie spelling bee? 🙂 I am not sending him up; good for him for breaking the mould.

  6. The cops just started this whole thing off on the wrong foot. Asking to review the footage or asking for a copy is the normal way to go, with the media, not to say give us the footage.

    I can understanding the need to perhaps confirm you are a camera operator with NITV / SBS, but to stand there and tell him what is and isn’t news, is not your job.

    The fact they don’t even know what NITV is says a lot.

  7. “Intimation” on the home page abstract David. I agree that they probably didn’t know what NITV was. I presume the intimidation was related to the comment on Commonwealth property. The sort of point meant to put someone on the back-foot and worry them.

      1. Then it’s nigh on impossible to comment on surely. I admit I battled to understand sections of what was said but aside from my comment re the C/wealth property, I could not see anything else.

  8. What intimidation? The police may have been unprofessional joking about a reporter who got himself worked up in a tizz about nothing. There was an alleged scuffle so police are actually required to collect information (and not supplying it could be withholding evidence or obstruction). Since there was an assault the drawing of the taser looks fine within the rules of engagement.

    When police don’t ask for a copy of evidence but delete it to destroy evidence, or stop people filming, and when they threaten people with tasers for no reason just to throw their weight around, or taser people 17 times after they are already on the ground, that is a problem and happening far too often. This was nothing.

    1. @Pertinax. Do you really think there was nothing wrong with how the police behaved in that clip? It is intimidation and I’m glad a complaint has been made.

      Some police do themselves no favours, why would anyone want to cooperate with that bunch?

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