Officer’s job under review, homicide squad called in, as advocates call out police handling of 95yo tasering

May 20th, 2023

Awake Goy

Clare Nowland was at Yallambee Lodge in Cooma when staff called NSW Police to the facility

An advocacy group representing people with disabilities has criticised a senior constable for his use of a taser on a 95-year-old woman with dementia at her Cooma aged care facility.

Key points:

A NSW Police critical incident investigation will be independently reviewed
People with Disability Australia said the situation should have been de-escalated by police
The woman’s family has declined to comment

Great-grandmother Clare Nowland is in a critical condition at Cooma Base Hospital after the incident at the Yallambee Lodge, where she was tasered by police and fell to the ground, hitting her head.

A senior constable, who now has his duty status under review, discharged his taser on Ms Nowland after they were called to the lodge by staff, who believed the 95-year-old was carrying a knife.

NSW Police have confirmed the state’s homicide squad will be investigating the incident.

Clare Nowland remains in a critical condition at Cooma Base Hospital

“She’s either one hell of an agile, fit, fast and intimidating 95-year-old woman, or there’s a very poor lack of judgement on those police officers and there really needs to be some accountability on their side,” Ms Lee said.

“This woman, an older woman of 95, she needed somebody to de-escalate the situation with her and to talk to her, and to handle her with compassion and time and not tasers.”

She said the use of force by police against people with disabilities was all too common.

“Clearly, there’s not enough training for police around de-escalation tactics for people with psychosis or Alzheimer’s or dementia, for people living with psychosocial disability, autism, or schizophrenia, or anything like that,” Ms Lee said.

Yallambee Lodge in Cooma is run by the Snowy Monaro Regional Council, which has declined to comment.

Ms Lee said the aged-care sector should also do more to manage incidents involving people with dementia without using force.

“The fact that they’ve gone to police shows that there’s a failure of protocols somewhere along the way, or a lack of resources or understanding on their behalf on the service’s behalf on how to handle this situation.”

NSW Police commissioner Karen Webb said the investigation will be subject to an independent review.

“My thoughts are with the family at this difficult time,” she said.

“I understand and share the community concerns and assure you that we are treating this matter with the utmost seriousness.”

Ms Lee said the incident demonstrated a lack of training in how to de-escalate a situation

NSW Seniors Rights Service spokesperson Margaret Crothers said it was hard to comment on the case without more detail, but added the situation did not demonstrate normal practice in aged care.

“It must raise concerns, no one wants their grandmother or their mother tasered.

“Everyone is concerned about the use of restraint and certainly the use of force from either police or staff and it’s just something that everyone is mindful of in aged care.”

There would had to have been an assessment as to the danger to the older woman herself and for the other residents and the staff, she said.