Police Shootings in Victoria, 1987-1989: You deserve to know the truth
By the families of Mark Militano, Jedd Houghton and Graeme Jensen and the Flemington/Kensington Community Legal Centre
Paperback, 116 pp. $10
Reviewed by Alex Cooper
Between 1987 and 1989, 11 people were shot dead by members of the Victoria Police. This book, just published by the Fitzroy Legal Service, shows that in at least eight of these cases, the police justification of "self-defence" is suspect. The book is written from the point of view of the families of three of the deceased.
Included are some of the many things left out of the official police statements. So a picture about these killings emerges different from the one painted by the police and mass media.
Police Shootings brings into the open the horror faced by the families of the deceased. The book exposes the death threats, the raids, the assaults and the horror of finding out that your son has been killed by the police on the six o'clock TV news and then having the police turn up at the funeral to take photos of "suspects".
The blatant disregard for human life by some police officers is shown in the killing of Graeme Jensen in a crowded car park. When told that one of the bullets fired at Jensen had narrowly missed a two-year-old girl, the officer in charge of the operation said that, even had he known she was there, he would have followed the same course of action.
The book describes the methods used to "arrest" Mark Militano, Gary Abdallah and Jedd Houghton. Mark Militano was shot dead on March 22, 1987, by police who said he had shot at them. However, other witnesses to the shooting say he didn't. Jedd Houghton was shot by members of the Special Operations Group in a caravan park in Bendigo on November 17, 1988, while his girlfriend was tied up and hooded.
Hearing rumours that his name was on the hit list after Jedd Houghton's killing, Gary Abdallah sought, and was given by police, an assurance that such was not the case. Despite this on April 9, 1989, he became the 11th person in two years to die at the hands of the police — again under questionable circumstances.
On bail at the time, Abdallah had to report three times a week to the Coburg police station. Despite this, no attempt was made to arrest him even though he was wanted in connection with the Walsh St killings of two policemen. When he was finally arrested, he was driven back to his flat in Carlton, where the police allege they shot him after he pulled an imitation pistol on them.
This book is a must for all people concerned with civil liberties. Police Shootings is available from Fitzroy Legal Centre, 181 Brunswick St, Fitzroy, or the Flemington/Kensington Community Legal Centre at a cost of $10 or can be ordered through the mail for $2 s, send cheque or money order to Fitzroy Legal Service, PO Box 297, Fitzroy Vic 3065.