OVERVIEW CASE STUDY: KINGS CROSS SHOOTING
At 4am on Saturday 21st August 2012, police patrolling the main drag of the Kings Cross Nightclub precinct recognised the 14-year-old driver of a stolen car, who had been known to the police since he was eight. The car contained the driver and 5 passengers ranging in age from 13 to 24, all indigenous and living in Redfern. To avoid police, the 14 year old driver mounted the footpath and drove along it for 100m with police chasing on foot. Two pedestrians were struck, one of whom was dragged under
the car for 10 metres. The car than returned to the road and collided with a taxi. It is unclear whether the car was moving at this point but the police fired a number of shots into the vehicle in ‘an attempt to protect’ the trapped pedestrian. The 14 year old driver was shot in the chest and arm and a 17 year old passenger was shot in the neck. Footage has emerged apparently showing an officer dragging the passenger from the car and punching him in the face (https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=fUoy4LT0U0M).It was afterwards reported that Kings Cross police were ‘hyped’ and on high alert on Friday night, with 20 extra police officers rostered, in preparation of an anticipated outbreak of bickie-gang violence (SMH 2012).
Write a critical account, in essay format, of how this incident may have been prevented through the ONE of the following crime prevention strategies:
Social prevention methods (e.g. community crime prevention, developmental crime prevention etc.)
Preventative Policing (e.g. community policing, problem-oriented policing, hot spot policing etc.)
The essay should demonstrate why the chosen crime prevention strategy is the best one, as well as acknowledging any limitations of that particular approach. You are
encouraged to take stock of the publicity around this case and consider the different issues raised by the media, police and other political figures that might be
relevant to your chosen crime prevention strategy.
In the essay you are encouraged to use some media research AS WELL AS academic sources, government policy documents, statistics etc.
