In May 2023, 95-year-old Clare Nowland, a resident of a nursing home in Cooma, New South Wales, was involved in an incident with police after reportedly holding a small kitchen knife. Senior Constable Kristian White responded and, despite her frailty—Clare weighed only 43 kilograms and used a walking frame—tasered her. The impact caused her to fall and sustain severe injuries, ultimately leading to her death. The incident sparked widespread public outrage and raised questions about police use of force, especially regarding vulnerable individuals. Constable White has since been charged with manslaughter.

This tragic incident is now at the center of public outrage and professional scrutiny and rightly so! As a former detective, I understand the pressures of decision-making in complex situations, but I also know that sound judgment and measured responses are the hallmarks of effective policing. In Clare Nowland’s case, this officer’s judgment was alarmingly off the mark. The entire incident and White’s actions is something I just can’t get my head around. In fact it angers me whenever the story is updated. To hear White’s words on the police body cam is even more alarming and provides a great insight as to his lack of substance and maturity.

The decision to use a Taser on someone as vulnerable as Clare is not only questionable but deeply concerning, reflecting a troubling gap in either training, judgment, or empathy — possibly all three. Officers are entrusted with the authority to use force only when absolutely necessary and appropriate to the level of threat. In Clare’s case, she was reportedly holding a small kitchen knife, which, while technically a weapon, posed a negligible threat given her age, frailty, and mobility issues. Any officer should have been able to assess that Clare, a 95-year-old woman with serious physical limitations, did not require a high level of force to be subdued.

The officer’s actions point to a worrying trend in some police responses: an over-reliance on tools of force when patience and measured physical intervention would suffice. Using a Taser, a device intended for situations where there is imminent danger to life, was both reckless and unnecessary. This is especially disheartening when the situation could have been safely managed through minimal physical restraint, a verbal approach, or simply creating a safe distance. My god! Even tossing a jacket at or over her would probably caused her to fall.

In a profession that demands both courage and discernment, this incident raises questions about the officer’s fitness for duty. Policing, at its core, is about making thoughtful, level-headed decisions under pressure. Officers are trained to assess the full context of each situation, including factors like the age, mental state, and physical capability of those involved. This officer’s inability or unwillingness to adjust his approach for Clare’s vulnerability betrays a failure in upholding these standards.

An essential part of policing is the responsibility to act with humanity and restraint, particularly when dealing with society’s most vulnerable members. This incident also shines a spotlight on broader systemic issues, including the importance of regular, rigorous training in de-escalation and the critical evaluation of officers’ judgment under non-lethal circumstances. Accountability in this case is crucial, not only for Clare’s family but to restore public trust in policing.

It is essential that this officer, and any officer who exhibits a similar lack of judgment, face the appropriate consequences. Clare Nowland’s tragic death should serve as a reminder that the role of a police officer is not simply to enforce the law but to protect all members of society, especially the vulnerable. Anything less is a betrayal of the badge and the public trust that comes with it.

Whilst it is always easy to dissect an officers split second decisions after the fact, this is not the case here. There was no immediate threat to those officers or anybody else at the time White chose to taser a frail 95 year old woman subsequently causing her death. Personally I believe he should suffer the consequences and hopefully that means doing time.

Clare Nowland was no threat!!

Eden Westbrook: The time for truth!