Campbell Newman stands by criticism of police response to woman killed by bus
A woman was hit and killed by a bus in the Brisbane CBD on Tuesday morning. Photo: ABC
Former Queensland premier Campbell Newman is standing by a series of tweets he made about police “creating total and utter chaos” around the Brisbane CBD when responding to a pedestrian hit and killed by a bus this morning.
A woman was crossing Ann Street near the intersection of Wharf Street just before 7am when she was struck by a bus.
She died at the scene.
Police closed the intersection for hours and asked motorists to avoid the area.
In response, Mr Newman shot out a series of tweets, saying police could have handled the situation better to minimise traffic disruptions:
There must be a better way for the Qld Police to deal with a tragic pedestrian death than to shut down the entire northern side of Brisbane and create total and utter chaos extending more than 5 km from the CBD.
— Campbell Newman (@CampbellNewman) May 21, 2018
And for those of you who don't agree, what about the surgeons and doctors who didn't get to the hospitals on time, the cancer patients who were heading for treatment, the kids who had exams, the people who missed job interviews etc. etc. ? https://t.co/dCPec2CVg0
— Campbell Newman (@CampbellNewman) May 22, 2018
Gee. What would they say if someone had died in the back of an ambulance this morning that had been injured in an incident elsewhere but couldn't get to the RBH in time due to the traffic? Let's stick to the point rather than name calling and invective https://t.co/5EK5HOBMau
— Campbell Newman (@CampbellNewman) May 22, 2018
They were quick to attract criticism.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said Mr Newman’s criticism was uncalled for.
“Someone has lost their life, a family will be grieving tonight and I think it’s very sad to hear that Campbell Newman has come out and criticised police,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
“The police have to undertake an investigation as quickly as they can where that event occurred.”
Queensland Police Minister Mark Ryan said police took appropriate action at the scene.
“I must say that I was appalled by comments made by former premier and former Brisbane lord mayor Campbell Newman about the police management of traffic while they were taking the necessary steps to investigate and respond to this morning’s tragedy,” Mr Ryan said.
Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington also voiced her disappointment at the comments made by her party’s former leader.
My thoughts are with the family of the woman tragically killed in Brisbane CBD today and the first responders who tried so valiantly to save her. I don’t care what side of politics you are on, the former Premier’s comments this morning were insensitive and inappropriate.
— Deb Frecklington MP (@DebFrecklington) May 22, 2018
Feedback on social media was also critical of Mr Newman.
“A woman has died. Police officers now have to knock on somebody’s door to tell them that their loved one isn’t coming home today. Yet the first thing you comment on is how inconvenient the traffic congestion is? It was an inappropriate comment at an inappropriate time,” one woman wrote on Twitter.
Speaking to the ABC, Mr Newman said he stood by his tweets, that he recognised the tragedy of the situation, but there was a need to examine if there was a better way of handling such incidents.
Mr Newman said police needed to consider the potential danger of delaying medical staff on other urgent tasks elsewhere in the city.
He said if he were still premier, he would have invited the police minister and police commissioner to his office to discuss the matter.
Standard procedure was followed: police
A Queensland Police Service spokesman said it handled the scene of Tuesday morning’s fatality by the book.
“It is standard procedure to close a road where a fatality has occurred while investigators from the Forensic Crash Unit conduct thorough scene examinations without interference from traffic,” the spokesman said.
“The QPS is also conscious of ensuring scenes of fatalities are managed with dignity and respect for the victims and their families.
“On this occasion, a traffic alert was issued to the public within minutes of the incident and local diversions were put in place while the intersection was closed to traffic for two hours.”
