The use of a taser to subdue a 95-year-old dementia patient at an aged care home just recently, is yet another example of what goes wrong when police rely too heavily on force to resolve challenging situations.

Clare Nowland died in hospital a week after being tasered by an Australian police officer inside her nursing home in Cooma, New South Wales.

Although the senior constable who used the taser has now been suspended from duty, calls are growing for an independent investigation into the incident, as well as police treatment of people with dementia.

The Wire’s Aryana Mohmood spoke with Lecturer of Criminology at Deakin University, Dr Emma Ryan, about why there needs to be greater transparency around taser use by police in Australia.

Produced By: Aryana Mohmood

Featured In Story: Dr Emma Ryan, Lecturer of Criminology at Deakin University

First aired on The Wire, Monday 29 May 2023