SA Police academy firing range closed for months after gun safety failures sparked fears for lives

The firing range used to train SA Police recruits with weapons was shut down for five months after an urgent safety review found bullets had sliced through its supposedly armoured walls.

South Australian Police Academy Shooting range. Picture: SA Police

The gun firing range used to train SA Police recruits was urgently shut after ammunition penetrated bulletproof walls, sparking fears “catastrophic” safety failures risked lives.

The three decade-old Fort Largs Police Academy’s weapons training facility was closed after routine inspections missed “bullet damage to infrastructure”, a six-month Advertiser investigation found.

Confidential police documents, obtained under Freedom of Information laws, detail a catalogue of “catastrophic” safety failures that caused the almost five month closure.

An emergency inspection found “projectiles” breached ballistic walls, bullets pierced air-conditioning vents, bullet traps 15 years out-of-date and building structure integrity risks.

Rank-and-file officers feared possible stray bullets put police and civilians in danger amid claims academy visitors, including a private coffee barista, reported hearing “pinging” noises.

While senior police were “concerned”, they downplayed public safety risks and denied shrapnel left the range outside a restricted store room.

Damage sustained at the firearms range above the steel bars. Picture: SA Police

They also said no near-miss accidents had occurred despite official complaints about “ricochet” and “particles” in a controlled area.

The high-level FOI documents, which police partly redacted to protect law enforcement and safety, details a working group’s scramble for a long-term solution.

Documents released under Freedom of Information laws described extensive damage seen at the top of the wall. Picture: SA Police

Police declined to reveal an overall taxpayer bill due to secret procurement rules and no decisions occurring on a long-term solution.

The papers warn a potential rebuild cost of between $5m and $20m.

Taxpayers will spend up to $1.5m to install a temporary “rubber gran trap” borrowed from Victoria Police that allowed the range to reopen on March 4 this year.

It also includes paying for upgrades to a second Adelaide Hills firearms building.

More than 600,000 Smith and Wesson 40 calibre semi-automatic pistol rounds were fired each year at the 25m, 10-lane indoor Fort Largs firing range built in 1993 with state-of-the art safety barriers, ballistic backstops and bullet “traps”.

But an extra 100,000 rounds a-year “accelerated wear and tear” as more cadets were hired to solve the force’s recruitment crisis, according to briefing papers for Commissioner Grant Stevens, an inspection report and risk management plan.

“Over time, the projectiles had sufficiently damaged the concrete structure to form a significant hole, allowing exit into the maintenance room,” an inspection report stated.

“It should be further noted that complaints have been made regarding ricochet and particles falling up-range and being found in the maintenance room opposite the existing hole.”

Commissioner Grant Stevens at the Fort Largs Police Academy in July. Briefing papers prepared for him laid bare the firing range problems. Picture: Tom Huntley

Sources, who said it was lucky no one was seriously injured or killed, told how the barista reported “pinging” noises while operating a mobile coffee shop with his wife.

The man, a former policeman who has moved overseas, did not respond to inquiries while his Adelaide-based wife, who is understood to have never felt in danger, also would not comment.

Police told them snakes forced their move, sources said, but they were “aware” of the range issues.

After The Advertiser’s inquiries, a police spokesman said the couple had “reiterated” to the force they held no safety fears as they were not aware of any “malfunction”.

He said the owners, who operated between 10am and 11am, opted for another location after being told the range was closing for maintenance.

Fort Largs hosts operational “static” – or stationery – shooting and moving exercises while STAR Group and Security Response Section officers also conduct drills.

Police officers using the firing range in the early 2000s. Picture: Mark Brake

The FOI papers reveal a Firearms Branch officer and a senior facility inspector ordered the outer northwestern suburbs site be closed on October 10 last year.

Projectiles were “leaving the range” behind a damaged 10mm “toughened steel plate”, which damaged building walls and air filtration padding, the FOI papers revealed.

Inspectors concluded a flawed design “hindered” building fatigue checks.

An October 16 urgent check found it in “ballistically unsafe condition as clearly evidenced by recent ballistic failures”.

The documents, circulated among leadership officials including Deputy Commissioner Linda Williams and heads of infrastructure, business services and human resource, noted “concerns … as to the safety of the range for trainees and instructors”.

The papers outline 10 safety failures including a special deflector plate becoming detached, which allowed projectiles to hit walls.

Others included “multiple” rounds penetrating a “defence zone”, catastrophic failure to side walls around the bullet trap, the catcher more than double a 10-15 year service life, “structural integrity” concerns and “partly destroyed” duct work.

Bullets also damaged electricity cables while acoustic foam posed a “high” fire risk.

Sources said maintenance schedules could not be located. The report “highly recommended” inspections not exceed a 12-month interval.

Chief Supt. Stephen Howard said police took safety “seriously”. Picture: RoyVPhotography

Training was transferred more than 30km to an Adelaide Hills range at Echunga.

Sources said blunders mirrored a similar incident at the Hills facility where police failed to complete routine checks on a walk-in freezer before Debra Summers, 54, died in 2016.

A police spokesman rejected “grossly unfair” links.

The officer in charge of the People, Culture and Wellbeing Coordination Branch, chief superintendent Stephen Howard, said police immediately acted on the “disappointing” academy problems.

He said no injuries occurred, it involved inaccessible areas not usually audited and SafeWork SA did not need notification nor is investigating.

“I wish we weren’t having this conversation,” he said.

“But we’ve learned from this experience.

“This is one of those, unfortunately, one of those instances where there has been a failure in an area that was not readily available.”

Chief Supt Howard, an officer for 34 years who has managed the Firearms Branch, could not say who made complaints but denied any near misses.