Police training questioned in Bradley Smith inquest
Police officers have been questioned about “red mist” at an inquest examining whether police “frustration” and “hyperfixation” contributed to the stolen car crash death of 14-year-old Bradley Smith.
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Police officers have been questioned about “red mist” at an inquest examining whether police “frustration” and “hyperfixation” contributed to the stolen car crash death of 14-year-old Bradley Smith.
On February 14, 2022, Bradley was a passenger in a stolen Toyota Yaris with five other youths when it lost control on Pease St and crashed into a tree near Saltwater Creek bridge during a police operation.
The inquest before coroner Terry Ryan has heard officers in a marked sedan conducted a “protracted follow” of the stolen vehicle, travelling at speeds over 120km/h.
The concept of “red mist” — officers becoming fixated on an objective — arose repeatedly as police were questioned about their training regarding this “psychological state”.
Sergeant Declan Oliver, acting as police forward commander co-ordinating the operation, was asked by counsel assisting Melia Benn if he’d heard of adrenaline rushes or “seeing red mist”. “In high-pressure, intense and adrenaline-filled situations, it is hard to break away from it,” he said, adding he couldn’t recall specific training addressing “red mist”.
“We are taught to breathe and scan, but not anything specific,” said Constable Aiden Gleizner, driver of the police sedan, who believed his speed was justified as “part of an effort to keep eyes on the vehicle”.
He said additional driver training to prevent “fixation” would be beneficial.
His passenger, Constable Leyland Wills, didn’t provide situational reports about their vehicle’s speed while following.
In a post-incident interview, he said, “he was more focused on the vehicle of interest than what he was doing”.
“I was focused on making sure we weren’t pressuring and we weren’t making them police aware,” Constable Wills said.
Asked if Constable Gleizner seemed stressed, Constable Wills replied: “It is a stressful situation, but I don’t recall him being overly stressed.”
Constable Wills acknowledged adrenaline’s role: “As police officers we travel fast a lot, you become quite desensitised to the speed you are doing because that is the day to day.”
He said formalised live training would “absolutely” help address adrenaline rushes.
Another senior constable testified he hadn’t received specific training to avoid entering the “psychological phase” but noted it could be accompanied by changed communication dynamics from crews.
Sergeant Ben Drury, who oversees Tactical Crime Squad training, revealed a “lack of trust” between communications teams and officers, with “rumoured issues with unauthorised pursuits”.
He conducted training with communications teams to monitor crew movements and taught techniques like “combat breathing” to avoid fixation by “re-oxygenating” and taking time to scan and reassess.
Sergeant Drury said there would always be times when “urgent duty driving” was justified.
“That comes down to the driver as well as the situation at hand,” he said.
The inquest continues through the week, examining the circumstances surrounding Bradley’s death and whether systemic issues in police training and operations contributed to the tragedy.
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Originally published as Police training questioned in Bradley Smith inquest
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