Being a hero is lonely: Lindt siege cop Ben Besant feels for Amy Scott as inquest looms
Lindt siege hero Ben Besant knows all too well the noise within, the silence outside, and the agonising wait for an inquest for cops like Bondi Junction hero cop Amy Scott, whose every move will come under the microscope, after a very necessary silence.
NSW
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Being a hero cop can be lonely.
Thrust into the spotlight after taking down a mass killer, then gagged for months until a very public inquiry begins, the head noise can tamper with the toughest of first responders.
For Ben Besant, the man who shot dead Man Monis bringing to an end the Lindt siege 10 years ago, the period between the fatal shooting and the coronial inquest was desperately lonely.
HEROES AND SURVIVORS: ONE MONTH AFTER THE ATTACK
And his heart goes out to Inspector Amy Scott, the officer who brought an end to the Bondi Junction shopping centre massacre 12 months ago, who is about to face public scrutiny of her actions that day.
“With major incidents like this they have such an impact on your life and all you want to do is share it with the cops who were in it with you,” Besant told the Sunday Telegraph this week.
“That’s what cops do, that’s all you want to do, debrief with your mates. But from the moment it happens, the moment you act on your instincts, make decisions in a split second, you are directed to never talk to your mates, the other cops there, about that incident,” he said.
“The bosses constantly ram home that from that day on we have to be silent. We will be in severe trouble if we speak about it.
“The whole idea is that it can taint evidence, because with such traumatic incidents it’s hard to remember certain things, so I can understand it from a legal sense, but on a personal level you are bottling it up for all that time, for a year or more of that shit … On a personal level it was very difficult for me.”
Inspector Scott has kept a low profile in the 12 months since fatally shooting Joel Cauchi after he stabbed to death six people at the busy Westfield Shopping centre.
She was the first officer on scene and confronted the 40-year-old Cauchi alone before shooting him dead with a bullet to the chest.
She performed CPR on the killer, along with some of his victims, as she waited for back-up to arrive.
The six who lost their lives have been identified as Yixuan Cheng 27, Dawn Singleton, 25, Faraz Ahmed Tahir, 30, Ashlee Good, 38, Jade Young, 47, and Pikria Darchia, 55.
Inspector Scott, who will lay a wreath on Sunday for the lives lost, must now prepare for the very public month-long probe into the horror of April 13 where legal eagles will examine the decisions she and other emergency service officers made on that day – and what, if anything, could have been done better.
Besant said the whole ordeal is “nerve-racking”.
“It gets scrutinised over and over, the decisions you make. For me it was all focused on the snap decision I made and how I went about it, the three to four seconds from me spotting him and then pulling the trigger.
“It’s really daunting, the process is really extreme.”
The Bondi Junction inquest, to commence on April 28, will look at the circumstances in which Inspector Scott discharged her firearm, “including whether such use of force was justified, reasonable and appropriate”.
Also under the microscope will be the nature and timing of the NSW Police response to the events, including how and when NSW Police first became aware of an active armed offender, the timing and response of NSW Police to emergency calls; the nature of communications between NSW Police, Scentre Group staff and subcontractors and NSW Ambulance.
NSW State Coroner Teresa O’Sullivan will hear evidence about the adequacy of the response of NSW Police, including having regard to “applicable policies and procedures relevant to an active armed offender, or mass casualty incident as it is unfolding”.
She will also hear evidence about the adequacy and appropriateness of equipment available to NSW Police, including whether they have the appropriate equipment to attend to injured victims.
Inspector Scott – who received a Commissioner’s Valour Award “for displaying exceptional bravery in a life-threatening situation” and returned to work soon after the tragedy – will be one of dozens of police officers called to give evidence, and dozens more who will be forever affected by the tragedy.
The NSW Police Force won’t reveal figures on how many police officers attended the scene that day, let alone how many have sought counselling and support to deal with the trauma.
Sources say the commander for the region that incorporates Bondi has been extremely supportive.
Former police officers Alana Singleton and Pia Schindler who run Emerge & See, an independent and confidential support service, visited the station soon after the tragedy, offering coffee and support for all officers.
They will return to the command next week, conscious the anniversary will be a difficult time for all.
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Originally published as Being a hero is lonely: Lindt siege cop Ben Besant feels for Amy Scott as inquest looms
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