Four Corners
Season 52 Episode 5 - Closing Ranks
"Closing Ranks", reported by Quentin McDermott and presented by Kerry O'Brien. Police forces across the country claim they've been hard at work training their officers to deal with people who are mentally ill, armed and posing a threat to themselves and the public. But have lessons really been learnt, and is it possible to change a police culture that doesn't admit responsibility when things go wrong? Adam Salter was a young man with much to live for, with a good job and a loving family. But Adam also had a mental illness. Late in 2009, in the middle of a psychotic episode, Adam tried to kill himself. Showing little regard for his own safety, his father Adrian managed to disarm him, dial emergency assistance and get help. Then the police arrived. In the moments that followed, police claimed Adam Salter rose from the floor, shrugged off one of the officers present and grabbed a knife they had failed to remove from the scene. Then, according to police, another officer at the house heard the disturbance and rushed through the kitchen door shouting "taser, taser, taser" before shooting Adam Salter dead. In her evidence, Sgt Bissett claimed she believed the seriously wounded man was threatening her fellow police officer. But others on the scene tell a very different story, saying Adam posed no immediate threat. Who's right? Now reporter Quentin McDermott puts together a forensic account of the events leading to the young man's death and the shooting itself. Using the testimony of family, ambulance officers and interviews with the police themselves, the program examines the mistakes made by the officers and the inconsistencies in their explanations for shooting Adam Salter. The story of Adam Salter raises many questions, including the issue of how lethal force is used by police. But perhaps the most profound question it raises is: can the police be trusted to investigate themselves?
Episodes in Season 52
Revolution in the Classroom
45 min
The Comeback Kid?
45 min
Syria Exposed
45 min
Given or Taken?
45 min
Closing Ranks
45 min
Dicing with Debt
45 min
Egypt: Children of the Revolution
45 min
The Fastest Changing Place on Earth
45 min
Without Consent
45 min
Happy Banking
45 min
Blood and Honour
45 min
The Killer Within
45 min
The Mormon Candidate
45 min
Judgement Day
45 min
Hard Knocks
45 min
Madeleine McCann The Last Hope
45 min
Casualties of the Boom
45 min
Smugglers Paradise
45 min
The Great Euro Crash
45 min
WikiLeaks - The Forgotten Man
45 min
Gina Rinehart - The Power Of One
45 min
Unholy Silence
45 min
The Price Of Pearls
45 min
Opium Brides
45 min
Sex, Lies And Julian Assange
45 min
A Matter Of Life And Death
45 min
Inside Mail
45 min
The Body Snatchers
45 min
Koala Crunch Time
45 min
The Autism Enigma
45 min
Crash Landing
45 min
There is No 3G in Heaven
45 min
The Hunt for Joseph Kony
45 min
Growing Up Poor
45 min
Taxing Times in Timor
45 min
The Battle for Syria
45 min
The World According to Lance
45 min
The Super Trawler
45 min
Rise of the Superbugs
45 min
Another Bloody Business
45 min
The Other Side of Jimmy Savile
45 min
