SC Rose MacDonald

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Personal Safety in General Practice
Presented by S/C Rose MacDonald Victoria Police
Crime Prevention.
Wed 4 October 2006
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Role of Crime Prevention

• Pro-active approach to crime
• Identify potential risks security audits
• Implement strategies to address existing problems
  statistically based
• Educate the community
• Through partnerships with government and non
  government organisations, our objective is to
  enhance community safety which impacts on
  community perceptions of safety.

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Contents

• What we know about crime and offenders
• What are your risks?
• Legal Definitions
• Managing risk

• Use of force legal right to protect yourself
• Reporting to police
• Questions

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What we know about crime/offenders

• 80 of all crime is opportunistic
• All crime is committed by about 6 of the
  population
• Facts that influence offender choice include
• - Effort we want to increase this factor
• - Risk we want to increase this factor
• - Reward we want to decrease this factor
• - Available excuses we want to decrease this
  factor
• The sum of these influence whether an offence is
  committed.
• Offender - Victim - Opportunity

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Offences against you

• Verbal threats, intimidation
• Allegations about your conduct
• False imprisonment
• Theft
• Physical assault with or without an object
• Sexual Assault

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Offences key points

• False imprisonment
• Common Law Trial only
• A person (the defendant)
• Assaults a person
• Unlawfully imprisons a person (locks a person in
  a room)
• Detains a person against his/her will (wont let
  the person go)
• This offence may be committed without assault or
  violence.

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Offences key points

• Theft
• I.O.T.S. if 25,000 or less
• The defendant
• Dishonestly
• Appropriates
• Property
• Belonging to another
• Intention to permanently deprive (except motor
  vehicles/aircraft)

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Offences key points

• Assault Definition
• Means the direct or indirect application of
  force by a person to the body of or to clothing
  or equipment worn by another person where the
  application of the force is
• Without lawful excuse and
• With intent to inflict or being reckless as to
  the infliction of bodily injury, pain,
  discomfort, damage, insult or deprivation of
  liberty and results in the infliction of any such
  consequence (whether or not the consequence
  inflicted is the consequence intended or
  foreseen).
• Covers threats, attempts to assault etc.

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Examples

• A woman punched her fist through a glass barrier
  at reception and cut her hand/arm. She then
  threw her blood around reception and toward
  staff.
• A group of young adults/teenagers raided a G.P.
  clinic running into various rooms simultaneously.
• A patient with drug and alcohol problems became
  aggressive as a result of the treating Dr
  refusing to provide desired medication. The
  patient attended the clinic on several occasions
  threatening staff and resulted in a Dr assaulting
  the person.
• Homicide

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Identifying your risks

• What are your risks?
• 1. Environmental - Clinic design including
  parking area - Clients home and surrounds
• 2. Equipment - Scissors and other medical
  items
• - Drugs and other related items
• 3. People - You
• - Co- workers
• - Patient/s
• - Others (clients neighbours, friends,
  relatives etc)

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Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design
(CPTED)

• 3 Core strategies include
• - Natural Surveillance
• - Access Control
• - Territorial Reinforcement

Natural Surveillance
Access Control
Territorial Reinforcement
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Risk - Environment

• Reception
• What level of protection does the counter provide
  staff?
• Do staff have a retreating space or room?
• Are duress alarms installed and if so
• Is the alarm located in a practical area?
• Is the alarm free from equipment or other items
  that may prevent access?
• Do staff know how to activate it?
• Do staff know what will happen if the alarm is
  activated?
• Signage Staff at this practice do not tolerate
  abusive or aggressive behaviour.....

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Environment

• Clinic
• - Alarm smoke shield, silent, audible,
  monitored?
• - Adequate lighting?
• - Entry and exit points leaving back doors
  open.
• - Windows secure
• - Balconies

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• Clinic Rooms
• Whenever possible maintain contact with an exit.
  Sit closest to the door.
• Look at you room through the eyes of an
  offender.
• How is your desk angled? Where are the chairs
  located?
• How could you notify another member of staff
  that you need assistance?
• Keep scissors and other sharp items out of
  sight.
• If your scripts arent computer generated, keep
  script pads out of sight.
• Keep sample medication out of view too.
• Consider putting calming or interesting pictures
  on the wall.
• What colour are your rooms painted?

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Environment

• Car park
• Adequate lighting?
• Clear view to car parks from the clinic?
• Free of graffiti?
• Vegetation maintained?
• Fences type? Promote natural surveillance?

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Risk factor People

• You - Attitude, it will never happen to me.
• - Knowing your limitations...training in
  conflict resolution/ the law.
• Your colleagues ability to assist if required
  and/or the confidence to assist. (For example,
  knowing when to call for assistance police).
• Patient/s (Offending person, plus patients in
  other consulting rooms, waiting room/s, family
  members or friends).

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Examples

• A woman punches her fist through a glass barrier
  at reception and cuts her hand/arm. She then
  throws her blood around reception and toward
  staff.
• A group of young adults/teenagers raid a G.P.
  clinic simultaneously running into various rooms.
• A patient with drug and alcohol problems became
  aggressive as a result of the treating Dr
  refusing to provide desired medication. The
  patient attended the clinic on several occasions
  threatening staff and resulted in a Dr assaulting
  the person.
• Homicide

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Power of Arrest

• Section 458 of the Crimes Act
• Any person may arrest any person he finds
  committing and offence he believes the
  apprehension is necessary for one of the
  following
• - Prevent Continuance or Repetition of Offence
  or further offences
• - Ensure offender appearance before court
• - Preserve public order
• - Safety/Welfare of offender/public
• - When instructed by a MOPF
• - Prevent escape from legal custody
• You must act there and then (finds committing)
• You must see it happening yourself

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Personal Safety Use of Force

• Everyone has a legal right to protect themselves
• Force should only be considered as an absolute
  last resort and needs to be justified
• Any force used must not be disproportionate to
  the objective
• Legislation prohibits members of the public from
  carrying prescribed weapons or instruments for
  the purpose of self defence
• Remember any weapon could be taken and used
  against you

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Personal Safety Use of Force..

• Items such as an umbrella, keys, perfume or
  newspaper may be used if they had been carried
  and intended for another purpose. Consider a
  personal alarm.
• Remember Safety First no item is worth being
  injured for.

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Process of engaging offenders

• Risk assessment
• Prior to initial contact, a file is established
  and all relevant information is assessed and
  noted.
• Use a colour coded system that quickly
  identifies individual characteristics. For
  example
• - A file showing a yellow sticker suicidal
  history
• A file showing a red sticker violent history
• A file showing a green sticker Been sep
  prison previously
• A file showing a blue sticker diagnosed
  mental illness
• If a case worker is sick, this provides a quick
  indication of a particular characteristic, but
  should never replace a complete file assessment

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Reporting to police

• These are the exact details required by the
  police
• Nature of the offence
• Exact location
• Time committed
• Description of suspects
• Name and address of person reporting incident