So because she committed two felonies, which would get her little more than a hefty fine in court, she deserves to suffer the risk of death?
Does she deserve to die because of a ticketing offence. you people need to get a sense of proportion.

She deserved to be treated like the felon she is. I can tell you right now, if someone slapped or spat on me, the move that guy did would look like a tap on the shoulder. Spitting is THE most disgusting act. And, if you don't have a ticket (and really, there should be no excuse anyway) front up, talk to the officers and explain. Don't run off, slam a gate in their face, slap them and then cry victim. What a complete load of utter crap.

Mate, I'm thankful for the AOs. Because they have a crap job that divides the scum in the public from the normal people. This chick is below scum. Watch the video, listen to the audio - you quite simple do not speak to or treat anyone the way she was treating those officers. Her friend is no better. This girl was the one in the wrong, and unfortunately because 30,000 people have obviously copped fines from ticket inspectors in their lives, we're getting a very skewed opinion in this saga. The media have always been the lowest life form, but their biased reporting on this story is worse than usual. There should be more support for the AOs who came to work for the day and ended up going home with spit in their face and slap across the cheek. I don't know what's more disgusting, what that lowlife girl did or the idiots that are supporting her.


Peter Spyker wrote: I hope this guy gets sacked and is never employed by anyone, ever again. Violent thugs should be ostracised from our society.


The only thug in that video was a 15 year old fare evading brat. You're right though, she will be ostracised and will never be employed with an attitude like that.
This petition is simply a case of the proverbial village idiots raising this child after the parents have relinquished responsibility

Well Smart Alec, inform us all how you would deal with such a situation or are just making a gratuitous remark for no particular reason.

Actually the scum out there have quickly taken up on the You Tube video as I politely advised a 25 something female that smoking was not permitted in an enclosed shopping centre and she remarked "I don't give a stuff, what are you going to do about it, assault me?" They are all just scum that think they can do what they like with impunity.

I am a Bar Manager and get confonted with abusive and sometimes violent patrons far to often, at no stage do I ever have to tackle people to the ground, the people I talk about act quite alot more aggressively than this girl but the situation can be dealt with without spear tackling somebody. She did the wrong thing but no matter how she acted it was on the AO to deal with the situation without resorting to a violent act, it was a 15 year old girl not some amped up mid twenty's male throwing punches ( I also think even if that was the situation you should still attempt to take the higher ground). I do not excuse her actions whatsoever but the AO did the wrong thing and I don't see how people can defend his actions, I don't think he should be fired but he should have to do some sort of retraining as clearly what training he has had is insufficient.

Oh and nswtrains how was I being a Smart Alec? Feel free to take a different view but getting personal is unnecessary

The reactions here are unfortunately typical "She did wrong so she deserves what she got'.
Absolute rubbish. The inspectors should be trained better. In slamming her down on the ground she could easily have been killed or permanently incapacitated. Is that an OK result for not having a ticket?
Violence should not beget violence in any situation, and if you think it is OK then you are sadly ignorant.

She wasn't body-slammed for not having a ticket. She was taken down because she attacked an AO in the performance of his duties, just as you would be taken down just as quickly if you punched a police officer in the face if they tried to give you an infringement notice for jaywalking. IF you don't believe me, try it on and let us know the result...

So because she committed two felonies, which would get her little more than a hefty fine in court, she deserves to suffer the risk of death?

No such things as felonies in Australia, but I get where you're coming from. And yes, she does. She hit an AO in the face - and you're probably right, it would only result in a fine, however, any offence where you have used physical violence should result in a period of jail. IT is because "it would only result in a fine" that she did it in the first place, this kind of scrote is not afraid of the justice system. Who's to say her punch to the head of the AO wouldn't have caused him to black out and hit his head on the concourse? Wouldn't you agree that carries the risk of death, given the instances we've seen of that happening lately?

For god's sake, it is a ticketing offence, not murder or anything even vaguely similar.

No, it is not a ticketing offence. It started as a ticketing offence, and went way beyond that when she punched the AO. From that point on, he was entitled to defend himself, and I fully support him in doing so, even if it meant tackling the scrote to the ground in a dangerous manner. He didn't bring on the fight, but he was entitled to finish it. What would you do if I walked up to you and punched you in the face in the middle of the street? I'm interested to hear your answer.

If you get the first punch in on someone, particularly someone who is only trying to do their job, you lose any right to complain about what happens next. And more than likely deserve any hiding you get.

Well done to the AO.

If this post is deleted by mods then bad luck, however I read in yesterday's Age that the girl is under Anglicare and living in supported accommodation.

Sadly these young people are damaged, I call them ferals as they usually are. They have little respect for society, its obligations and its requirement to live within the law. They have rarely if ever been taught boundaries so they behave in a manner that is less than what is required to be a decent law abiding citizen. They have often been bashed, sexually abused etc...again they are damaged young people.

Add to that being 15, most likely poorly educated and the world owes them a living and you have the situation that arose.

In a year or two the cycle perpetuates when this person has children who in turn will grow to be feral.... we have an Australia wide welfare industry that employs thousands that supports them.

Mike.

I can't speak for the rest of the Mod team, but I've no problem with what you've written.

Sadly, it's the truth....

If this post is deleted by mods then bad luck, however I read in yesterday's Age that the girl is under Anglicare and living in supported accommodation.

Sadly these young people are damaged, I call them ferals as they usually are. They have little respect for society, its obligations and its requirement to live within the law. They have rarely if ever been taught boundaries so they behave in a manner that is less than what is required to be a decent law abiding citizen. They have often been bashed, sexually abused etc...again they are damaged young people.

Add to that being 15, most likely poorly educated and the world owes them a living and you have the situation that arose.

In a year or two the cycle perpetuates when this person has children who in turn will grow to be feral.... we have an Australia wide welfare industry that employs thousands that supports them.

Mike.

This is a big and growing problem. Despite what I have posted above, I do feel so sorry for these people. Sadly the "support" given to these people does not fix the problem, that is beyond any organisation. None of this however is an excuse for illegal behaviour. Such behaviour has to be dealt with according to law and justice.

I have not traveled on the Metro system since the AO's have been employed there but i'm glad they are and i hope this Officer does not loose his job over this. They have been put there for this particular reason of getting rid of the rubbish off the newtwork so law abiding citizens can travel daily with out having to put up with trash, Buy a ticket and there would never be a reason for the AO's to bother you.
Blacksmith i find your attitude and those who  have signed the petetion all that is wrong with the way this country is headed, Don't go soft on crime it's bad enough every where else as it is, Give this up and soon you will be getting slapped in the face for your wallet the next time your on the train and no AO will be around to help out as they will of all been sacked by the too soft clowns that run the place.
Cheers Mick.

I honestly can NOT believe people are siding with the AO on this issue. It was a 15 year old girl punching a man for gods sake, he is weak as pi$$ for slamming her into the ground and having her charged with assault. What an absolutely pathetic excuse for a man.

I honestly can NOT believe people are siding with the AO on this issue. It was a 15 year old girl punching a man for gods sake, he is weak as pi$$ for slamming her into the ground and having her charged with assault. What an absolutely pathetic excuse for a man.

For me personally its more a case of sticking up for the system, At the end of the day buy a ticket simple problem solved. If this AO loose's his job then i hope your not the next one to face one of these free loading feral's that you stand up for who have absolulty no moral's or standards and have no respect for authority. Saying no to these people just isnt enough and instead of a petition against the officer doing his job maybe there should be a petition "Just buy a @#%&ing Ticket"

I honestly can NOT believe people are siding with the AO on this issue. It was a 15 year old girl punching a man for gods sake, he is weak as pi$$ for slamming her into the ground and having her charged with assault. What an absolutely pathetic excuse for a man.

It was apparently a person in breach of the law using violence to escape apprehension. As for your opinion of the AO's character, I'd suggest you don't have a clue. In your line of work, do you accept people trying to injure you?

So I get the message
It will be OK if someone comes into your workplace and punches you in the face and you will accept it if it a teenager and a girl.
You will not fight back and as they eventually see they have the power they will escalate to robbing and raping etc
Don't believe it? Well look at ghetto areas around the world ie parts of USA big cities
That's why we have the lawlessness nowadays because we let them get away with the little things and it escalates
Remember "one punch can kill" and so if that girl had of caused the death of the officer would you all still be sticking up for her?

A 15 year old does not mean she is weak or not a violent person-talk to emergency ward staff and they will inform you of the injuries and damage done by out of control teenagers to them. Some have had months off work due to injuries received-that's why the hove tight security now in most of those places

I'm not intimating anything, but if she was on ice or similar, bringing her to the ground quickly would have been the only way to control her.   The situation could have continued for several minutes and escalated even further without a quick resolution.   People on these types of drugs have the ability to have extra strength and do not listen to what is been said to them.   Softly, softly does not work here.

If she had suffered a severe concussion from that action, perhaps ending up a paraplegic, and you were the person who caused it, how would you cope with that in later life?

I am not condoning what she did, nor diminishing the act of striking the AO, but even REAL police do not use these extreme methods to deal with those situations.

And I find it very disturbing, but not entirely unexpected, that so many on this forum think that violence of that nature is warranted under the circumstances.

And just for the record, I am not without experience in this matter. I once went to the aid of an elderly man being attacked by drunken louts on a train, and got a conviction because I punched one of them out.

If she had suffered a severe concussion from that action, perhaps ending up a paraplegic, and you were the person who caused it, how would you cope with that in later life?

In an ideal world there would be no crime, no violence. Sadly we don't live in such a world, thus issues such as this have to be dealt with by those authorised to do so. The AO involved is such a person. Let's accept the umpire's verdict that he acted appropriately and let him deal with his feelings on the matter in the way he sees fit. I certainly don't envy his job.

I am not condoning what she did, nor diminishing the act of striking the AO, but even REAL police do not use these extreme methods to deal with those situations.

Oh? I've seen news footage of some apparently fairly extreme action being taken by real police. We never know all the facts.

And I find it very disturbing, but not entirely unexpected, that so many on this forum think that violence of that nature is warranted under the circumstances.

Lots of debate on this:
http://philosophy.about.com/od/Philosophy-Now/a/Can-Violence-Be-Just.htm
http://www.debatingmatters.com/globaluncertainties/opinion/when_is_violence_justified/
etc etc
I don't think we need to continue to debate it here.

And just for the record, I am not without experience in this matter. I once went to the aid of an elderly man being attacked by drunken louts on a train, and got a conviction because I punched one of them out.

The law can be unjust at times. See above.

but even REAL police do not use these extreme methods to deal with those situations.

They probably have more equipment eg. capsicum spray - although that doesn't always work on drunk or drug affected morons.

As another thought, what if she was in the process of kicking at the AO as he grabbed her and she fell over onto her back in the process?   As she over balanced, he toppled onto her making it look the way it did.   Not saying it did happen that way, just another what if.

As another thought, what if she was in the process of kicking at the AO as he grabbed her and she fell over onto her back in the process?   As she over balanced, he toppled onto her making it look the way it did.   Not saying it did happen that way, just another what if.

Yes, I was thinking along similar lines. Even if not kicking, she might have been thrashing about in an attempt to get free from the AO's grip. The video is far from clear.

well this petition continues grow. Latest received today.

Hi Brian --

Wow, an unbelievable 32,000 of us have now stood together by signing[color=#1a4654]this petition asking Metro to address the body-slamming of a teen girl by one of their inspectors -- and a growing culture of violence among their staff.[/color]

Also unbelievably, Metro are still refusing to return my calls or my emails.

This issue is too important to be left to the sidelines, so I have asked both Terry Mulder and Denis Napthine to facilitate a summit with Metro Trains and key stakeholders to seek a transformation in how they deal with their staff. You can help put pressure on by emailing them at [color=#1a4654]premier@dpc.vic.gov.au and [color=#1a4654]terence.mulder@parliament.vic.gov.au[/color] and asking them to facilitate this summit as a matter of priority.[/color]

In preparing this petition, I've come across some pretty sobering things. Apparently there were more than 500 'use of force' incidents involving Metro Authorised Officers in the 2012-13 financial year.

That's more than one every day! There is also a long record of reports, including a young person pushed out of a moving train way back in 2010 ([color=#1a4654]see it here).[/color]

A couple of campaign supporters have also remembered Metro's "Dumb Ways to Die" campaign -- and thought surely dangerous assault should be on that list too.

They've created a couple of images using their own marketing back at them... I've shared these on Facebook, what do you think?

Click here to share this image with friends on Facebook -- it's time Metro put a stop to this violence by inspectors.

Or you can find another of the images [color=#1a4654]here.[/color]
[img]http://change-production.s3.amazonaws.com/cms_uploads/1768_original.jpg[/img]

Remember, be safe around Metro Trains staff.

Thanks, Dan A'Vard

Note: for those who don't know, "Dumb Ways To Die" was a recent Metro advertising campaign -- and you can view it [color=#1a4654]here.[/color]

If she had suffered a severe concussion from that action, perhaps ending up a paraplegic, and you were the person who caused it, how would you cope with that in later life?

I am not condoning what she did, nor diminishing the act of striking the AO, but even REAL police do not use these extreme methods to deal with those situations.

And I find it very disturbing, but not entirely unexpected, that so many on this forum think that violence of that nature is warranted under the circumstances.

And just for the record, I am not without experience in this matter. I once went to the aid of an elderly man being attacked by drunken louts on a train, and got a conviction because I punched one of them out.

Excellent post. Unfortunately on too high a level for the RP lynch mob to contemplate.

Excellent post. Unfortunately on too high a level for the RP lynch mob to contemplate.

Surely that would be a sadly ignorant RP lynch mob.

Whilst the footage doesn't show the events leading up to the incident. From what I can see the force used was not appropriate and excessive in relation to the alleged offence. What was she supposedly stoped for in the first place?

What power do these authorised offices have and what training and procedures are in place to ensure that they exercise their powers in accordance with the law? Do the even have the power to stop and detain someone? If there are so many instances of force used as reported there are clear warning signs that something is seriously wrong. Maybe they need to address the underlying issues urgently to reduce the use of force which should be used as the last resort.

Don’t get me wrong that if she has committed an offence she should be held accountable for her own actions. If what is shown in the CCTV Footage was committed by a member of the public would they have been charged I believe yes so why are the authorised offices above the law?

What power do these authorised offices have and what training and procedures are in place to ensure that they exercise their powers in accordance with the law? Do the even have the power to stop and detain someone?

Yes, they have the right to use reasonable force to "detain you until the police arrive" if they have reasonable cause to suspect that an offence has been committed.