The Algorithm Age

When Grant Stevens was confronted by waiting journalists as he left the ABC's Adelaide studios following a radio interview on Wednesday morning, he smiled wryly. "I'm not armed. It's OK," the SA Police Commissioner said. The quip was in reference to an incident from the commissioner's professional past in which he had, he said, accidentally discharged his firearm during a raid on the house of an alleged drug dealer. A recent newspaper story had drawn attention to the episode, which dates back to the early 1990s when the now-commissioner was a young criminal investigator. Here's a look at what happened, why it has now made headlines, and why an Office for Public Integrity assessment will be conducted. What's the story? Earlier this week, Adelaide's Sunday Mail newspaper published a report containing allegations relating to a "high-ranking South Australian police officer". The story claimed th...

A close associate of a slain drug kingpin avoided being killed in a police station hit job because a parking inspector spotted an illegally parked getaway car, prosecutors claim. Andre Kallita was almost gunned down outside the Day Street police station in Sydney's CBD in an alleged December 2023 plot by associates of Bilal Haouchar's Lebanon-based crime syndicate. Bilal's younger brother Omar Haouchar, 32, has been charged over the attempted murder plot. READ MORE:  Trump administration 'expressed regret' for postponing meeting with PM He's been accused of using the handle "Invisible" on the encrypted messaging app Threema to organise the plot with several others. In early 2023, a dispute arose between the Haouchar crime network and the Comanchero outlaw motorcycle gang over a drug debt, documents filed with the NSW Supreme Court reveal. Kallita was allegedly a member of the Comancheros and was a close associate of coc...

Police have made a fresh plea for information in a 25-year-old cold case involving the disappearance of a teenager and the unsolved murder of her mother, with a $1m reward now being offered to help crack the case. Rosemary Brown, 33 and her daughter Melissa, 15, were last seen leaving their Blair Athol home, near Adelaide, about 2.30am on May 13, 2000. The pair were reported missing by Ms Brown’s friends the following day and a major crime was declared about a week later. On July 2 that same year, Ms Brown’s body was found in mangroves at Garden Island. Melissa’s remains have never been found. In a renewed appeal for help to solve the case, Major Crime Investigation Branch Detective Superintendent Darren Fielke urged anyone with information to come forward, no matter how insignificant it may seem. “This is a particularly disturbing case. A mother was murdered and her body disposed of, (and) we believe Melissa was also murdered,” he said. “It’s tragic for the ...

A close associate of a slain drug kingpin avoided being killed in a police station hit job because parking inspectors spotted an illegally parked getaway car, prosecutors claim. Andre Kallita was almost gunned down outside the Day Street police station in Sydney's CBD in an alleged December 2023 plot by associates of Bilal Haouchar's Lebanon-based crime syndicate. Bilal's younger brother Omar Haouchar, 32, has been charged over the attempted murder plot. He's been accused of using the handle 'Invisible' on the encrypted messaging app Threema to organise the plot with several others. In early 2023, a dispute arose between the Haouchar crime network and the Comanchero outlaw motorcycle gang over a drug debt, documents filed with the NSW Supreme Court reveal. Kallita was allegedly a member of the Comancheros and was a close associate of cocaine kingpin Alen Moridian, who himself was gunned down in a Bondi Junction car park in June 2023, the docume...

A shocking pet theft case has rocked Bengaluru after two BBMP workers were accused of stealing a beloved pet cat from a Cox Town resident. Harishitha B filed a formal police complaint alleging that municipal workers Uday and Pratap stole her cherished feline companion during a brief 15-minute window on a regular afternoon. The incident allegedly occurred between 5 pm and 5:15 pm, turning what should have been a routine day into a pet owner’s nightmare. The case has sparked outrage among Bengaluru’s pet-loving community, raising serious questions about the conduct of public service workers. Municipal employees are supposed to serve and protect citizens, not steal their beloved animals. This disturbing accusation represents a shocking breach of public trust that demands immediate investigation and accountability from BBMP authorities. What Happened During the Alleged Pet Theft Image credit: pexels According to Harishitha B’s police complaint, the theft occurred in a r...

A shocking pet theft case has rocked Bengaluru after two BBMP workers were accused of stealing a beloved pet cat from a Cox Town resident. Harishitha B filed a formal police complaint alleging that municipal workers Uday and Pratap stole her cherished feline companion during a brief 15-minute window on a regular afternoon. The incident allegedly occurred between 5 pm and 5:15 pm, turning what should have been a routine day into a pet owner’s nightmare. The case has sparked outrage among Bengaluru’s pet-loving community, raising serious questions about the conduct of public service workers. Municipal employees are supposed to serve and protect citizens, not steal their beloved animals. This disturbing accusation represents a shocking breach of public trust that demands immediate investigation and accountability from BBMP authorities. What Happened During the Alleged Pet Theft Image credit: pexels According to Harishitha B’s police complaint, the theft occurred in a r...

A woman who reported NSW MP Gareth Ward's alleged sexual abuse of two men to police has admitted she may have provided incorrect details. Warning: This story contains discussion of suicide. Mr Ward, the independent MP for Kiama, has pleaded not guilty to five charges, including sexual intercourse without consent, relating to alleged incidents in 2013 and 2015. The trial has entered its fifth week, with the NSW District Court sitting for its 15th day on Monday. The woman, who reported Mr Ward to police in 2021 based on what she said the two men told her, faced sustained questioning about inconsistencies in her evidence. Last week, she told the court the older complainant disclosed the alleged sexual assault during a night out in 2020. She said she had reached out to him after seeing a Facebook post that appeared to reference a suicide attempt. Questions over events The woman initially told police the older complainant had ...

A woman who reported NSW MP Gareth Ward's alleged sexual abuse of two men to police has admitted she may have provided incorrect details. Warning: This story contains discussion of suicide. Mr Ward, the independent MP for Kiama, has pleaded not guilty to five charges, including sexual intercourse without consent, relating to alleged incidents in 2013 and 2015. The trial has entered its fifth week, with the NSW District Court sitting for its 15th day on Monday. The woman, who reported Mr Ward to police in 2021 based on what she said the two men told her, faced sustained questioning about inconsistencies in her evidence. Last week, she told the court the older complainant disclosed the alleged sexual assault during a night out in 2020. She said she had reached out to him after seeing a Facebook post that appeared to reference a suicide attempt. Questions over events The woman initially told police the older complainant had ...

A woman who reported NSW MP Gareth Ward's alleged sexual abuse of two men to police has admitted she may have provided incorrect details. Warning: This story contains discussion of suicide. Mr Ward, the independent MP for Kiama, has pleaded not guilty to five charges, including sexual intercourse without consent, relating to alleged incidents in 2013 and 2015. The trial has entered its fifth week, with the NSW District Court sitting for its 15th day on Monday. The woman, who reported Mr Ward to police in 2021 based on what she said the two men told her, faced sustained questioning about inconsistencies in her evidence. Last week, she told the court the older complainant disclosed the alleged sexual assault during a night out in 2020. She said she had reached out to him after seeing a Facebook post that appeared to reference a suicide attempt. Questions over events The woman initially told police the older complainant had ...