Melbourne ticket inspector 'spear tackled' teenage girl, video shows

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/09/video-melbourne-ticket-inspector

Version 0 of 1.

Footage has emerged of a teenage girl being slammed into the ground by a Melbourne ticket inspector.

The CCTV footage, obtained by Victorian Greens leader Greg Barber through a freedom of information request, shows the girl walking into Flinders Street station through an open gate instead of using a Myki card to go through the turnstyles.

She is stopped by a transit officer who after a brief confrontation body slams her on the ground.

The officer was investigated by Metro, which is yet to comment on the video, and cleared of any improper behaviour according to the Age.

The officer filled out an incident report and in it noted the girl bit him on the thigh while he was restraining her but neither were injured.

Barber used the release of the video to say there were too many violent confrontations involving transit officers in Melbourne and they were not being properly investigated.

"Two blokes rush in, pick her up, turn her upside-down and drop her on her head,' he said.

"You can't do that on a rugby field, because it's potentially fatal."

Barber said a more effective system would be a return to tickets from the Myki card as he believes fare evasion would be reduced if tickets were being sold as the “norm” at every station.

Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning.