A revered Melbourne cop fed up with the out-of-control street violence has made a heartfelt plea for peace and common sense to the city’s tooled-up teens.
Victoria Police Commander Wayne ‘Cheesy’ Cheeseman has urged young people to stop carrying weapons, warning that a single moment of anger can destroy lives forever.
In October Superintendent Cheeseman became a cult hero to frustrated Victorians when he called out violent left-wing protesters during the March for Australia rally.
Now he has revealed he penned a personal message about the latest tragic death, after the alleged stabbing of 22-year-old security guard Aidan Becker at Mernda train station.
Sitting in his car just before he appeared on Nova 100’s Jase & Lauren breakfast show, Supt Cheeseman wrote out his desperate plea for sanity to prevail.
‘You know, carrying a weapon really can turn a moment into a lifetime of consequences,’ Supt Cheeseman said on the show as he read out his plea.
‘It can cost someone their life. It can cost you your future.
‘I implore you to really think about the decisions you make. A moment of anger, a deliberate action or a bad decision can result in a tragedy that affects life forever.
Wayne Cheeseman took a sack of rocks into a press conference to show what protestors had used against cops at a Melbourne rally
‘To all those people who are carrying weapons … enough’s enough. It has to be enough.
‘We’ve got to the point where it’s just becoming commonplace … and I worry that it’s becoming an accepted part of our community, and it’s not.’
The death of Mr Becker on Friday shocked and angered the nation after he was allegedly attacked when he tried to protect a student, 14, from four youths just before 6pm.
Police allege Mr Becker led the schoolboy away from the group and out of the station on Bridge Inn Road.
It’s alleged the group then followed the pair onto the concourse beneath the platform and attacked him.
He was found by paramedics with critical injuries and could not be saved.
Supt Cheeseman described the killing as a ‘senseless waste of life’ that has devastated both the victim’s family and the families of the accused.
‘As police, we see the best of life, the worst of life, and everything in between,’ he said.
‘It’s just a senseless waste of life for the poor victim and his family … and then, even though you cast these thoughts against the offenders, you know, their life is ruined and their family’s lives – they must be in despair as well.’
Aidan Becker went to the help of a child who was allegedly being attacked
Aidan Becker has been hailed a hero
The senior officer acknowledged the difficult position faced by members of the public who witness violence and wanted to intervene.
‘From a Victoria Police perspective, the first thing we would say is call the police straight away,’ he said.
‘But as a common, decent person … you naturally would help, but I understand the hesitance, because you don’t know what the consequences are, because there’s more people carrying knives, there’s more people willing to use knives.
‘So you are taking a risk by being involved, but what do you do? You can’t unsee what you see, and I would like to think that I would help, and other decent people would help.
‘But there is a risk involved. I understand the hesitance.’
Supt Cheeseman has made a name for himself as a no-nonsense cop willing to speak his mind.
After last year’s protest, he brought rocks into a press conference to show what had been hurled at police.
‘This is what was thrown at police today,’ Supt Cheeseman said with one large rock in hand and the rest sprawled on the floor.
‘Melbourne has had a gutful. These were being thrown at police. Bottles filled with shards of glass were being thrown at police. Rotten fruit was being thrown at police.’
Wayne Cheesman (second from left) appeared on Nova 100’s Jase & Lauren breakfast show on Wednesday
The March for Australia demonstration turned ugly last year
His tirade came just hours after demonstrators clashed with anti-immigration protesters, with riot police forced to use flashbangs, tear gas and rubber bullets to control the crowd.
Police were pelted with large rocks, glass bottles and fruit. Two officers required hospital treatment: a female sergeant suffered a broken hand, and a male senior constable sustained a laceration to his leg.
Supt Cheeseman exhibited a boxful of rocks that were thrown at police during his searing conference, singling out the left for the violence, claiming the anti-immigration protesters were the ones who were well behaved.
‘Bins were on fire, flags were on fire, enough is enough. The disruption to Melbourne… we really need to find an answer,’ he said then.
Supt Cheeseman claimed protesters on the ‘left’ were responsible for the chaos during the rally.
‘The people who came to pick a fight with police were the issue-motivated groups on the left,’ Supt Cheeseman said.
Australians across the country heaped praise on the officer for his open and candid comments, and calling out the counter demonstrators.
