The Victorian opposition leader, Brad Battin, has defended taking a detour on his way to work to hold an impromptu press conference at the scene of a fatal stabbing in Melbourne’s south-east, saying he will continue to visit active crime scenes.
Emergency services were called to a petrol station on the corner of Potter Street and Princes Highway at Dandenong about 4.50am on Tuesday in response to reports a man had been stabbed.
The man, 39, was treated by paramedics but died at the scene.
Battin told reporters he heard reports of the stabbing on the radio and decided to make a detour on his way to parliament.
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“I was coming into work this morning, I heard it on the radio. It is an area that I was a Victoria police officer, and I have seen these crimes in these areas in the past,” he said.
“I then went there and spoke to the media. But the message was quite simple, the crime is out of control in the state.”
Battin said he “did a press conference with the cameras” and spoke with police at the scene.
He said he was unaware at the time that the victim’s body was still at the scene and his next of kin were yet to be contacted.
Victorian government minister Colin Brooks said it was “appalling” that Battin stopped at the scene.
“[The] government acknowledges the impacts of crime, particularly knife crime, is unacceptable,” Brooks told reporters.
“But what we don’t need is politicians heading out to crime scenes, particularly if … family members haven’t been notified. That’s appalling behaviour from someone who aspires to be leader.”
Brooks said while the opposition leader was “entitled to make political arguments” and “criticise the government” it was a “real error of judgment” to attend the scene.
“He should apologise to the families,” Brooks said.
But Battin said he had no regrets about the press conference and would not apologise.
“If I’m out and about and there’s a crime scene and I pop past I will be making sure that people know what is going on in the state. I will continue to do that. I’ll continue to be the voice for Victoria police,” he said.
“For a minister to be more worried about me than they are worried about the fact that we’ve had people stabbed in the streets here in Victoria … that’s a disgrace.”
Det Insp Dean Thomas from the Victoria police homicide squad said the exact circumstances surrounding the man’s death were yet to be established. They were also yet to formally identify the man.
He said it appeared he may have suffered stab wounds at a property nearby and urged anyone who saw anything suspicious in the vicinity of the area between 4.30am and 5am to contact Crime Stoppers.
“It appears to be targeted but we’re still trying to understand what has gone on, and that’s why the appeal to anybody that may have been in the area at the time, that may have seen anything that looks suspicious – may have seen any people walking along, any vehicles that look suspicious – that they share that with us as soon as they can,” Thomas said.
He refused to comment when asked whether it was appropriate for Battin to be at an active crime scene.
“I’m not aware of what Mr Battin had to say. He’s entitled to say … whatever he would like to say, but I don’t know what was said,” Thomas said.
