Army - The Soldiers' Newspaper

Report issued into death of Private Kovco
Volume 11, No. 58, December 14, 2006

Sad loss: Pte Jake Kovco.

CDF ACM Angus Houston has accepted all 29 recommendations made by the Board of Inquiry into the death of Pte Jacob Kovco.

In publicly issuing the board’s report on December 1, ACM Houston said six of the recommendations already had been implemented.

Pte Kovco was killed on April 21 in a shooting accident while serving with Secdet 9 in Iraq.

“After a thorough examination of the evidence tabled during the inquiry, the board concluded that Pte Kovco died as a result of the inappropriate handling of his personal weapon, a Browning 9mm self-loading pistol,” ACM Houston said.

“From the evidence tabled and from specialist homicide and forensic sources available, the board ruled out any finding that Pte Kovco was murdered or that he committed suicide.

“The board also found that soldiers on deployment in Iraq are not as familiar with the pistol as they are with their primary weapon, the F88 Steyr rifle, and that we need to increase their level of training and exposure to the weapon if they are to safely carry and handle a side arm.”

The board recommended formal incorporation into weapons training procedures of the “buddy system” to ensure weapons were made safe when personnel returned from duty during operations.

“As CDF, it is my duty to ensure that the men and women of the ADF are as safe as possible,” ACM Houston said.

“I will not tolerate any behaviour that diminishes their safety and the safety of others on operations or here at home.

“Let me stress that weapons safety is both an individual and a command responsibility. We have already emphasised to our leaders that rigorous enforcement is required to strengthen our training and procedures for the safe handling of all weapons. I will accept nothing less from those under my command. Weapons handling, safety and training is non-negotiable.”

He said the board confirmed the findings of an earlier investigation that efforts to bring Pte Kovco home highlighted a number of failures in ADF mortuary affairs training and doctrine.

“We have significantly enhanced our procedures and policy in the unfortunate event of an ADF death either in Australia or overseas. As stated, my focus is ensuring that the errors made in bringing Jacob Kovco home do not occur again,” he said.

“I have also directed that shortcomings identified by the board in our procedures concerning the handling and preservation of serious incident sites, physical evidence, and the passage of information following serious incidents be reviewed and appropriate actions taken.

“To this end, I have accepted each of the report’s 29 recommendations and I have directed the development of a program for their effective implementation across the ADF. The next step in this process rests with the NSW Coroner, who has been provided with a copy of the report. Of course, we will fully cooperate with the Coroner and whatever decision she makes about any subsequent inquest.

“Jake’s death has had a profound impact on many people – his wife Shelley and their children, Jake’s mother Judy and the extended Kovco family, the members of his unit, the Army and wider Defence community. It is simply a tragedy that a soldier with a promising future and a young family was lost in this manner. I once again pass on my condolences and deepest sympathies to Jacob’s family and friends.”

KEY RECOMMENDATIONS
Some of the board’s key recommendations are:

That the appointing authority consults with CA on increasing the training and exposure to the SLP.
The immediate release of new training for handling the Mark III SLP.
ADF deployments, wherever practicable, deploy with psychologists.
Deploying ADF members should be strongly encouraged to keep journals.
That ADF personnel, at all levels, receive basic training on the critical need for scene preservation where there has been a “notifiable incident” as defined by the current DIG.
That a protocol for the preservation and handling of serious incident sites should be considered for future training or battle preparation activities with coalition forces overseas.
That wherever practicable, the repatriation process be handled by ADF personnel only. Transport of deceased ADF personnel, wherever practicable, should be carried out by military transport.
That the appointing authority investigates the feasibility of establishing a DNA register of all ADF personnel in order to facilitate the accurate identification of ADF personnel.

A copy of the Kovco BOI Report and the Defence response to each of the report’s recommendations can be found at http://www.defence.gov.au/publications/kovcoreport.pdf and http://www.defence.gov.au/publications/Defenceresponsetokovcoreport.pdf