Journal Archive
How Should Police Officers See Internal Investigations?
Might it be that, sufficient evidence of the misery and total devastation suffered by police officers as a result of false accusations and emotionally brutal investigations, hasn't been presented to Deputy Commissioner Neil McKenzie?
Only this year, the Police Journal featured first-hand accounts of the soul-destroying anguish endured not only by police officers but also their families - all as a result of protracted, immoral and unnecessary investigations. But perhaps McKenzie didn't peruse the Police Journal this year.
And, perhaps that's why he's told the Eastern Courier Messenger that 'police officers should have confidence that the investigation of complaints is a thorough process' and 'should not be regarded with suspicion' (11.11.98).
Would those so intensely traumatized by the police complaints system agree with McKenzie?
Senior Constable Allan Vilcins was the victim of a totally concocted story by, of all people, a Police Complaints Authority employee. He was accused of aggression and belligerence during a telephone call but tape-recorded the conversation and was cleared.
Constable Jackie McDonald was falsely accused of kicking a violent, blood-spitting prisoner in the Elizabeth police cells. She was totally exonerated by the same video-tape evidence with which authorities sought to convict her.
Constable Gary Batty stood falsely accused of assaulting a violent offender who had abducted a woman at gunpoint. He was cleared by video-tape evidence in exactly the same way as McDonald.
Before these innocent, hard-working police officers' good names were cleared, however, they collectively suffered YEARS of torment.
And they're supposed to regard investigations without suspicion?
If they viewed them with anything but contempt, they wouldn't be human.
There must be a complaints process - but one which is fair and transparent.
The Attorney-General must, as a matter of urgency, legislate amendments to the Police (Complaints and Disciplinary Proceedings) Act in accordance with Iris Stevens' recommendations.
Only then will McKenzie's comments be appropriate.
From Sport Comes PR
South Australia's police enjoy a proud history of involvement in top-level sports. Only in recent years, police have featured in AFL and SANFL football and State cricket.
But as Ken Cunningham asserted in Police Work? Not for KG, their future involvement may be in doubt. Bearing the strain of combining two highly demanding occupations has, sadly, diminished the number of police competitors.
One would hope, however, that SAPOL will recognize the extraordinary PR benefits to be gained from its employees' participation in elite competitions.
It would also be hoped that, once so recognized, support and not ultimatums will follow.
Political Savvy
While cynicism about politicians and the political system abounds, Australian police unionists have no alternative but to interact constantly with their respective State MPs.
For some unionists - especially those not kindly disposed toward politicians - this interaction can be uninspiring, to say the least.
But when politicians support the police cause - as has been the case in the South Australian State Parliament recently - the Police Association freely expresses its gratitude.
The ALP and Democrat support which PASA received during parliamentary debate on the police bill earlier this year was certainly appreciated. And that appreciation was demonstrated by the space afforded each of those parties in the pages of the Police Journal.
Patrick Conlon says that he's dedicated to police issues. He's indicated his wish to maintain the police portfolio should his party win office at the next State election.
Recently appointed police minister, Robert Brokenshire, expressed rock-solid support for police at PASA's recent annual conference.
Politicians should understand, however, that there's no political naivete about the Police Association of South Australia.
A single period of co-operation and statements of intended support are all well and good. But where the interests of Police Association members are concerned, the Democrats don't have a monopoly on keeping the bastards honest.
An interview with Robert Brokenshire will appear in an up-coming issue.
Authentic TV Cops
Ever since television began, it's been a medium in which police work has featured prominently through drama series. Not all of them have been worth watching: their lack of realism and accuracy has been a turn-off to real wearers of the blue uniform.
Channel Seven's Blue Heelers, however, seems generally to have the stamp of approval from many police around the country.
Most impressive recently, as told in Brett Williams' article, Playing the Part, Understanding the Realities, was the actors wearing Police Remembrance Day ribbons during the same week in which services were held.
The Police Association expressed its gratitude directly to the show's producers for taking the time to consider the meaning of those ribbons and scheduling them into the programme. Well done, Blue Heelers.
THE ISSUE, NOT THE LEAK
Assistant Commissioner Graham Brown has vowed to find the person who leaked an internal police memo, according to The Advertiser.
After being leaked, the memo became the centre of an Advertiser article (Pull your weight and book more people, 12.09.98) by police reporter, John Merriman.
Merriman quoted excerpts from the memo which highlighted its very clear message: show your worth by issuing more infringement notices.
SAPOL management must have been left red-faced when that Saturday's Advertiser appeared on the streets. It seems to have instantly focussed on the person who leaked the information instead of the far more important issue raised in the article - quotas.
But intense embarrassment often causes people to lose perspective and grasp desperately at the nearest means of revenge.
Shooting the messenger in this, or any other case of exposing questionable practices, is wholly inappropriate. SAPOL management would be better served by asking itself why police officers feel compelled to alert the media to certain issues in the first place.
Could it be that they're not being afforded proper hearings by SAPOL's upper echelon?
STRANGER SAVED
Protecting people from themselves can sometimes pose more danger to police than routine dealings with hardened, violent criminals. It's the predictability factor. The intentions of an offender can often be anticipated quite correctly. But the irrationality of the suicidal makes their actions much harder to foresee.
One intent on self-murder may be focussed on more than just his or her own destruction. Lurking in the recesses of a disturbed, suicidal mind could be the thought of taking someone else to their death as well - a cop.
In this month's cover story, Saving One Determined to Die, Sergeant Jeff Oats disregarded every possible risk. In saving the life of a complete stranger, he could have been pulled to his death from a first-floor balcony.
Fortunately for the South Australian community, his commitment typifies that of all SA police.
WHY OPPOSE THE MEDIA?
Who said that policing and news gathering are worlds apart? Police and news gatherers perform essentially the same duties: they gather, assess, prepare and present information, albeit to different audiences.
Both practitioner groups provide essential services, suffer community backlash, work around the clock and are used by the political process.
Jane Doyle drew parallels between the two vocations in Brett Williams' article, Partners of the News Kind - she was right about all of them.
So, surely there's much greater scope for co-operation than conflict between police and the media.
To engender that spirit of co-operation, however, the relationship must be recognized as one of inter-reliance. The police rely on media outlets for everything from traffic-accident broadcasts to "docudramas" such as Australia's Most Wanted. The media rely on police as a supremely important source of information.
If the news media has respect for police, as Doyle has suggested, it should be reciprocated.
Graeme Goodings indicated in Partners of the News Kind a willingness by reporters to respect confidentiality and maintain open communication lines.
If respect and communication prevail, there seems little reason why the relationship can't be free of discord.
THE FALLEN
The recent shooting murders of Victorian police officers, Gary Silk and Rodney Miller, were detestable. But they were also stark reminders that committed, operational police everywhere tread a fine line between life and death on a daily basis.
That some within the Australian community take their police services for granted is greatly disappointing to the selfless, blue-uniformed men and women who protect them. But police aren't discriminating: they serve the unappreciative just as well as the grateful.
Police union representatives from around the country, including South Australia, attended Silk and Miller's funerals. It was a saddening, unenviable task.
To honour all Australian police by whom the supreme sacrifice has been paid, the National Police Remembrance Day will be held this month.
Anyone who ever doubted the depth of police courage and commitment should attend and be enlightened.
WHICH HALF, JOAN?
Around three billion people across the globe don't use toilet paper, according to SAPOL human resources director, Joan Russell.
Joan was being interviewed by Today Tonight reporter, Liz Kefford, about SAPOL's treatment of Tanya Hunter (A Career Lost, Police Journal, July 1998) when she said: "For Heaven's sake, half the world doesn't use toilet paper."
How that relates to supplying prisoners in police custody with what anyone in the free world would consider a necessity isn't clear.
But perhaps, to satisfy abounding curiosity, Joan could explain exactly which half of the world it is whose habits justify the denial of dignity to others.
A FAILING SYSTEM
Confidence in the process of investigation into complaints against police barely exists within the ranks of those who constitute South Australia's "thin blue line".
The responsibility for engendering that confidence clearly rests with SAPOL, the Police Complaints Authority and the Government.
For too long, too many police officers have been forced to live with dispiriting slurs and preposterous allegations of wrongdoing. Significantly, baseless complaints seem always to be made against the backdrop of the accused officer's indescribable devotion to duty.
Fortunately, with Police Association assistance, the names of many falsely accused police officers have been cleared. That such exoneration sometimes takes years to achieve, however, is wholly unacceptable.
In the cases of Gary Batty and Jackie McDonald (Criminalizing A Cop, Police Journal, May, 1998), irrefutable, video-tape evidence of their innocence was always available to their accusers - it was not acted on.
To their great credit, Batty and McDonald have risen above the injustice inflicted upon them. But the current police-complaints system continues to traumatize innocent, dedicated cops. If it's not completely overhauled, it will serve only to embitter and further sap the morale of Australia's best police.
Retired Supreme Court judge, Iris Stevens' review of the operations of the Police Complaints Authority is the starting point from which a just and open system must develop.
A RIGHT NOT TO BE DENIED
One of the many aspects of the police bill is a code of conduct. This code has the capability of impinging on a fundamental right which, in the world's democracies, is expected to be inalienable: free speech.
Whatever fear SAPOL has of its employees' public comments doesn't justify invoking a rule of silence, or threatening such with this introduced legislation.
In its final report, the Fitzgerald inquiry of the late '80s into police misconduct provided an unmistakable recommendation on people's right to speak:
The bureaucracy, however, must not penalize people simply because they are outspoken. In an open society people have a right to speak freely on matters of concern to them.
Rather than denying basic human rights such as free speech, SAPOL, as a community protector, should be far more concerned with guaranteeing them.
THE HUNTER STORY
The response to last month's cover story, A Career Lost, has been unprecedented. Many readers have asked about the Police Association's involvement in Tanya Hunter's case. The Association supported Tanya by providing whatever support that she sought from us. Her legal costs were underwritten and she was provided with legal counsel from our panel. All of our members can expect no less from PASA. And, not least of our assistance to Tanya, was to tell her story through our magazine.
