Report flawed on police obstruction
A Police Integrity Commission inquiry which took more than a year, heard more than 50 witnesses - many of them senior police - and cost millions of dollars, has recommended that no action be taken against anyone.MAXINE McKEW: The Wood Royal Commission exposed entrenched and systemic corruption in the NSW Police Service.
Commissioner Peter Ryan was recruited from the United Kingdom to clean up the force once and for all.
A crack emerged in the
"new look". A consultant to the service's reform unit has gone public with extraordinary allegations that
senior police are trying to white-ant the reform process by smearing members of his team.It appears police Internal Affairs are investigating everyone on the elite unit for alleged travel rorts and tax return irregularities.
[All about money but not police corruption or noble cause corruption?] Is this just a powerplay within the nation's largest police force or is corruption rearing its ugly head once again?
[It wouldn't matter, would it Maxine? Because when police investigate themselves nothing happened!]But yesterday's PIC,166-page report was released and, says
there is no evidence to support allegations made in October 2000 by members of the Crime Management Support Unit that their work was being undermined by senior police who were deliberately obstructing reforms.
But it is strongly critical of the former head of Internal Affairs, Mal Brammer, who conducted a covert inquiry into alleged travel rorts by some members of the unit earlier that year.
"There was evidence to support the allegation ... that Brammer was affected by bias in his investigation.
" There was also a "lack of fairness" in his inquiry "in that none of the individuals concerned were spoken to about the allegations against them."
QUENTIN DEMPSTER: Three years after the Wood royal commission found
entrenched and systemic corruption in the NSW Police Service, public confidence has been returning.
[?] Hundreds of suspect officers have resigned, retired or been sacked
[but none sent to prison?] under Commissioner Peter Ryan's dismissal powers. The entire service has been reorganised. It's no longer a hot political issue. But there was a disturbing sign -- the Police Integrity Commission damned the service's Internal Affairs Unit's competence in what was known as the 'Dresden Report'.
But yesterday's report was attacked by the NSW Opposition, which said it had not even been written by the person who had heard all the evidence and seen the demeanour of the witnesses, Judge Paul Urquhart.
"I don't know what to make of this report, we don't know who wrote it," said Andrew Tink, the spokesman on police.
"The guy who heard the evidence didn't write it. I think the PIC or the Minister for Police has an immediate obligation to explain why."
The PIC has previously said Judge Urquhart would have "input" into the final document.
The report is also mildly critical of the former commissioner, Peter Ryan, saying he made errors in the way he went about establishing the unit in June 2000 under the command of a seconded British policeman, Ken Seddon.
The aim of the unit was to help local crime managers target crime better, but it was also supposed to help cultural change by, among other things, improving the interaction between senior and junior staff.
The report found Ryan had not put 'commander [?] 'Clive Small' in charge of the unit properly and the lines of 'accountability' and 'responsibility' had thus been blurred. [Noble Cause Corruption so he could frame people.]The PIC also criticised a key member of the unit,
Jim Ritchie, who helped trigger the whole saga by holding a press conference in October 2000,
accusing senior police of blocking reform and being incompetent, drunken and bullying.While he could be "charismatic", he also appeared intolerant and some of his allegations were "exaggerated and unwarranted", the report said.
The PIC found that while some senior police did not always support the work of the unit, "there is
no evidence to support the sweeping allegation ... that senior members of the service were deliberately obstructing the reform process".
Indeed, the PIC said: "The actions of Ritchie (and others in the CMSU) on October 20, 2000, were clearly triggered by the realisation that their unit was the subject of an
internal investigation. [Police investigating themselves who find no evidence.]"Whether they seriously considered the reform process at large to be under threat, or just their own personal survival, is difficult to discern."
[Is it?]But back then
Deputy Commissioner Ken Moroney, heading
internal affairs, defended its integrity.
'STATELINE': Look, I know you've only been
in charge of Internals for nine months now, but the
PIC audit says the patterns of complaints against individual officers may not be identified because of this system, [police investigating themselves] an officer's personal problems may not be identified, networks of corrupt officers may not be identified.
[Noble Cause Corruption including framing people for murder may not be identified.]Are you asking the public to accept this isn't part of a deliberate process of whitewashing by the Police Service?
DEPUTY COMMISSIONER KEN MORONEY, NSW POLICE INTERNAL AFFAIRS: No, I don't believe it is part of a pattern, particularly in the Police Service of the year 2000.
The commissioner's instructions and his directions are quite deliberate in this regard. But equally, I take on board the critical importance of analysis and intelligence-gathering, in order to present to external agencies, and indeed to the Commissioner of Police, that the investigation into any one allegation against any one or more particular officers has been done in that open, transparent way and can, in fact, withstand the rigours of external examination.
[Open and transparent way but no evidence is found.]
QUENTIN DEMPSTER: James Ritchie didn't hold back against those senior officers he alleges are using Internal Affairs to destabilise reform. [and cover up for police corruption.] His unit lodged its evidence with the Police Integrity Commission. [That has recommended that no action be taken against anyone?]
JAMES RITCHIE: It reveals a world of total incompetence, of drunken, threatening, bullying, hand-picked members of the commissioner's executive team. Of deputy commissioners meeting senior constables secretly in pubs to correct their own superintendent-level posting errors.
Of constant last-minute scrambling to make the commissioner look good. The senior executives of the Police Service are simply not committed to deep and abiding reform.The community questions ICAC's slagging and fobbing you off?The ICAC, Commissions, Ombudsman, Police Integrity Commission (PIC), and numerous Tribunals etc, are all arms of government set up as an insurance police for the government's 3 or 4 year election terms. In short they'll be out of office by the time you may be lucky enough to have your matter heard.
Who is bad?
Super Rat? M5? M11? K8? N2? So I trust that some people who, with the photos and guns guessed that a jury would quickly establish a case against a profiled person whom, you just had a picture and a history of. Common knowledge? The government knew their victims would take the blame. Not just chess in court, 'moving around the pieces', but 'putting false evidence, or not enough evidence before the jury."
By Gregory Kable 13 Feb 03THE VOTERS: Bob Carr's head must roll.
WHY DO YOU LIE LIKE THAT? BECAUSE THE GOVERNMENT TOLD THEM SO!Related:Victims should benefit from criminal assets, not police: NSW OppositionThe New South Wales Opposition wants the victims of crime to benefit from the confiscation of criminal assets, rather than the state's police service.
Crime victim group wants say in money allocationA spokesperson from Justice Action Mr Brett Collins said, "Victims should be properly compensated regardless of the source and that is currently the law. The law says you don't need to find even the offender to get compensation. This is an attempt by the opposition to create a law and order issue-involving victims when there is in fact no issue!
Abolition of 800 year old double jeopardy law a crimeThe 800-year-old rule prevents a person who's acquitted of a criminal charge from ever being re-tried for that offense.
When real safety is jeopardised in NSWPerception of crime is still a problem in NSW, with a new Productivity Commission report showing the state's citizens feel less safe than most of their counterparts.
Former attorney-general sworn in as no mercy judgeThe state's newest Supreme Court judge, and former Labor attorney-general, Jeff Shaw, has issued a warning to his former political colleagues: do not allow the vagaries of politics to undermine the independence of the judiciary?
Australia: politicians should watch policeIn Sydney yesterday the Opposition police spokesman, Andrew Tink, urged Federal Labor MPs to allow the public hearing of the claims, which include that senior police, the PIC and the Ombudsman's office were failing to investigate legitimate complaints of misconduct, including corruption in the police promotion system.
The community questions ICAC's slagging and fobbing you off?The ICAC, Commissions, Ombudsman, Police Integrity Commission (PIC), and numerous Tribunals etc, are all arms of government set up as an insurance police for the government's 3 or 4 year election terms. In short they'll be out of office by the time you may be lucky enough to have your matter heard.
Who is bad?Super Rat? M5? M11? K8? N2? So I trust that some people who, with the photos and guns guessed that a jury would quickly establish a case against a profiled person whom, you just had a picture and a history of. Common knowledge? The government knew their victims would take the blame. Not just chess in court, 'moving around the pieces', but 'putting false evidence, or not enough evidence before the jury."
2,500 crooked detectives? Or a corrupt Government?Evan Whitton: Either two things occurred. If you said you didn't join the police force to extort money from working girls, your papers were marked 'not suitable for plain clothes' and you were sent back to uniform.
How to become corruption resistant in NSWDon't trust those who cannot prove themselves with the little amounts of trust you give them. Just because they have a letter of perceived trust doesn't mean they can be trusted.
This is not how you eat 'antisocial behaviour'Process corruption, perjury, planting of evidence, verbals, fabricated confessions, denial of suspects rights, a solicitor to induce confessions, tampering with electronic recording equipment, framing. Generally green lighting crime, and I say Murder, including the kids who overdosed on heroin. No doubt.
Black Knight - Long way to go homeIn line with the current climate of police corruption and the demise of the reform unit set up by Wood, these facts ought to have been a good reason to leave Moroney out of the package as Commissioner.
Bob down and sniff my arseThese are serious invasions of privacy and draconian laws? Where are our democratic soldiers, the lawyers and the barristers who need to take on the government in the courts? Are they plastic? Or to busy feathering their nests? Or have they been cleverly purchased by this black government. Drug test police and politicians, and have the tests independently accessed.
Come in spinner? Or Come in sinner?"You don't have, in my view very vigilant processes. I suppose it's akin to the problem of corruption within the police," he told the ABC radio. " People say there's corruption with the police (but) do you get the police to investigate problems within their own ranks?
DeedsI am disturbed by Governments 'actions' in relation to shuffling the police service. Clive Small seconded into Parliament like a cocky in a perch. A breach of the fundamental Separation of Powers Doctrine does not in my view allow the thought of intervening, planning, or shuffling to stack the deck of our police service. The one that suppose to be autonomous according to Lord Denning. Where the Parliamentary Secretary can ask the commissioner of police to 'report' then sack him if he is not satisfied with such report.
Australia's Political Underworld...& their enforcersThe promotion of law and order means money to big business. Profits from insurance, security fixtures, patrol services and the like can only continue to grow if the perceived threat of uncontrollable crime wave escalates. In the past few months there have been many examples of the true nature of our blood thirsty politicians and their sinister attempts to spoon-feed a not so gullible public with their repetitious rhetoric.
TruthWho is telling the truth? Well I guess Dr. Ed. Chadbourne or Mr. Peter Ryan may have the answer to that. Dr. Chadbourne sacked by Peter Ryan and more specifically in my view because he elected deputy commissioners Dave Madden and Andrew Scipione as the best men in the service in relation to his qualifications to make a recommendation in his capacity as human resources.That is if you believe that a Dr. can be corrupted.
HonestyWhat is happening between the Police Service and politics is quite extraordinary at the moment. If stand over tactics don't work tell half the truth honestly and follow the example of sheep. Another word for it is sleaze, yeah. Another word for it is workplace harassment. Another word for it is bribing a Police Officer. Another word for it is misleading Parliament.
Tele TalesMost people I know don't buy the Daily Telegraph. Why? Because of the lies and propaganda purported by them.
Lord DenningInteresting how a member of the Police Board Mr. Tim Priest would hold grave fears for his safety from dangerous senior police but fails to name them or have them sacked. Rather Priest resigns as if he had no powers. Could that mean what he was saying is that the Governments are also corrupt?
CorrosiveClive Small is Bob Carr's choice for the new Police Commissioner. It could only be the case considering his, Small's special appointment into Parliament House. Small who suffers from the little person syndrome is the ideal bend over boy who gets shuffled through his corrupt actions. Rolling the legal system for him after the fact, just like his predecessor Roger the dodger Rogerson.
Black NexusThe Separation of Powers Doctrine is nowcontaminated witharangeofcolours, now leaving us with a black shirt on a once blue bridge that crossed that thin blue line. The 'Amery and Woodham show'.
Same boatThe Premier, Bob Carr, relies on a militia. A gang of bikies and our Police Service, to show all of us he is no murderer. He should be taken to the task along with his partners in crime like Clive Small to account for those people who like my self have been maliciously assaulted and who have complained, without any service and those who cannot speak for themselves who were murdered, like Terry Falconer. Terry murdered in custody.
Good CopWhy have our democratic institutions broken down? It's not just the criminal justice system. The Anti-Corruption Network webmaster@anti-corruption-network.org exposes the same issues. A group of white-collar workers who say they have suffered as follows:
DangerousI refer to the Daily Telegraph article 22 March 2002 under the heading Priest quits advisory job.
Partners in crime - history!Roger Rogerson, the old hero, who never faced a result in the Warren Lanfranchi, or Sally-Anne Huckstepp murders, was let off in my opinion when the New South Wales Government rolled the legal system (deciding what evidence to give the police prosecutor) to have the jury believe the illusion they (the Government wanted to create).
Police Chronology 1994-2001View events in the NSW Police Force since the Wood Royal Commission began in 1994. 1994 May Justice James Wood is appointed Commissioner of the Royal Commission into the NSW Police Service ('WRC').