Line of fire? [Line of Noble Cause NSW Corrupt Cops] (clockwise from top left) Deputy Commissioner Dave Madden, Assistant Commissioner Peter Parsons, Superintendent Dave Swilkes, Assistant Commissioner Bob Waites and Superintendent Dave Owens.Five senior police officers have been referred to the NSW Police Integrity Commission. For some, this is not their first time in the limelight...
Police officers referred to the Police Integrity Commission, Deputy Commissioner Dave Madden, Assistant Commissioner Peter Parsons, Superintendent Dave Swilkes, Assistant Commissioner Bob Waites and Superintendent Dave Owens.
Major corruption at the highest levels in the NSW police Force has resurfaced in media reports less than 10 years after the Wood Royal Commission found that NSW police was racked with corruption.
The Police Selective Commission?
The five very senior officers have been referred to the Police Integrity Commission.
The five reported are:
Deputy Police Commissioner Dave Madden (attached to Commissioner Moroney's office) Assistant Commissioner Peter Parsons (in charge of the state's northern region) Assistant commissioner Bob Waites (heads the command covering greater Sydney) Superintendent Dave Swilkes (runs the command covering Newcastle region) Superintendent Dave Owens (area commander for Sydney's eastern suburbs)
The details of why they were reported are 'secret' and no evidence has been publicly released as to any wrongdoing, with both the NSW Premier Bob Carr and the Police Integrity Commission keeping quiet.
So, who are some of the 5 that have been referred to the Police Integrity Commission?
Dave Madden
The most senior officer to be referred to the Police Integrity Commission is Deputy Police Commissioner Dave Madden, attached to the Commissioner's office. He was involved in media liaison during the Macquarie Fields riots, as well as media liaison when he announced (1 hour before the running of the Melbourne Cup) that the alcohol blood sample was not received by police after it was taken by former judge, Justice Shaw, after Justice Shaw was involved in a drink-driving incident.
Dave Madden was the former Bankstown local area commander where in October 2000 he was appointed as Director of Education Services at the Goulburn Police Academy. Dave Madden was replaced at Bankstown local area command by Peter Parsons.
Peter Parsons
Assistant Commissioner Peter Parsons has been a police officer since 1974, his father being a former Assistant Commissioner. He came to light during a series of high profile raids on The Block, Redfern, on 11 August 2000, which was criticised as being yet another orchestrated attack on Sydney's indigenous community for the benefit of the camera.
He defended the raids by saying "Police from city east region led by the Redfern Drug Investigation Unit are currently executing a number of search warrants on targeted premises here within the block area." According to the ABC World Today programme.
During his time on the job Peter Parsons has defended the granting of police bail to a man who was arrested on 38 (thirty-eight) charges, including kidnapping and sexual assault, against 9 women and girls, at least one as young as 13. Peter Parsons defended the application of bail. The man, who was not named, was a serving police officer at the time, according to the 15 March 2004 ABC on-line.
Bob Waites and Operation Florida
Bob Waites is Assistant Commissioner and heads the command covering greater Sydney. He appeared in front of the cameras during the Redfern riots over the death of TJ Hickey on 14 February 2004. He was the centre of criticism by a member of the Parliamentary Committee into the Redfern riots, according to Aimee Brown of the Centre for Independent Journalism.
According to Brown, Greg Pearce (Liberal) attacked the actions of Bob Waites, saying that the "lack of training and experience and disorganisation of the police during the night was compounded by Waites not following standard procedures."
Of more relevance now is the link between police line management accountability and 'Operation Florida.' The ABC PM programme reported 28 June 2004 that the Police Integrity Committee had just tabled a report saying that the culture of corruption in the police force had survived the Wood Royal Commission.
The report followed the end of 'Operation Florida,' which found widespread evidence of corruption, including police taking bribes from drug dealers to stealing cash and property, to planting evidence on suspects. During this time Bob Waites was in charge of the local area command.
The report referred to one police officer, Ray Peattie, who admitted that he took his first bribe of $100 in 1981, and that conduct continued for most of his 25 year police career.
As the heroin trade grew in Australia during the 1980s and 90s, so too did the amount Ray Peattie received in bribes. While taking bribes hand over fist, Ray Peattie at the same time as the Wood Royal Commission was going on in another part of Sydney' became acting crime manager at Manly police station. Manly was the very station that was brought in to monitor the performance of other stations in the command. Peattie, himself, wrote the anti-corruption plan. Bob Waites was his boss.
The promotion of Bob Waites led to a question being asked in the NSW Legislative Assembly about why Waites was promoted when such corruption was going on underneath his nose. On 17 October 2001 the then Minister for Police was asked (by Mr Tink, 17.10.01, page 17480).
Mr Tink: My question without notice is to the Minister for Police. In light of the Minister's promise in March 1996 that police commanders would be held accountable for corruption occurring within their command, can he explain why Bob Waites, the man who was in charge of the Northern Beaches local area command in the period leading up to Operation Florida, was promoted to regional commander on the very day the Police Integrity Commission hearings began?
The then Minister for Police did not answer the question and some of us may have to wait a very long time before the truth comes out.
A copy of reports into police corruption used to be found at Reports into NSW police corruption Now removed [10 April 09] from the PIC Website for the sake of cleaning up police history?
These include the Wood Royal Commission into police corruption, Operation Florida, reports on Special Branch, soliciting drugs, general corruption, etc etc etc etc
Assistant Commissioner Bob Waites again!
A clue to the devastating findings in the Coburn report [into the Redfern riots] was provided in some of the police evidence to the inquiry. Of concern was some of the evidence of Commander Bob Waites, who attempted to blame the subordinate on the scene for lack of proper response. Mr Waite's failure to turn up to the riot prior to 1.30 in the morning was not satisfactorily explained and his failure to implement correct procedures for example, locating himself in the correct command situation was not pursued."
- Greg Pearce, NSW Legislative Council Hansard, Standing Committee on Social Issues 10/11/2004
The Police Selective Commission
Ed: By and large any matter of police allegations or even senior police allegations referred to the PIC are just a white wash for all the community to absorb. Alleged legitimisation of the PIC. But only what the PIC wants people to see and that means the results are nul and void down the track, most of the time.
Issues that the PIC select are just that, a selection of police can do no wrong issues. But those police that don't do the Noble Cause Corruption for the government usually get referred and then found guilty and punished. Those that do the Noble Cause Corruption can have a job with the government until they retire.
By Just Us posted 26 April 05
Related:
NSW Cop suspect in murder?
A sacked Sydney police officer has finished giving testimony at a hearing into his corrupt activities over the past eight years. Christopher John Laycock was yesterday recalled to the witness stand at the Police Integrity Commission (PIC).
Corrupt NSW police officer sacked
New South Wales Police Commissioner Ken Moroney has sacked an officer who confessed to being involved in corrupt activities over the past eight years.
Policeman draws blank on fake raids
A suspended Sydney policeman has told an inquiry that he has "little recollection" of the details of fake police raids he set up.
Officer planned to kidnap criminals
A senior Sydney police officer who has admitted taking money for tipping off a child porn suspect had also been planning to kidnap criminals and extort money from them, the Police Integrity Commission heard yesterday.
Police offer protection to family following gang rape allegations
The parents of a 14-year-old girl claim their daughter was gang-raped in Sydney earlier this year, and have raised concerns about corrupt policeman Detective Sergeant Christopher Laycock's review of the case.
NSW police prosecutor charged with child porn possession
A New South Wales police prosecutor has been charged with the possession of child pornography.
Police, teachers charged in child porn bust
One-hundred-and-fifty people, including police officers and teachers, have been arrested in what the Federal Police (AFP) describe as Australia's biggest Internet child pornography bust.
A corrupt way to treat the community?
I seen the police bleeding on Nine's Sunday program arguing that promotion should depend on how many crimes police have solved and not how many brains they have and that was coming from police commissioner Ken Moroney and Police Minister John Watkins?
Judges Blood Sample: After the fact of the fact of a hangover?
Lawyers say New South Wales Supreme Court judge Jeff Shaw should not give police his own sample of blood taken after he crashed his car near his Sydney home last month.
NSW police drug amnesty under review
A drug amnesty for the New South Wales police force is under review, Police Commissioner Ken Moroney has said.
Police to uphold law not decide mental health
A diagnosis of mental illness could be made over the phone instead of in person, and involuntary psychiatric patients could lose the right to have their case reviewed by a magistrate, under proposed changes to NSW mental health laws.
Redfern police need education not weapons
According to the description of one senior police officer, the ACLO called out on the afternoon before the Redfern violence escalated was "hopeless, intoxicated and had no driver's licence."
Bulldogs simply not the best!
SIMPLY NOT THE BEST AND DEFINITELY NOT BETTER THAN ANYONE, ANYONE I'VE MET.
Clive Small, NSW Inspector Gadget
NSW Police has revived controversial plans for a specialist discriminative squad to tackle the wave of violent crime that has plagued Sydney's south-west for more than a decade.
'Police Integrity Commission' Why do you lie like that?
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.
2,500, crooked detectives? Or a corrupt Government?
The Wood Royal Commission into police corruption. Where did the police learn their trade skills? Led by example perhaps?
Australia's Political Underworld...And their enforcers
The 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.
Lord Denning
Interesting how a member of the Police Board Mr. Tim Priest would hold grave fears for his safety from dangerouse 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?
Black Nexus
The 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'.
Partners in crime - history!
Roger Rogerson, the old hero, who never faced a result in the Lanfranchy, or 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).Similarly, Peter Ryan facing the Police Integrity Commission for questions about his involvement in the demise of the dysfunctional reform unit. Chess in the court (rolling the legal system).
'Police Integrity Commission' Why do you lie like that?
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.
Police Chronology 1994-2001
View 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').
Federal Police
AFP: The unlikely CRIMINAL
It was born of a bombing and it made its name after a far more devastating act of terrorism. But for most of the 25 years in between, little was known about the Australian Federal Police force or the work it did.
