by CAA | Aug 12, 2019 | Library, Uncategorized
12th of August 2019
In 1977 then Assistant Commission Mick Miller identified Blue Light as a worthwhile program and started supporting the fledgling project. As Chief Commissioner, he ramped up his support, and Blue Light flourished with close to 130 Discos in Victoria. The initiative was so successful that it was adopted in every state and territory in Australia and spread internationally as a result of Miller presenting the program to an Australian Chief Commissioners conference.
With nearly four hundred Disco’s operating in Australia and many more overseas, much of the credit must go to Miller’s foresight and active participation.
Blue Light is just as strong and relevant today, standing the test of time in all other jurisdictions except Victoria, where sadly decisions by Chief Commissioner Nixon, dismantled many of the Police Youth initiatives and subsequently decimated Blue Light.
Blue Light in Victoria still survives despite the adversity it faced but the number and frequency of disco’s, its core function, has substantially diminished.
Blue Light Victoria was proud to have recognised Chief Commissioner Miller’s contribution to Blue Light by appointing him their first Patron and first Life Member.
Miller’s contribution to Blue Light will never be forgotten. Rest in Peace Chief.
Ivan W Ray
Foundation President
Life Member
Blue Light Victoria.
- Mick, I hope that there are plenty of Vanilla slices of the standard you demand.
by CAA | Aug 9, 2019 | Library, Uncategorized
10th of August 2019
There will be many who knew of Mick Miller and knew the esteem with which he was held but perhaps wonder why so many of us held him with such high regard.
I could think of no greater mark of respect than to honour his memory by us telling his story so that others may share what we were privileged to experience.
………………………………………………………
In 1983 as a result of the devastating Ash Wednesday Fires, emergency services resources of the State were criticised along with Displan.
A project called Operation Emergency was developed in 1985 with the intention of providing a significant display to showcase, all emergency services demonstrating the capacity of them to work together.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyXkhI-hH04
A project team was assembled from the major services, and a sponsor was recruited to underwrite the $40k budget we had established.
The sponsor allocated a senior corporate executive and provided the service of a Marketing expert who had recently arrived from their parent company in the UK to help with the project.
As the planning progressed we were assured, on multiple occasions including assurance to the Chief Commissioner that funding was not a problem. The assurances came from the most senior people in the company, including the Managing Director.
For a number of reasons, mostly out of the control of the project team, the major event held at Calder Park was poorly patronised. Weather, competition from other 150th celebrations, poor promotion and overreach caused a massive shortfall in income.
The wash-up saw a debt of $1.2M albeit that Operation Emergency was arguably the best ever display of its type never to be equalled.
Creditors were starting to circle and focusing on me. I was being pursued for $1.2M because the sponsor had reneged on the underwriting.
To say I was stressed, would be an understatement; I hated answering the phone, answering my front door or opening the mail. Neither I nor any of the project team had ever been involved in these financial arrangements or commitments.
My scheduled course at Airlie Officers College had been postponed because of this project, until shortly after Operation Emergency. This is a critical three months course of intense study.
I was doing it tough at Airlie and a few weeks into my course, I was called out of a lecture to the Directors Office, the Chief Commissioner wanted to see me.
I approached the Office with dread and foreboding, not knowing what to expect, but it couldn’t be good if the Chief had come down to Airlie specifically to confront me.
I went in, and SIM was sitting down and appeared pleased to see me which confused me more. He asked the Director to leave us alone as he needed to discuss with me something of great importance. My immediate thought was, there goes Airlie and my Commission at the very least.
The upshot was that he had come down to tell me that the financial matters which he knew had placed substantial pressure on me had been resolved and most importantly that the Emergency Service Foundation money we had raised was secure and that organisation would survive and still does.
He knew I was being harassed by creditors, and he reassured me, to my great relief, that I and nobody on the project team was responsible for what happened and would not be held accountable.
His words “You and your team did a magnificent job; it was then for me to do mine, it’s all over”. “I will ensure that you are not disadvantaged here (Airlie)”.
Words that are etched in my memory forever.
It still took quite some time after Airlie for me to recover, such was the significance of the issue, but I am ever indebted to SIM for not only solving the problem but the way he delivered the news.
For those that never met him that is the calibre of the man and why he is held in such high esteem.
RIP Mick.
by CAA | Jul 30, 2019 | Library, Uncategorized
30th July 2019
What a challenge for police in Victoria and Law enforcement in general, with the revelations at the Lawyer X Royal Commission. Although there is a long way to go and many more revelations to be aired, we can already draw some conclusions.
The impact on the Victoria Police will be severe and leave a scar that will hang around for decades, as did the Kaye Abortion Inquiry in 1971.
A positive of the Kaye inquiry is that it heralded decades of stable, effective Policing management with Chief Commissioners the ilk of Jackson, Miller and Glare.
Whether it was the Kaye Abortion Inquiry in Victoria, the Fitzgerald Inquiry into corruption in Queensland or the Wood Commission into corruption in NSW, we should be cognisant of those inquires as they all had similarities in their outcomes.
Each of these inquiries resulted in four individuals charged, and the majority of those charged doing substantial jail time. One possible variation with this Commission is that several former Police executives may also be held to account and risk jail time.
The very long list of Police members and others who came under scrutiny in the historical inquiries saw their career prospects evaporate and most resigned or retired prematurely, many to protect their superannuation. Whether this Commission has a similar outcome remains to be seen.
Many current and contemporary former Police are in denial. The mantra that.’ The end justifies the means ‘, ’ they were just crooks anyway’, ‘ the greater good was being served’,’ acting in good faith’ do not survive scrutiny, the tenet of law was being abused.
The denial by contemporary police is understandable to a degree, but Police and former Police are going to have to come to grips with the realities of this Commission
The line has been crossed by those that led the organisation into this morass. When Police ignore the law, irrespective of their excuse, there are often undesirable and illegal consequences.
Police becoming the Law, rather than just enforcing it, if not checked, will lead to a Police State. A police state run by a small number of elites or a clique is a perilous proposition.
It was not only the crooks that were informed on, but also Police, and on the periphery of the Lawyer X matter are examples of absolute abuse of power when investigating Police. If you were on the wrong side of the clique lookout. There are a great many former members who can attest to that and remain silent because of confidentiality agreements, a legal tool exploited to cover up corporate misdeeds.
The Lawyer X Scandal eats at the heart of the system that police officers have sworn to uphold, but it was wrong on so many levels, it had to unravel, it is just surprising it took so long.
It took many millions of State dollars to wage a legal war that was destined to fail from the outset. If VicPol had addressed the problem years ago rather than try to suppress it, the savings to the public purse would have been astronomical and the damage to the reputation to VicPol minimised and the Royal Commission not required.
An extra thousand police instead of making lawyers rich would have been a more desirable outcome in the interest of the community and operational Police know exactly where to place the blame for resource deficiencies.
What sets this Royal Commission apart from the other inquiries is the role of legal practitioners. A positive of sorts for any Police doing Jail time, they will have access to legal advice, potentially in the next cell.
There is no knowing how widespread this practise of using Lawyers as informers against Police and crooks has spread. That is a matter for the Commission, but has put every member who needs legal representation at risk, who can they trust?. It was a very slippery slope embarked on with Lawyer X.
As in the past, it will be a comparatively few individuals, probably less than one per cent, who were blatantly incompetent, stupid, dishonest, criminal, or all four, and an even smaller number ultimately held to account, but for every one of these individuals there are tenfold dedicated police who are not morally or otherwise corrupt that will, ’uphold the right’.
We must support and let the Royal Commission do its job and weed out the malcontent incompetents and rid us of them.
At a time fast approaching, as with all the other police inquiries, there will be a tipping point where the reality of the prospect of Jail will loom large for many, and they will seek to cut a deal about their involvement.
The phrase, ’ every man for himself’, will soon be the norm and it is going to get ugly. Whatever you do make sure you are not in the doorway as the stampede out begins.
Hold on, it is going to be a rough ride.
by CAA | Jul 28, 2019 | Library, Uncategorized
29th July 2019
Incidents of violence in our Youth detention facilities seem to be on the increase, and it would seem inevitable that there will be a death before real action is taken to curb this malevolent violence. There have already been substantial injuries sustained as a result of misbehaviour by inmates without apparent effective preventative strategies being implemented.
It is not a new phenomenon, and it would seem that the bureaucracy has been unable or unwilling to provide a solution. The responsible agency has a whiff off Nero’s fiddle about it.
The system of management of youths in detention must be streamlined so that the on-ground management can react to problems in, ‘real-time’, not be hamstrung by protracted machinations. The people they are dealing with live in the’ real-time’, now, with little, if any forward thought, so the reactions to their behaviours must be managed the same way.
We often hear that “the riot had been brewing for some time”, that can only mean that authorities knew, as they should, that problems were imminent but failed in their duty. Likewise, any sudden outburst or behavioural breach by an inmate must also be dealt with in the,’ now’.
Every riot or violent incident is a failure of the system and must be viewed that way.
Protracted considerations, rationalised assessments, consultative processes, crisis meetings, psychological interventions and the like, might make managers feel they have taken action. Unfortunately, any outcome from this process will be guaranteed to be too late and therefore fail.
The solution is not that difficult.
As soon as a detainee in the Youth Detention system refuses to obey a reasonable and lawful instruction by prison staff, then they must be immediately taken before the Duty Governor.
Appearing before the Governor is an intervention to establish whether the facts as reported are correct, breach the established standards and can be corroborated. The Governor, unless exceptional circumstance exists, must transfer the Young person to a secure adult facility immediately without hesitation direct from the Governor’s Office. A twenty-four-hour service if you will.
This transfer must be as a continuum of the presentation to the Duty Governor. Effectively, if a perpetrator assaults or threatens or intimidates another inmate or prison staff, within an hour or so, they are transferred.
This process protects prison Staff and other inmates and de-escalates the risks posed by the perpetrator, so staff and the perpetrator are protected, avoiding the circumstance escalating out of control. The perpetrator’s focus will rapidly shift from their current mindset to what now is ahead of them.
Staff then have the added protection of de-escalating and preventing violence by warnings that non-compliance by an inmate will result in an appearance before the Governor with the consequences known to inmates.
The period that the perpetrator remains in the adult prison can then be determined by the Juvenile Parole Board and that period can be adjusted depending on the behaviour of the youth in the adult prison.
A Youth who has been transferred for the first time may only be in the adult prison for seven to fourteen days before returning to Youth detention. Further infractions will see the same outcome but where possible the youth must be transferred to a different prison facility. It is the transfer that becomes the manager.
There will be a ’conga line’, of self-righteous advocates screaming that this approach is barbaric and denies natural justice, and(that catchall phrase used when the argument is weak) every convention including the rights of the youths. However, the other prisoners and the staff also have rights that are far more relevant than the youth offender who is misbehaving by choice.
Rights and other conventions and legislation are written in the context that youths in detention are benign. A youth whose behaviour escalated to uncontrollable must be managed for their own safety and the safety of other detainees and staff.
This process delegated to the Governor can have accountabilities to ensure the system is not abused. An important safeguard is to have a Youth worker present at the Governors hearing.
More than likely detainees transferred and returned to Youth detention will claim amongst their peers bragging rights, or claim superiority having been in a real jail, but that must be ignored, and a consistent approach as we have outlined will dull that undesirable outcome.
Although the time spent in an adult jail is relevant, the main focus of this initiative is the process that breaks the behavioural nexus to avoid escalation.
by CAA | Jul 2, 2019 | Library, Uncategorized
3rd of July 2019
Attorney General, Jill Hennessey, has flagged significant reforms to overhaul our legal system.
This news is fantastic and that a number of the reforms touch on the issues raised by the Community Advocacy Alliance (CAA), over the last four years, is heartening indeed.
As reported in the Herald Sun,
“New laws forcing crooks to cough up cash for their victims, an overhaul of defamation laws to protect journalists and a fresh bid to break open the state’s suppression order culture are all in the works”.
Addressing the transparency of Courts is laudable as is the monitoring of sentencing, but there is one omission, that, if addressed, would have a greater impact on the welfare of victims and the governance of the State of Victoria and the lawful performance of the private sector, than all the other reforms being considered.
We are not referring to Criminal Law, although crimes can be covered up, we are referring to Civil Law where the blight of the ‘Non–Disclosure’ or ‘Confidentiality Agreements’, that have been allowed to fester to a degree where they would easily outstrip the adverse impact of the Suppression Order pandemic in our legal system. Hiding misconduct and protecting the guilty and incompetent.
Not widely known to the public, these arrangements are used as a bargaining chip in Civil Litigation, as a tool, that the Lawyers use to silence the victim. Often referred to as, ‘shut up money’ or ‘buying silence’, either way, although technically lawful, is morally criminal in effect.
Although rampant in Police civil settlements, it is also used widely in commercial matters so the bad behaviour of a commercial enterprise can be hidden from the public because the Victim is unable to air their issues and have them exposed by the media. Victims bought off.
The Banking Royal Commission and perhaps the Lawyer X scandal could have been avoided if the bad behaviour had been scrutinised by the media earlier; commercial and legal imperatives would have forced change.
The use of this process in civil matters that either the public or police members bring against Victoria Police or the Government hides from scrutiny the mischief or malpractice by the organisation alleged.
Coupled too often to this immoral process the abuse by Government entities of the principal of ‘Model litigant’. This rule needs to be given teeth so Government entities cannot use delaying tactics in civil matters to frustrate complainants, hoping they cannot afford the protracted legal process.
Unfortunately, the principle decision makers within the Government entities are the ones most likely to be adversely affected by many civil actions, so they have a vested interested in making the actions go away, and delays and confidential settlements are the tools at their disposal and regularly used.
Light is the best disinfectant and needs to be let in if bad practices are to be eliminated.
There is a strong and unequivocal obligation on jurists to ensure that the right of the public to know is honoured, and that means that bad behaviours which are identified in the civil and public areas are exposed.
The ‘Non-Disclosure’ mechanism imposed on either aggrieved members of the community or aggrieved members of the Police Force, bar the victims from speaking out creating self-imposing guilt that their experiences cannot be exposed to improve things for others or satisfy their anger or publicly repair lost credibility.
We often hear from victims that are excited for their day in court where the ‘true story’, of their experience can be told, and the culprits that they hold responsible will be held to account. The reality is that their dream is rarely if ever realised as inevitably the civil action they instigate is resolved with a settlement that includes a ‘Non-Disclosure’ clause.
It is true that the victims enter into these agreements voluntarily, usually based on legal advice but to reject those clauses in any settlement usually has a substantially negative monetary risk or penalty attached.
The efforts of the Attorney General must be applauded by all Victorians, and we would encourage the Attorney General to consider the ‘Non-Disclosure’ and the ‘Model Litigant’ matters when dealing with the freedom of the press.
We are convinced that if the ‘Non-Disclosure’ and ‘Model litigant’, matters were not abused, then matters would be exposed far earlier, giving Parliament a chance to act and the need for Royal Commissions reduced.
The CAA applauds the actions of the Attorney General.
“Do the right thing, do what needs to be done.”
The Hennessey motto.
by CAA | Jun 23, 2019 | Library, PTSD, Uncategorized
Depression, Anxiety
These are both real
I speak from experience
It is a big deal.
In a dark place
No way I can see
This is not how
Things should now be
Fearing to leave
My one only space
Tears in my eyes
No smile on my face.
Not ready to talk
The world is outside
For depression has taken
A terrible ride.
This room of depression
My mind going mad
Voices now tell me
That I am so bad
This room that
I’m trapped in
My mind going weird
This is now serious
It’s what I had feared
Anxious to leave
This one only room
I know I need help
I need it real soon.
It’s been a long battle
But I am still here
With love and support
I’ve nothing to fear.
This message important
This illness is real
Seek help and support
This is a big deal.
by Helen Toohey.
by CAA | Jun 14, 2019 | Library, Police Veterans in Schools, Uncategorized
14th June 2019
The Community Advocacy Alliance (CAA) is developing a volunteer Police Veterans in Schools Program (PVISP) similar to the discontinued Police In Schools program (PSIP).
We are inviting expressions of interest from former members of Victoria Police who would like to be considered for this project.
Although previous classroom and PSIP experience are desirable, it is not essential as we will be developing a training program for volunteers and our curriculum is well into development and should be completed in the coming weeks.
It is anticipated that Veterans would only need to dedicate one or two half days a week, and their times and commitments would be negotiated directly with the School/s.
We are confident that the experience of life and Policing that Veterans uniquely posses are a valuable resource that can make the future for children and the community more harmonious.
We propose to have a pilot up and running for the later terms of this school year. Every effort will be made to connect Veterans with schools in their local area.
The PSIP program was one of the most rewarding and enjoyable functions of Policing, and few members left the program unless unavoidable.
You can now enjoy that experience and contribute to community safety again.
For further information and your eligibility, or to express interest, contact Ivan Ray CEO, CAAInc on ivan@caainc.org.au
by CAA | Jun 13, 2019 | Library, Police Veterans in Schools, Uncategorized
13th June 2019
The PVISP has ticked off on several issues and progression is excellent.
We now have volunteers coming on board to ensure the success of the program.
Project evaluation
Dr Ray Shuey has volunteered to manage the measuring of the project as it develops, ensuring we can as necessary adjust the program to achieve maximum benefits.
Fiscal management
Michael Grosvero JP FCPA will manage the finances of the project to ensure compliance and best practice. Working with Dr Shuey, they will develop budgets and projected income demands to ensure the ongoing viability of the project.
Charitable status
The ACNA has accepted the CAA for Registration as a Charity.
Tax Status
The Australian Tax Office has issued the CAA with a Notice of Endorsement for Charity tax concessions effective from the 22nd of August 2019.
Fund sourcing
To date, the CAA has operated primarily on funds donated by the Board members, however, to augment this we have launched a Go-Fund-me page that has already started to attract donors, and although we do not anticipate that this will be our major funding source, it will provide basic funding in the development stage of the project. Future funding will be sourced by developing partnerships with appropriate entities. Such entities will be carefully screened before accepting their support.
Curriculum and associated matters
As previously announced Peter Jarvis, MOET, Dip Ed, B.Arts, Dip Police Studies, Dip Management, has joined us as our Educational Adviser and he is well on the way to completing the Curriculum and associated material for the project including the training of PVISP Operatives. He is confident that the completion of the necessary material is imminent.
Project Coordination
We welcome to the Board retired Detective Superintendent Frank Byrne and retired Chief Inspector Robin Bailey. These two appointees are critical to the project. They are both well qualified and experienced in this type of project and will work closely with our Educational Adviser to get the program off the ground. With one based in Geelong and the other in the East, they can coordinate over wider areas. These members will also be involved in the selection process for suitable former Police members to deliver the program.
School Participation
All 1900 Primary Schools have been invited to submit expressions of interest to be considered for the PVISP program. This exercise will determine the size of the market we need to service, and although the invitations were only circulated on the 13th of June Replies have already started.
Former Police participation
Locating and inviting former Police to participate is somewhat more difficult as there is no reliable database available so we will be initially relying on social media but as soon as we have sufficient funds we propose to run advertisements in print media to let the former members know of the project. We have already secured several volunteers, but we are realists and understand that we need many more.
Insurance
We are currently negotiating to Insure the volunteers as ‘Voluntary workers’ We expect that currently, we will not be able to cover this cost which we would anticipate is substantial, however, the Policy will be negotiated to a stage so that it can be activated at short notice.
Identity/ branding
The identity and branding of this project for uniforms etcetera is currently under consideration by a partner organisation, and as soon as this matter is resolved, advice will be provided, and the design and style of a uniform will be undertaken.
Project Launch
The Project will be launched at a time to be determined, but it will be when we are at a stage that a tangible function of the project can be demonstrated.
by CAA | Jun 12, 2019 | Library, Uncategorized
12th July 2019
If we are going to get on top of the road toll, it is never going to be achieved by a blitz every now and again.
The culture of drivers needs to change, and that will not be achieved with spasmodic activity that is nothing more than a band-aid for the problem.
The profile of enforcement when the motorists are actually driving has to be applied at all times. The checking the mirror to see if a police car is behind is no longer a necessity because they will not be there and every driver knows it. Even Police cars travelling with traffic no longer pose a deterrent effect because we rarely if ever see Police cars intercepting motorists for traffic violations.
A publicised blitz will have some impact, but only if the culture is changed. A blitz is only one small part of any overall strategy to reduce the road toll. Similar to the random breath test, they are only part of the solution, not the panacea and we have seen the effect of putting,’ all the eggs in one basket’, the road toll keeps going up.
Enforcement has to be constant and supported by education and technology.
Essential to this approach is the visible “Police presence”, that reinforces it.
The excuse that has been proffered as the reason for the lack of a police presence on our highways is the need for Police to be two up, where traditionally highway cars were one up.
The safety of the Police is sighted as the objective. In the history of Highway patrolling in this state, only one Police Officer tragically lost his life at the hands of a violent perpetrator, and that member was patrolling on a motorcycle.
This excuse, for lack of a visible Police presence, reflects poorly on the Police management.
As with other jurisdictions, the solution is fairly simple.
Each Highway Shift should remain two members per shift, but instead of them both working in one car, have a car each — immediately doubling the visible Police presence and enforcement capability.
Simple supervision and operating techniques with a commonsense application would see both members working in the same patch of highway separated by no more than a few minutes and at most times in line of sight contact.
This procedure is safer than the current two up policy as it is near impossible for a perpetrator to take out both members simultaneously if there is a reasonable distance between them with the added resource of an additional Poice car.
We are not suggesting a laissez-faire approach, but a practical method to increase the enforcement and effective presence of police on the roads.
We are also concerned about the attitude of VicPol when it needs additional resources. It seems that ‘Proactive Policing’, is of such little importance or priority that their role will be least impacted, by using them on traffic.
We are confident that if a pragmatic approach was taken and all non-operational functions reviewed there would be ample numbers to staff substantial Highway/ Traffic patrols, and there would be plenty over to re-energize the undermanned stations so they can undertake traffic enforcement along with their other duties.
With the largest Police Force in Australia in actual numbers and the highest ratio of Police per capita, we fear that VicPol is looking like the Hawthorn Experiment re-occurring in reverse.
The more resources poured in the poorer the performance.
Time for a proper review.
by CAA | May 31, 2019 | Library, PTSD, Uncategorized
31st May 2019
Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton in his article, ‘Victoria Police demand respect,’ invited readers of the Herald Sun 31/5/19 to;
Ask any old school copper if they’ve seen the levels of respect for police change over the years, and their answer will not surprise you.
The Community Advocacy Alliance Inc. (CAA) has several ‘Old School Coppers’ (600 years’ worth) and therefore is well qualified to provide the community with the answer to this question, and the answer may surprise you.
Respect is a two-way disposition, not only has respect deteriorated towards Police, but the Police respect for the community has deteriorated in equal measure.
Although there are many aspects to the Police delivering their part of the bargain, the major influencers to this deterioration are, Disengagement, lack of Service delivery and after service for (victims) the community Police have served.
Every successful modern organisation, whether Political, Not for profit or commercial, all focus on these two important pillars.
The CAA has long advocated that there would appear to be no meaningful measurement of performance of Police based on their ability to deliver their service beyond the actual recording of incidents.
There is no measure that would highlight a particular Police workplace or a particular police member of any rank failing to deliver the Police service at a standard set by the organisation and meeting the expectations of the community, who pay for it.
Just two examples of service delivery that the community waits for. The Police Advice Line promised for last year, and response time statistics both seem to have evaporated. No progress reports, they have just dropped off into oblivion.
For that matter, it is not clear what the performance level in delivering the Police service Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) is by Victoria Police; other than Crime statistics. That makes it extremely hard to impossible to measure service delivery.
Moreover, there would appear to be no strategy developed for identifying and correcting anomalies, so there is little chance of the problem being rectified soon.
The CAA strongly supports the men and woman of the Victoria Police often doing jobs that nobody else can or will do, in sometimes-horrific circumstances, but even with that rider this concept of ‘Respect’, closely aligned to trust, must be earned and cannot be demanded.
It is time the management processes of Victoria Police are subject to review to bring them up to date with modern and current best practices.
by CAA | May 26, 2019 | Library, Uncategorized
26th of April 2019
The shocking statistics of our Police in this State being assaulted needs deeper public examination. This is because it is the start of a breakdown of Law and Order and a direct threat to our democracy and our freedom. The public and the Police need to jointly address this serious problem before it deteriorates further.
Former Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Ken Lay was once quoted as saying, when referencing the Drug problem,” You cannot arrest your way out of this.” He was absolutely right, but here we have another serious issue that it would appear is being addressed by technology, legislation and the weight of the law when Ken Lay’s words apply to this issue equally.
Chief Commissioner Ashton was quoted as saying,
We are doing a range of things to try to reduce the injuries to police, not only better training but also things like our body-worn cameras that we are rolling out to Police.
It all sounds like good stuff but the omissions are the standouts. Policing is, and always will be, a ‘people business’, so this is the level at which this problem must be addressed. A cultural change has occurred and needs to be adjusted for the benefit of all, not just Police.
Respect is something that you earn and always has been, and it is not something you can direct others to apply or delegate responsibility for, as that is an abrogation.
In New South Wales the assault rate on Police is an unacceptable 2500 per year but here in Victoria the assault rate is 3000, that is a significantly higher figure meaning 500 more Police are attacked here than over the border.
To emphasise the disparity with New South Wales:
NSW
Population 7.5Million, an area of over 800,000 Ksq serviced by 16.5k, Police to community ratio 1:450 with Police suffering 2500 assaults.
Victoria
Population 6.3 Million, an area of just 230,000 Ksq serviced by 18.5k Police Police to community ratio 1:340 with police suffering 3000 assaults per year.
The differential may have something to do with the level of respect for Police across the border; each Police Officer in NSW police an additional 100 people compared to their Victorian counterparts and experience 17% less violence.
This trend must be viewed as a breakdown of Law and Order in this State.
When Police lose respect, they lose authority. Because the Police are the ‘Front Line’ in protecting the community and there is evidence that this ‘Line’ is breaking down. We now see examples of other people in authority behind the line also being assaulted and abused.
It is not unreasonable to conclude this break down has become cultural so unfortunately, the plea from the Chief Commissioner is not likely to cut through to those that it needs it to.
It also has to be said, that merely pleading with the community and introducing more technology and harsher penalties will achieve little.
The solution is probably to bitter a pill to swallow for the Police executive, but it is, in the CAA’s view, the only one that will work.
Respect for the Uniform starts with the uniform being well presented. Police are turning out for duty in a scruffy, unkempt uniform with boots that are scuffed and hair that is often unruly.
This projects an image of lack of care, pride and respect for the uniform by the wearer. If Police themselves do not publicly display respect and pride in their uniform, the public certainly will not.
With all the construction work currently happening, it is not hard to notice the Hi-Viz brigade and often they are better turned out than Police, they obviously have pride.
The construction workers also wear their safety hats often in circumstances where the risk is, or need for head protection is not evident, but they present an authority. To see a Police member wearing a hat is now a novelty and only appears to be enforced in demonstrations and inner-city Policing.
The Police hat, as with the wigs and gowns as worn by the Judiciary, are symbols of authority and public confidence. They project that authority and create anonymity of the wearer who is performing that authoritative roll on behalf of the community, not themselves.
We are not referring to baseball caps, that have their place, but Police hats and management at all levels must set the example. When the Chief Commissioner conducts a press conference, he should wear his hat. He should also wear a tie and tunic. Turning up looking like he is on his way to a barbeque sends a subtle message that he, too, has little pride in his uniform.
It is not uncommon to see Police directing traffic with a Hi-Viz vest indistinguishable from any other workers encountered on the roads, save that Police, invariably do not have a hat on, where construction workers usually do.
Community engagement is an area that has largely evaporated. We rarely see Police actively patrolling the Highways, a police foot patrol in a strip shopping centre does not happen and the major retail hubs would experience crowd control issues if the oddity of Police patrolling were to occur.
The public is well aware of the oxymoron of Police patrols where the ‘observer’ is regularly seen with head down exercising their communicating thumbs rather than observing. Police cars are always going somewhere and not patrolling.
We acknowledge this in part, is a resourcing issue; but it is also a management issue. The challenge is for the Police executive to achieve change, but a cultural adjustment in policing is essential.
We occasionally see a Police vehicle visit a local sporting event, but only ever for a quick drive through. Police do not exit the vehicle and engage with the community. Saying “G’day” to a group of football supporters or just asking the score would do more for community engagement and restoration of respect than any plaintive plea from community leaders.
A trip to Parliament house is enlightening. The PSO Officers on duty are generally better presented than what we see Police in the suburbs, but you can walk past them a hundred times without connection. If a member of the public says, “G’day”, they are responsive and pleasant, but the PSOs never seems to initiate such interactions.
The need is for Police and the public to start communicating at this basic level if there is any hope of reversing the trend. This problem of lack of respect is mutually inclusive and requires all parties to make a genuine contribution.
Rather than the current approach, a “G’day”, campaign, could produce significant results, but the Police must provide the leadership in order to get public buy-in
Police in every suitable situation should instigate a greeting. It could be “Good morning” or similar salutation the member is comfortable with, accompanied by a friendly smile. Police must, however, take the lead. Add in a marketing campaign and we will all quickly see the community become engaged with its police once again.
How pleasant it would be to experience a Police member greeting you on the way past.
If you have ever travelled to Fiji, the local greeting of “Bulla” delivered effusively by locals, with a smile, is infectious and immediately creates an impression they are nice people. We are not advocating moving to that degree, but the example is relevant.
There are plenty of times that Policing interaction is not pleasant, but perpetrators who have had a personable communication with a member of the Police Force are less likely to be aggressively disposed towards them.
by CAA | May 24, 2019 | Library, Uncategorized
24th May 2019
Ever wondered where kids get the money for smokes, drugs and alcohol?
It is time to, “blow the gaff”, on the Great Myki Scam.
Fare evaders are scamming the public transport system of around $30 to $80 Million a year, and a great percentage of these scammers are our children.
How the scam works is that flustered parents are browbeaten into handing over cash because” My card has to be topped up”. Usually in the middle of the hurley burly as they are shuffled towards to door to catch their transport, a calculated strategy.
As a trusting parent, you naturally assume the money goes to top up the card; in reality, you probably never gave the matter a second thought, why would you, you trust your own children? In most cases, however, it simply goes into the back pocket to top up any allowance or other income source to fund the child’s social life, happy pills, alcohol, smokes or pot.
This scam is very widespread amongst our youth, the chances of getting caught are very low, so it is worth the risk. This is normal adolescence risk-taking, and they would rarely think past the actions to understand the consequences. Your children from a very young age are peer pressured into the scam. The first that a parent may know is a summons being served for the child to appear in court.
Parents need to have trust in their children, but they also should remove pitfalls. You would not let your child walk to close to a precipice, but you leave temptation for them that leads to criminal behaviour and a life ruined by drugs.
Arguing that we are using fear tactics means you are in denial. The drug pusher that will hunt your child is not some sleaze hanging around the skate park but far more likely to be somebody who is in your child’s circle of friends and more likely than the not you have met them.
Stopping the Myki scam will have the greatest negative impact on the drug trade and the greatest positive impact on your children, removing the temptation to break the law, steal.
Moreover, if you think that this scam would only be perpetrated by the lower socio-economic classes, you may be surprised to learn that the leafy affluent suburbs serviced by the Glen Huntley Tram Depot have the highest rate of offending. The lowest offending rate is from the Essendon Depot that services the north and western suburbs.
Did you know, or would you have guessed that the most prevalent, by quite a margin, offence accounting for over 30% of the cases before the Children’s Court is Fare evasion or more accurately Theft from transit authorities?
Did you also know that if your child is convicted of Fare evasion (Theft), then they will hinder their future having to declare their past criminal conviction for employment, passports and a raft of other requirements? Yes, fare evasion convictions are convictions for dishonesty. Being convicted as a child is still a conviction and never goes away at IBET network interac.
A great start for life with a criminal record also barring your child from a swag of career choices.
The scam can be eliminated fairly simply. Adjust your child’s Myki card account so it can be “topped up automatically.”
Removing this temptation that would through peer pressure lead to your child stealing. Automatic top-up can be a lot cheaper in the long run, is unintrusive and importantly does not risk a breach of trust with your child. This simple strategy also negates peer pressure, at least on this point.
The transit authorities must also do their part in ensuring that all Myki accounts in the name of a child are linked to an automatic account as the default option. Parents who cannot for whatever reason comply would need to make arrangements with the appropriate transit authority.
The other mammoth cost must be the appearances of large numbers of children at the Children’s Court for fare evasion (Theft). The cost in court time and legal representation, whether privately or publicly funded, must be an eye-watering number.
They, having been detected probably by the transit company for fare evasion, the companies have no choice but to send a child to Court. It astounds us that the Government has not stepped into making an arrangement where these children can be processed by the Police Cautioning Program. That option already exists for children intercepted by police for Fare evasion.
It would make a lot of sense if the fare evasion charges were processed through the Police Cautioning Program with only the recidivist offenders facing Court. A Police Caution eliminates the risk of a criminal record.
Apart from the huge cost savings, the seriousness of the offence can be sheeted home as it would then involve Police, a formal warning would seem appropriate for the child, and a financial penalty for the parent may rapidly sponsor conversion of Myki cards to an automatic top up.
Applying a little lateral thought may avoid a life of crime for some, avoid hardship for some families and a huge saving in lost revenue freeing our courts for other serious crime. Reducing the time that young people need to be detained on remand waiting for their case to be head for other more serious matters.
by CAA | May 20, 2019 | Library, Uncategorized
Submitted by Bob Wotherspoon
Sergeant Victoria Police Veteran.
20th April 2019
With Team sport, Large Companies or a Police Force, measurements are
present and drive strategies to improve.
In a football team, the measurements of success are on the scoreboard.
The strategies are on the field, introduce new players to the playing group working with senior players to gain experience and improve the game. If they are coached well, then they are on the road to success,
but they must work together. The Administration of the team are arm’s length from the field and take care of running the club. They support the team by providing medical, mental and physical support.
Is there a correlation between Team sport, Business and the Police Force? – absolutely.
In today’s modern Business they use “IFOT” measures (In Full On Time supply), this a service measure which determines the success of deliveries to the customer. The higher the measure, the greater the income. Strategies – work in teams in the workplace which are individually measured. The teams are lead by Team Leaders who have access to coaches and trainers (middle managers). Middle and Senior Managers are not usually needed to be involved in the day to day running of the business but are important for them to develop direction, marketing and ensure Corporate Governance is maintained to the highest level.
So how does this relate to the Police Force?
The measurement of the Police Force is Community statistics – Victims of Crime, Road Toll, Community behaviours. There are many statistics provided that don’t need detailing here. What we do know is that VicPol has failed the Victorian Community by not addressing the issues that create the results.
How can VicPol respond to the Community effectively?
Solution…
When new Members are appointed, they are entering a system not just Academy training. At the Academy, they learn the law. What is important is the next phase once leaving the Academy. All graduating Members should be transferred to a 24-hour station to begin the practical introduction on the Div Van. However, a station structure is required.
New Members are working with selected Constables and Senior Constables to learn the culture of good Policing … With this, their personalities will evolve into the Police person they will become… we are not the same person from civvy street… what we see and do changes that – some it hardens, others succumb to pressure and can suffer long term with PTSD… we are all different, and no-one should be pigeonholed. What we need to do is identify the effect on Members. Moreover, there is only one way to do that – Sergeants and Senior Sergeants.
The role of Sergeant/Sen. Sgt’s needs reviewing. Not only are their mentors but they need responsibility within the Sub-District. In charge of station Training, Special Duties, Welfare, Roster other designated tasks which affect the Sub-District. The Senior Sergeant needs detailed knowledge of his Sub-District so he can detail to his Sergeants areas of concern – Street gangs forming, petty crime,
families with a history of domestic violence. Target areas for car crews to be aware of.
The Sub-District Leaders should meet once per month with the Divisional Inspector for a round table open discussion on progress in the Sub-/District. The Inspector can furnish the monthly reports on the Department’s measurements, so all are aware of the success of the strategies. Sergeants should be open about all personnel in the station, identify the jewels coming through the system along with those that need closer training.
From these meetings, Members would be identified from their personalities and ear-marked for tasks like
Special Duties (more hardened) who may be tasked for street gangs etc.
The Inspector should be trained in the understanding of Leadership programs and any other training models available to all Members to enhance their capabilities to be more effective, be very close to HR Resources. No-one should be promoted to Sergeant or Senior Sergeant without the completion of a Leadership course which should be part of the Sub-Officers course.
I believe this framework to assist at the coal face will provide an opportunity for Members to develop their careers that suit their ‘Police” personality … they can then develop a career path suitable to them and with the internal support I am not going into detail here, but this raises the question of transfers and promotions based on seniority… this needs reviewing.
I am not offering thoughts on the commissioned rank above Inspector as the impact on the Community starts at Station level. If a culture change is focussed on the first two years of a Members entry into the Police Force and the suggested strategies are deployed then we will see a reduction in the statistics as more focus is localised before it gets out of hand as it is today.
by CAA | May 17, 2019 | Library, Uncategorized
17th MAy 2019
It would seem VicPol is no longer an instrument of the people, but a tool of politicians, maybe not of the State parliament itself but, of self-promoting individual politicians; it is no longer a Police Force but a political Service, maybe to be known in future as PolServ?
Once upon a time, when television was not as polished at presenting news topics, that, widely-seen media had a real impact on public opinion. News-readers read the news headlines; reporters reported scene reports.
Now presenters may be directed by their supervisors or moguls, slant “news reports” to the degree they feel is important, or think is best.
To a considerable extent, the same happens in the huge areas of print media and the great mass believe these reports are true and absorb them.
The recent trend to “fake news” is mostly indistinguishable from genuine facts.
Maybe it’s been over the last thirty years, but on television and in the various media things have changed politically, and in many cases, not for the better.
Except perhaps at a major crime scene, former Chief Commissioner S.I. Miller was rarely seen on TV standing beside or behind Sir Rupert Hamer or Lindsay Thompson both outstanding Victorian Premiers or visually associating VICPOL with any other politician.
As with Mr Miller’s predecessor, Mr Reg Jackson and his successor Mr Kelvin Glare, they certainly did not publicly and obviously, appear in circumstances where they were seen to be aligned politically in any way at all.
They were not seen as “tacitly supporting” any politician, as far as we can recall. Absolutely not widely-seen and stage-managed or indications of implied support, political mate-ship or favouritism at all, appeared on TV or the print media during their tenures. Neither was there an apparent implication of master-and-servant relationship, or subservience, involving the CCP and politicians
Mr Miller was also known to say that he had his job to do, and politics had no part in that.
He recognised that his guide was the laws that parliament passed, and not personal intentions or directions of party politicians.
With the first apparently politically-appointed Chief Commissioner the picture became quite different, essentially overnight and has grown markedly sever since. Currently, there seems to be little, if any, of the essential and proper “separation of power” between VicServ and the State Government, and its various subsidiary departments.
Equally, the State Emergency Service members in the 1970s were very rarely seen on TV embedded with various police on any search.
VICSES was an entirely voluntary organisation, intended for the purposes of storm damage, floods and other similar civil disruptions, but VICSES appearances on TV did then imply to the great masses that VicServ owned the SES outright, and they were just another arm of VicServ.
Now those VICSES television appearances strongly suggest they are available for any situation on-demand by VicServ, which was not their original charter or intended purpose at all. Many times having the appearance of VicServ not getting their hands dirty leaving that for VICSES.
Thirty years ago on television there were no political party “noddy-dolls” or “eye-candy” and LGBTQI-faction had not been invented, all to stand behind the politicians implying that they totally agreed with what the politician had said – that yes, it was all a real winner, and everything was all totally correct and above board.
One offshoot of the current media-managed presentations is the clear indication that VicServ has (unwisely) become a political animal.
Last century working police were virtually prohibited from making any form of public comment.
During the periods of the last few CCP’s, senior VicServ management often appeared to elbow out other senior management, to get their own face on TV.
Now members of lower rank have been selected or left, to make public comment on police issues.
We now have comments referring to police activities made in printed media, where we find remarks such as “a spokesperson for VicServ, said today…”, without referencing the source, reliability, rank, position or Department.
In effect, this “spokesperson” is almost a captive journalist, used for commentary aimed to persuade the public to be for” and not” against” matters associated with VicServ.
Reality suffers, the complete truth is no longer a given; problems, therefore, tend to remain unsolved, and party politicians probably breathe a sigh of relief.
Times have changed, and it seems we have become inflicted with a horde of politically-angled “media spin doctors ” in what have become powerful positions, entirely un-elected but in a location to manipulate, manage, promote and direct their interpretations and political views.
What has brought on this loss of Police Management focus on the “separation of powers”?
A new media occupation has arisen, “political influencer”, and while itself it may be relatively new to VicServ, it coincides with excessive interaction for PR purposes between party politicians and Police Management.
Into this unhealthy situation has stepped the current CCP, whether willingly or otherwise.
Given a bout of sick leave, it would seem that the pressures resulting from public criticism of the political involvement has not been welcomed.
Spin doctors have a lot to answer for, but the great masses who avidly follow television are allowing the spin….. and mostly unknowingly and believingly absorbing those manipulated reports.
However, a slight and hesitant change has occurred – media appearances combining the CCP and the Minister have reduced somewhat, and now we may find that a VicServ Media person often appears to be interviewing the CCP, in a more controlled, directed aspect on a specific subject, seemingly uninfluenced, at least directly, by a political person.
Many of the CCPs remarks may still be a subject whitewash, but at least it is much less blatant than standing beside the Police Minister and letting a politician make VicServ statements.
Submitted by John Basham Senior Constable 15560 Police Veteran
by CAA | May 12, 2019 | Library, Uncategorized
13th of april 2019
Contrary to popular belief, in Victoria, the age of criminal responsibility is fourteen years. There is a presumption at law that a child cannot form criminal intent, knowing right from wrong before this age.
From age ten to fourteen the law acknowledges that a child can form criminal intent, but the onus is on the prosecution to convince a court that the child knew right from wrong, the actions of the child alone do not of themselves, constitute having proved the intent.
As with most principles at law, there is quaint Latin phrase to make it sound important “Doli Incapax”, “ incapable of forming the intent to commit a crime or tort, especially because of age (under ten years old).
These principles have been in vogue for many many years and have served this State well, but now apparently there is a push to raise the absolute principle from ten years to fourteen and also another suggestion that it should be a ridiculous, sixteen.
We can only hope that the proponents and agitators for these changes run out of the steam that fuels their hot air.
Proponents of this nonsense can be guaranteed to have never enjoyed the responsibility of parenthood, or if they have, they have not guided a young person through adolescence and cannot therefore understand.
There is also a misconception on just how many young people end up with a custodial sentence; it is only about 4.1% of the children appearing before the Children’s Court. And in this State, at least, children do not end up in Jail, they instead are sentenced to Juvenile Detention. The age that a child or young person may be sentenced by any Court to Detention in a Juvenile facility is up to age twenty.
The jurisdiction of the Children’s Court for criminal matters is therefore from ten years to seventeen years with juveniles over seventeen appearing at a higher court can also be sentenced to Juvenile Detention.
There is absolutely no need or justification to change the current age arrangements save one, and that is the age at which Juvenile Detention is not available. Youths over seventeen should not have access to Juvenile Detention because that is the only part of the arguments proffered that makes any sense.
One of the arguments often touted is that putting a child in jail only makes them worse. The first point is, worse than what? Further, they are never detained in a Jail, but an argument could be raised that a youth of eighteen or nineteen should not be in a juvenile facility.
As a society, we give eighteen-year-olds privileges and responsibilities. They can join the armed services and fight and die for our nation, they can get a gun license, they can vote to shape our nation, buy alcohol, obtain a drives licence own property, even join the police force at nineteen, and they are freed from the restrictions to their freedom that the Family Law places on them. We also collect tax from them as well as making welfare available directly to them should their circumstances warrant.
We treat them as adults in every respect but when it comes to taking responsibility for exercising their newfound privileges and find themselves facing detention as a consequence of a crime they can be offered juvenile detention until aged twenty years.
That option is a complete antithesis of their position in society.
We strongly believe that the Corrections Victoria should be given the freedom and authority to manage persons in detention whether they are juvenile or adult and the Courts should refrain from imposing management sanctions or conditions on Corrections system.
The courts see and deal with those who are ultimately incarcerated; the courts however only see them in a sanitised state managed by the perpetrator’s legal representation. Even the many clinical advisors to the courts are consulting in a clinical environment.
It is only Corrections that deals with these prisoners on a twenty-four hour day, three hundred and sixty-five days of the year, so they are best placed to manage all the vagaries of managing prisoners appropriately.
On the matter of age, or more importantly maturity of prisoners, there should be a seamless capacity to transfer between facilities to best serve the Prisoner and the system and although we have no problem with the courts suggesting strategies for a particular prisoner that is all it should be, a recommendation not a Court order.
The responsibility for prisoner management should be rightly placed with the Office of Corrections.
by CAA | May 10, 2019 | Library, Uncategorized
10th of April 2019
There are many and varied reasons proffered for the dramatic increase in the Road Toll. However, we have noticed there is a remarkable similarity between the spike in the Road Toll and the spike in the crime rate of 2016.
That,” Crime Tsunami”, has left this State with an unacceptably high crime rate with our leaders trying to take solace in marginal falls; it is still far too high when compared to preceding periods and other jurisdictions.
Moreover, that is likely to remain the case until a seismic shift to embrace sound police practises occurs, and the same applies to the Road Toll.
It is more than likely that the Road Toll spike will herald a new and unacceptable level for a long period and Victorians will have to adjust to more carnage. Many more Victorians will die on our roads many of them innocent victims.
Premier Daniel Andrews was quoted as saying the crime spike was six years in the making and he was right. The Road Toll spike has had a similar but longer gestation period, but the outcome of death and injury is substantially greater than the equivalent violence metered out in the crime equivalent.
This State has spent millions upon millions of dollars in trying to engineer its way to a safer road system, it has increased and continues to increase confusing enforcement rules, it has tried to use technology for enforcement, the overall Victorian vehicle fleet is by world standards relatively modern and safer so why this cataclysmic failure?
Both Victoria Police and the Government are missing the critical components in redressing this horrendous road carnage and should revitalise the basics of effective road policing.
We implore the police to take a leadership role to focus on strategic road safety initiatives in partnership with high-level media education and awareness programs. This must be combined with community involvement and a commitment to ensure effective road user discipline to prevent crashes and SAVE LIVES. To do that the Police must be on the road and visibly enforce the law.
Road safety has the same genesis as the crime spike – a visible disconnect between Police and the community.
by CAA | Apr 30, 2019 | Library, Uncategorized
1st of April’19
We have been wondering about the just cause of some of the cases brought against Police by internal police investigation processes that we have become aware of. From the evidence that we have been privy to there is no way a similar case would have proceeded against a civilian. The reason? A lack of admissible evidence.
Admissable evidence, is or should be, the critical issue in determining whether there is a just cause to issue proceedings (and ruin a Police members career, life and family) in the first place, and whether there is any hope of establishing that the Criminal Act can be proven, “beyond a reasonable doubt.” So what is going on?
It would appear that some of these cases are no more than ‘giving it a fly’ and that is an abuse of power (corruption), using the judicial system as an instrument of punishment is reprehensible and indefensible.
Given some of the cases we have seen, the words of Lord Acton in 1887 writing of “power”, and the research conducted by Psychologist Irving Janis eighty years later when he coined the word “groupthink”, perhaps explains the modern phenomenon of, “judicial personnel management”.
Lord Acton said of power;
“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
It is clear that some police executives and police involved in internal investigations act as though their power is absolute.
Janis was a Professor Emeritus at Berkeley, and most famous for his theory of “groupthink” which described the systematic errors made by groups when making collective decisions.
The phenomenon of “groupthink” can produce dehumanising actions against an “outgroup.” This “groupthink” can explain, not excuse, the dehumanising of subordinate police ranks.
Not to be dismissed lightly in this discussion is the use within Victoria Police of ‘Matrix Management’ which was adopted about fifteen years ago when Matrix Management was the new go-to scheme for purveyors of management cultures.
This Matrix Management system requires important decisions to be made by a group rather than an individual. Apart from being extremely inefficient, this is distinctly the opposite of tried principles where the individual makes decisions relative to their authority, based on input from others.
How it could ever be envisaged that a management model designed for an American Software Company that failed, could be transposed into a police force is way beyond any reasoned person’s comprehension. Moreover, the really frightening thing is that Victoria Police still seem to embrace the concept which seems so entrenched. Sadly many newer police managers would not consciously be aware they are entrapped by it.
The actions of an individual in Matrix Management becomes immersed in the decision of the group with accountability the first casualty.
This hides mediocrity and incompetence. It also stifles excellence a trait that insecure more senior managers can exploit to secure their positions.
Matrix Management is a key ingredient in a recipe for “groupthink” because there are no consequences for an individual in the group.
It would seem that if a brief of evidence for a crime is assessed at a much lower rank in the police hierarchy, the lower ranking supervisors seem to be more scrupulous on burdens of proof and the evidence, rather than other influences spawned by “groupthink”.
The use of the judicial or disciplinary process as a punitive process is a blight on Victoria Police. The practice of “Judicial Personnel Management”, a weapon of “groupthink”, must be stamped out.
Any alleged miscreants in VicPol must be dealt with according to the law and legitimate legal processes not contrived allegations that suits the given narrative.
Currently, this “groupthink” and Matrix Management phenomena would seem to be at play in the proceedings reported so far, in the management of Lawer X.
In our civilised society, we are inclined to support the theories of English Jurist William Blackstone in 1760;
“It is better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer”.
This principle should equally apply to Police, Lawyers and the public.
The suffering of innocents must stop.
by CAA | Apr 26, 2019 | Library, PTSD, Uncategorized
26th April 2019
It would not be hard to conclude that the horror stories that the Community Advocacy Alliance (CAA) have reported to date would lead readers to believe that these nightmares were confined to the “Other Ranks”, that is below Officer rank but alas for some Officers that is not true.
Although we are exploring several stories by former Officers, this one is particularly cruel with sad consequences.
The policy introduced some time ago to rotate Officers probably had some sound logic which escapes most of us, but it can and is used as a brutal, demeaning and soul destroying tool that allows bullies to specifically target individuals whom perhaps do not fit a particular “Corporate Model”.
Usually not related to any lack of performance the rotations or transfer for temporary duty occur without any consideration as to the impact on the member or their family so it can be doubly cruel. Moreover, because the members are Officers, they are supposed to cop it on the chin.
3845 was a Superintendent, by any standard a high rank in the Police Force.
He was very fit and a genuine outdoor type respected by his staff and the public alike. His greatest sin, having spent a good deal of his service in the country, was the popularity he enjoyed from his staff. His partner and friends judged him to be of the highest moral and ethical standards displaying a strength of character, not all are gifted with.
As a country Superintendent, he was surprised to have an Assistant Commissioner ring him out of the blue. Before any pleasantries could be exchanged and seemingly without hesitation, the Commissioner launched into a tirade about his character. He was accused of dishonesty and a raft of other allegations of crimes which he knew nothing about.
The Assistant Commissioner would not let him get a word in talking over the top of him in a relentless tirade telling him the Ethical Standards Department (EDS) were going to come and sort him out.
It probably did not occur to 3845 right at that moment, but this was an extremely odd way to run an investigation into serious misconduct of any member let alone a senior officer, ringing them up and abusing them with the allegations.
When 3845 eventually got to say something he told the Commissioner that the accusations related to a totally different geographical location where he had never worked. 3845 then determined that the Commissioner thought he was talking to another member. A completely different rank and work location with a different first name and two additional letters in his surname, that, when pronounced could not be confused with the Superintendent.
The response from the Assistant Commissioner having been caught out so embarrassingly was to hang up. No apology, no belated email or follow up call to apologise, nothing. The performance of the Assistant Commissioner over this incident goes directly to the character of the Commissioner, and you can be the judge of that.
Most of this rant was a blur as 3845 related the event to a trusted friend who was also a Police member he had known for many years. It was obvious to his friend that this event had taken a severe toll on somebody that the friend believed was very strong. No shrinking violet this man.
However, the Superintendent’s belief in the Victoria Police had been shattered by the event, and he took it all very hard perhaps because of his character it was such a damaging blow.
After this incident, his partner and friends started to notice this once robust individual was not as robust as he once was and noticed the stress was taking its toll, probably aggravated by the heroic Assitant Commissioner without the courage to apologise.
Aggravating the disposition of the Superintendent, he was sent to another Command temporarily, not rotated which is considered permanent at least until the next rotation. Unlike the rotations in the metropolitan area that can be very inconvenient adding hours to a days commute, the Superintendent was sent from one side of the State to the other, over 500 kilometres away; this one was a doozy even by Vicpol standards, probably a 5-6 hour commute, each way. With eight hours of work, presumably, sleep was not seen as necessary.
His predecessor had left many distasteful tasks unattended requiring 3845 to clean up the mess, so to speak. And what happened to his predecessor? Promoted of course.
The Department however generously decided to fund the Superintendent for a few months in temporary accommodation but soon that was withdrawn, and he was forced to, “couch surf” until he could find something.
How demeaning to treat any member let alone a Senior Officer like that. As most who have tried to get tempory accommodation in the bush can attest it is not easy with landlords shunning people who are looking for temporary digs.
Sometime later 3845 was towing his caravan on leave when he lost control and was involved in a serious accident where his partner was injured as was 3845. With the tyranny of distance, a superior officer to 3845 told him to take time off to look after his partner which he did.
At least there are pockets of compassion still in the organisation, but that compassion was soon shattered when another Assistant Commissioner rang 3845 and accused him of bludging on the system, the same system that located his workplace on the other side of the State.
This was pretty much the last straw for 3845 and his health now started to deteriorate at a faster rate. Shattered because he had given Victoria Police over forty years of dedicated service where he put Policing above everything else and the organisation he loved and served was now to destroy him.
When 3845 called into his mate’s place on the way back from a conference, his mate was shocked how 3845 had deteriorated and just how his faith in Victoria Police had been shattered. The toll it was taking on him, was frighteningly obvious.
He and the Superintendent’s partner eventually cajoled him into seeking medical help.
He was diagnosed with a serious health issue and died a little over twelve months later.
The contribution by Victoria Police to the premature death of this member is problematic but to rub salt, the support, with only one exception, during his illness was next to non-existent, including support for his long-time partner to consider her welfare.
The one exception was a Deputy Commissioner whom 3845 had attended Airlie Officers Course and developed a friendship with and he at least maintained contact the Superintendent. The heroes of this story, of course, nowhere to be seen.
The rotation system must be disbanded to remove a tool bullies can use to destroy any police they choose to dislike. It is essential that the Chief Commissioner has the authority to move personnel to meet operational and functional demands, but that should be the exception rather than the rule.
You may ask about the Victoia Police welfare support mechanisms, well just keep asking. A workforce of around 20,000 police members most on the frontline and an ineffective under-resourced welfare system, who is responsible?
It is very sad that the member died so relatively young but even more disappointing is how a once proud and compassionate organisation has been allowed to deteriorate to such a degree, callous and heartless would be our call.
What happened to the villain? Nothing as far as we know and neither he or the organisation has felt it necessary to express some contrition to the family. They are still waiting in vain.
Moreover, while the villain continues to return to his family, we can only hope his day of reckoning is to come, and he has to atone for his disgraceful behaviour.
by CAA | Apr 23, 2019 | Library, Uncategorized
23rd of April 2019
The Community Advocacy Alliance Inc. (CAA) has long advocated greater accountability for the Courts relating to sentencing practices. We, and the vast majority of the general public are appalled at the very lenient sentences imposed for very serious crimes.
This has never been more evident than in the sentencing of Ristevski for the Manslaughter of his wife, Karen.
Section 5 of the Crimes Act 1958 provides as follows:
“5 Punishment of manslaughter
Whosoever is convicted of manslaughter shall be liable to level 3 imprisonment (20 years maximum).”
Obviously, Parliament envisaged cases where the maximum penalty would be imposed. The CAA believes this maximum penalty has never been applied. This flies in the face of our elected Government’s legislation.
We are faced with Courts that repeatedly refer to a ‘sentencing range’ that they are bound to follow. The Courts also constantly refer to ‘average sentences’ not being exceeded. As a matter of logic, this must lead, over time, to a steady reduction in the length of sentences.
The High Court of Australia in the case of Director of Public Prosecutions v Dalgliesh (a pseudonym) [2017] HCA 41 (11 October 2017) made a number of very appropriate rulings. It is worth reading the full decision.
Basically, the High Court determined that, while there were many factors required to be considered, each case must be considered on its individual merits and a plea of guilty did not alter the principles. Nothing could make more sense.
The CAA submits that the principles expounded in this Judgement ought to be applied to all criminal cases and that each case MUST be considered on its individual merits. No two cases are exactly alike.
While Ristevski may not be punished for his silence he ought to receive no benefit in sentencing for remaining mute.
Urgent reform of sentencing practices is required in the public interest.
The CAA is ever ready to contribute to that reform.
by CAA | Apr 10, 2019 | Library, PTSD, Uncategorized
Editor’s note:3843 has not (yet?) been formally diagnosed with PTSD, but the circumstances of this case are parallel to many who have been.
How would you feel if all of a sudden you found that there had been a major exposé on National prime time television alleging terrible things about you and you had no idea of the allegations and moreover no idea the matter would be broadcast by our beloved National Broadcaster the ABC on its flagship program ‘The 7.30 Report’? So much for broadcasters standards and ethics clearly they do not apply to our ABC.
Although your employer at multiple levels was aware of the impending broadcast, neither management nor the ABC sought to advise you, seek comment, or give you a chance to respond. An allegation that named 3843 alleging that he, was amongst other things,” A Police Officer who cannot be trusted”, an unchallenged statement left out there to dangle and ruin his reputation.
Now magnify your feelings by your employment and location. A Detective Sergeant in charge of a Criminal Investigation Unit (CIU) in a rural town where everybody knows almost everybody else and the embarrassment and humiliation would be acute. Add further to that, the allegation related to an alleged pedophile priest, and as any reasonable person evaluating 3843’s circumstance would understand how he would be gutted.
The allegation made was that he was friends with a priest and had been obstructing the investigation surrounding the priest.
An accusation 3843 strenuously denies. There was never any evidence to support the allegations.
The priest was arrested and charged over historical allegations and died before the matter could be tested at court. So his guilt or innocence was never determined but there would be no doubt he would have been convicted in the court of public opinion as would anybody associated with him.
When 3843 became aware of the broadcast, he immediately prepared a written statement setting out the truth of the matter and requested Victoria Police officially forward the rebuttal to the ABC. Victoria Police refused.
3843 at his own initiative within days of the broadcast, went to Ethical Standards Department (ESD) to provide and participated in a taped interview about the truth of the matters refuting the inferences and statements made and aired on the ABC.
An investigation was launched by ESD into the allegations.
Editors note: The word investigation comes up regularly in these case studies, and in its basic definitions.” An investigation is, “A search for the truth in the interests of justice in accordance with the specifications of the law.” Not a search for a truth that suits the investigator because that is not the truth and investigators indulging themselves in this practice should be severely sanctioned whether it is against police or others.
The ESD prepared a brief of evidence alleging 3843 ‘attempted to pervert the course of justice.’ This offence carries a maximum penalty of twenty years imprisonment, no half a sixpence worth of worry for anybody.
After what would have been a torturous six months the brief was assessed by the Office of Public Prosecutions (OPP), and the OPP declared there was insufficient evidence to lay any criminal charges. Pity ESD could not work that out saving a lot of money and angst. A formal apology at this time would have been appropriate.
Not to be outdone Victoia Police initiated disciplinary action against 3843 necessitating over some months further representations by 3843. The internal action was eventually withdrawn. Once again because there was no evidence to support this action.
3843 still lives under a cloud of suspicion even though no action was ultimately taken against him; he set about trying to clear his name.
3843 started by making Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to get to the truth as to why he was dishonestly targeted. This was a long process with obstructions placed at every turn with most of the important information withheld.
Just another example of how Victoria Police show contempt for the ’Model Litigant’ guidelines applicable to all Government Departments. This raises the question as to whether this flagrant disregard applies to all requests or just requests made about internal Police matters.
3843 is understandably passionate about getting the statements of the two members who made complaints against him so he can directly address their false allegations.
After many years of dedicated and loyal service to Victoria Police and the Community, 3843 retired, disgusted and disillusioned with the Chief Commissioner who refused to investigate his complaints against the two members concerned. A lawful requirement under the Police Regulation Act.
As in many like cases, there was no call or recognition from the organisation to thank 3843 for his thirty-six years of exemplary service.
The bulk of Victoria Police and in particularly hard-working detectives go about their ‘sworn duty’ to detect and prosecute civilian criminal behaviour, generally to the finest degree, twenty-four hours a day seven days a week. Regularly their families suffered as a result of their workload. 3843 like many other competent detectives, is very proud of his service.
Victoria Police and in particular their internal investigation departments far too often fail the same legal, ethical and professional standard that the Police they are investigating are expected to, and in most cases do, maintain. Senior police continually neglect to follow encourage and ensure the highest standards of an investigation searching for the whole truth. They possess a belief that they are above the rules and laws of our State.
3843 genuinely believes that Victoria Police fails to understand the general gist of the Freedom of Information Act (FOI). They improperly protect information that will disgrace or embarrass Victoria Police and in particular any information that may relate to a Senior Officer.
Their obstructionism and failure to be a good and decent Government Agency under the Model Litigant guidelines and policies is astonishing and limitless.
The Government must take responsibility for this behaviour and insist on the implementation of stringent measures to make Victoria Police more transparent and accountable. Complete transparency will build the confidence of police and the public in equal measure.
Affirmative action by Government will have the bonus of starting to rebuild more respect in the Victoria Police something that currently continues to wane.
As far as 3843 is concerned, it is not too late for Victoria Police to offer an apology to rebuild the ex-members character in his community.
The battle, for over a decade, continues for 3843, and we are unable to report on the matter further at this stage, but it continues.
To think a little effort and contrition by Victoria Police and respect for 3843 would have concluded this matter years ago.
As with this and other stories in the pipeline, there seems to be a case mounting for Victoria Police to have a ‘ Sorry Day’ to atone for all the wrongs.
There are a lot of victims out there.
by CAA | Apr 6, 2019 | Library, Uncategorized
The term of the Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton is in its twilight phase with his indication some time ago that he will not be seeking to extend his contract.
His current contract expires on the 30th June 2020 and it is therefore not improper that we should reflect on just who should lead this once proud organisation back to the fore of policing in this country and achieve the safety and the confidence to which the people of this State are entitled.
The role of the Chief Commissioner is one of the most important roles in our society and it can be argued that in recent history the selection process has not gone well.
During that time we have had incompetent through to adequate Chief Commissioners, some handed the poisonous chalice of their predecessors failings but the appointment of a Chief Commissioner who is a true leader, as the role requires, has not been evident for a very long time. Particularly so in the eyes of the many serving members who have contacted us complaining of the lack of leadership.
The organisation has grown as has the community it serves and for all the brouhaha about things being different, when, in reality, they remain the same and the principles of policing remain constant.
We have the enigma of the Victoria Police Corporate Advisory Group (CAG) whom we assume perform some sort of executive function like a Board of Directors but given the Governance failures, particularly with personnel and we suspect fiscal, that we are currently looking at, their function needs to be brought into question.
We raise the CAG because we believe they perform the selection process or play a significant part in the selection of the Chief Commissioner, and, to that end, their performance to date has been lamentable.
The selection of the Chief Commissioner cannot be left to a group of faceless individuals accountable to no one. It is arguable that we the citizens of Victoria are the shareholders to which this Board should be onejav accountable. We are considering highlighting who these faceless people are so they can be judged accordingly.
The solution to achieving the best outcome is the establishment of a Parliamentary all-party committee to make the selection. Removing partisan politics, irrespective of the Government of the day, is critical to restoring confidence in the appointment and this will remove any suggestion of political bias from the shoulders of the appointee.
This will serve to benefit whoever is in Government as the responsibility for Policing will be fairly placed at the feet of the Chief Commissioner and with the selection criteria made public, the community has something to measure the Chief Commissioner’s performance against.
The list of qualities in our view that should be possessed by the new Chief Commissioner are;
• Personal integrity of the highest order.
• Demonstrated leadership skills as opposed to potential skills.
• Must have served or is serving in the Victoria Police.
• Demonstrated compassion and empathy for those suffering.
• Be prepared to Police for all Victorians and refrain from giving preferential treatment or attention to individual groups of Victorians. Gaining an understanding of all groups irrespective of their bent is however a sound Policing principle.
• A detailed understanding of the “Peelian” principles of policing and substantial experience in the application of these principles.
• Have an understanding and preparedness to ensure that Victoria Police and any agents acting on behalf of Victoria Police introduce and abide by the ‘Model Litigant’ rules as are required but hitherto compliance has been problematic at best. Applying these rules to all litigations without exception.
• Understand the importance of eliminating systems like the inhumane ’Judicial Personnel Management’ strategies and develop a fair and sound process for terminating Police.
• A detailed knowledge of corporate governance.
• Have an understanding of the fiscal responsibilities and processes for the organisation.
• Have not been closely associated with any political entity or pressure group, special interest group or association.
• Have a strong commitment to equality of the workforce.
• Modify the workforce to reward competence rather than other ideological drivers.
• Be open to but not dictated by reform.
• Capable of managing diverse cultural and social variables within and outside the organisation.
• Tertiary education is desirable but not essential.
• Very strong knowledge and understanding of the legislation applicable to policing but not necessarily be a lawyer.
• An understanding and respect for the media but demonstrating the ability not to be managed by it.
• Be a strong advocate for free speech within the context of the Law.
• Be a strong advocate of freedom of lawful association or to lawfully demonstrate.
• Demonstrated compassion as well as determination and strength of character.
• The ability to apply these principles to the function of Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police.
The real challenge for the selectors is that by default the current executive officers would be automatically precluded because they form part of the problems facing Victoria Police today. Lack of confidence by the community and police members is unlikely to recover if one of the existing parts to the problem are selected.
Doing the same thing tomorrow expecting a different result just does not happen in real-world situations and a good follower does not necessarily make a good leader.
One may wonder where this person is today? They may be in or outside the organisation and as gender or age are not barriers, the field is really wide open.
The new Chief may well be a current serving Inspector or above or somebody who has previously served but achieved or built upon the above attributes external to Victoria Police.
The person will probably need an ultra-ego as a Caped crusader but they will be there, it is just a matter of finding them.
by CAA | Apr 4, 2019 | Library, PTSD, Uncategorized
4th April 2019
This case starts off fairly benignly with a respected country Detective Sergeant with substantial service including a period in the Homicide Squad and an unblemished record of service in a large provincial Victorian town. 3842 was responsible for dealing with the crime in this large town and a large swathe of the surrounding rural areas.
He had also lived in the town with his family for a number of years and was very well known and respected by locals. Although he did not seek promotion, he was content with his lot and comfortable that he was doing some good keeping his community safe.
The wheels started to come unstuck when one Sunday after returning from leave 3842 was contacted by a uniform member from the station to tell him he was going out to search a rural property where there had been a sizable burglary while 3842 was on leave. 3842 was aware of the burglary, and he was concerned because a firearm collection was part of the bounty that had a total value of approximately $100,000.
Subsequently, the uniform member made a second call to 3842 to say that he had located some of the stolen property in a disused dilapidated caravan on the vast property. The farm was some distance from town in a remote part of the bush and some thirty to forty minutes travelling time, well off the beaten track.
When he did arrive the member that had called him was waiting and on the ground was a badly injured male person whom the 3842 did not recognise but later found out he was a very active crook with substantial prior convictions from interstate.
3842 called an ambulance, and the injured suspect was put under guard, and 3842 started to piece together what had happened.
The police member that called him to the scene was suspended at the time for other matters, but the suspect was loosely related to him and had fallen on hard times. The suspended Police member approached the property owner who had a vacant manager’s house to see if the suspect could use it. The property owner is very wealthy and is also very generous and agreed to the arrangement.
The injuries to the suspect were significant and were explained by the suspended member as, when he confronted the suspect, the suspect allegedly produced and attacked him with a screwdriver. Much later 3842 had reservations about this version of events.
Because of the injury to the suspect, the Duty Senior Sergeant contacted Professional Standards Command (PSC) and two detectives from PSC were dispatched to the town arriving the next day.
To the absolute surprise of 3842, he was removed from the case, and it was transferred to another Criminal Investigation Unit (CIU) some substantial distance away. Very odd because they would lack the local knowledge essential in this investigation.
It did not take long for 3842 to find out that he was in trouble for something although he was bewildered about what he had done that was wrong.
A formal interview by Professional Standards Command (PSC)of 3842 followed, and he was subsequently suspended from duty and charged with,’ attempting to pervert the course of justice‘.
The allegation was that when he spoke to a relative of the farmer in Town to update him on the investigation, he allegedly refused to listen to information from the relative. This was the crime?
After the formal interview, some substantial time elapsed and he was called in to be charged and suspended.
3842 had the unenviable task of telling his family he had been suspended and charged which devastated them. Something he still becomes emotional about.
3842 also endured the devastation and embarrassment peculiar to a country town where people can not enjoy the anonymity of a big city. Something from which he has never recovered.
The suspension was not treated in confidence, and it was not long before most of the town who knew him were aware of his suspension and knew it was as a result of the robbery on the highly regarded Farmer who is a district icon.
Being shunned in a country town has no parallel in the metropolitan area or a large provincial city.
Having been charged with an indictable offence, the matter must go for Trial before a Judge and Jury. However, the process involves a Committal hearing at a Magistrate’s Court to determine whether there is a case to answer. The suspended policeman referred to earlier was charged as a co-accused of 3842.
At the Committal hearing, it was determined that 3842 had no case to answer and his matter was dismissed. The co-accused was committed for trial and subsequently was acquitted at trial on the basis that he was acting in self-defence. A solid defence that should have been obvious to the PSC.
One would expect having had the matter dealt with, that would be the end of it, and 3842 could return to work and try to rebuild his damaged reputation.
That was not to be. The Police Executive decided to direct 3842 to take all accrued leave and long service leave.
As they had not succeeded with the criminal matter, they then embarked on a disciplinary approach to target 3842.
Management was within their rights to exercise this instruction, but by this time 3842 was not in a good mental state, and he was placed on sick leave by his doctor.
While on sick leave he was advised that there were some disciplinary charges and he had to face a hearing.
Bearing in mind that his health was still fragile he appeared before the disciplinary hearing and all but one of the charges was struck out leaving a single charge to which he was advised by his legal counsel to plead guilty.
As a result of this plea, he received a caution.
What will surprise readers is that the offence that was sustained was for failing to put crime scene tape around a crime scene at a remote property miles from any town and a long way from any public road.
It is not surprising that 3842 who had weathered this cyclone for over two years broke down at this hearing.
It took nearly eight months for 3842 to be reinstated – no apology and in contrast to when he was originally suspended by three senior officers his reinstatement was by a message from his local station.
For all he had endured he was convicted of not putting crime scene tape around the scene of the robbery.
What is particularly galling to 3842 is that the somebody from PSC having failed to get 3842 committed for trial went back to the witness relative of the farmer, and tried to get him to change his story. This information to 3842 came from a member of the police executive that we can presume was not comfortable with what was going on.
Whoever approached the witness has committed an egregious crime.
That approach is Prima Facie,’ attempting to pervert the course of justice.’ Even worse, the original suspect has never been charged with the $100,000 burglary, a very serious crime by any measure and even more so because there is little doubt that the gun collection is now circulating in the criminal community.
In summary 3842 has had his life ruined and now suffers permanent health issues as a direct result of this fiasco when his only offence was not putting crime scene tape around a remote crime scene where the greatest risk to contamination of the crime scene would have been the local kangaroo population.
3842 has now retired and after nearly forty years of devoted service and only one crime scene tape blemish, he did not even receive a call from anybody in management to formally thank him for his service and to wish him well.
The sad thing is that 3842 still suffers from the treatment metered out by the Police Force, and in our experience 3842 displays all the symptoms of PTSD induced by Judicial Personnel Management.
He now has to live with the consequences for the rest of his life and the two detectives from PSC, and the crook responsible for the burglary get off scot-free, as do the managers who promoted this artifice.
Recently one of his own former detectives told 3842 that when the matter was going on, he had the opportunity to see the Brief that the two PSC detectives had compiled. He commented that if he submitted such a poor brief, it would never be authorised. The PSC member responded, ”Yeah, but he is a police member.”
Clearly one rule for the crooks, and another for Police.
Victoria Police must be held to account.
The Community Advocacy Alliance Inc. calls for the urgent formation of a Commission of Review to examine this and many other instances of the mismanagement bordering on criminal behaviour of Victoria Police and the cruel and unconscionable processes applied to Police members by the hierarchy.
Ultimately the responsibility for this behaviour is the Chief Commissioner the one person that can fix it.
Postscript: When 3842 was first interviewed the investigators accused him of was not wearing his issue Operational Safety and Tactical Training (OSTT) equipment. Detectives at that stage had not been issued a belt to carry the equipment. Talk about pedantic. Bizarrely the interviewing detectives were without their equipment belts. A demonstration of absolute power no doubt.
by CAA | Mar 31, 2019 | Library, Uncategorized
31st March 2019
CAA has noted with warm approval the outspoken criticism by the Director of Public Prosecutions of penalties handed down by our courts for rapists. The maximum penalty provided is 25 years imprisonment – but it is NEVER imposed. And we simply do not understand why these violent offenders are treated so inadequately, in light of the seriousness with which our Parliament and our public rhetoric purport to regard this crime.
But there is another kind of crime against – typically – women, that we also contend is too frequently treated leniently; we refer to assaults in the home, sometimes called “domestic violence”, which too often are habitual, and too often prove fatal.
Despite millions of dollars spent on some truly great commercial advertising, we are not satisfied that this social scourge is actually being meaningfully reduced. Nor are we satisfied that so-called “apprehended violence orders” or “intervention orders” are achieving enough. More needs to be done.
We do not advocate interfering with any of those mechanisms, nor do we want draconian legislation; we do, however, urge the police to apply with rigour the powers of arrest they already have, to protect victims of assaults in the home, according to the evidence available. We note that for this to be effective those so arrested cannot readily be granted freedom on bail if the protection, and the policy of direct intervention is to succeed. If the bail laws lack that sort of flexibility (which we doubt) then that should be remedied.
A little history may be in order. It used to be the law that a woman could never give evidence against her husband. Today this concept is rightly scoffed at – it meant women were victimised with impunity.
Then the law was changed to allow women to give evidence against their husbands if they wished. But that simply did not work either. The social folklore was still too strong.
Now the general rule that the victim of a crime of violence can be compelled to give evidence in the interest of society at large is applicable (at least in theory) because the community has a stake in preventing and punishing violent offending regardless of who the victim might be.
We recognise the complexities and the social pressures that can be found in some domestic relationships but we simply say present laws and policies are not doing enough to protect women the way the architects of these historical changes hoped.
The police, the first-line defenders of victims of assault, should be directed to use their undoubted powers much more readily and much more rapidly, and given adequate support in doing so, as an effective public demonstration of our intolerance of the battering of domestic partners.
by CAA | Mar 29, 2019 | Library, Uncategorized
29th March 2019
We recently published an article about comments attributed to Deputy Commissioner Patten and drew from that and other information that Victoria is likely to have to continue to tolerate living with a Lock-Em-Up policing strategy from the Nixon Dark Ages, for decades to come if the next Victorian Chief Commissioner is recruited from the existing Command.
Something we sincerely hoped was possible.
As Aristotle once quipped “One swallow, does not a summer make, nor one fine day”. Very true but at least one glimmer can give us hope that things are going to improve.
The swallow in this story is Assistant Commissioner Glen Weir who in an extensive interview in the Herald Sun about the drug problem was reported as saying,
“Victoria’s top drug cop has likened drug dealers to terrorists, saying they pose one of the biggest threats to community safety.
He said primary school students needed to be taught early about illicit drug use, quashing the phrase “recreational drug use” at an early age.”
This is the first significant indication in recent time of any member of the Victoria Police top brass acknowledging that early intervention is so important.
This strategy is coincidentally one of the ‘Key Platforms’ of the Community Advocacy Alliance Inc. (CAA).
There were some other indications in this report that would suggest at least Assistant Commissioner Weir, gets it. He gets the balance between Reactive or detection and arrests and Proactive policing; the ability to stop crime before it happens; Crime Prevention.
Where we may be wrong, is in our assumption that all of Command support the current reactive policing strategies.
Let us sincerely hope we are wrong, and there are more of Command than just Assistant Commissioner Weir who share this enlightened view.
