NEWS > 19 October 2006

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NEWS.com.au - Australia
19 October 2006

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'You can trust Vic police'

THE public could still trust Victorian police despite the convictions of five corrupt former officers on drugs charges, the state's police commissioner said today.

A Victorian Supreme Court jury yesterday found drug squad detective Senior Sergeant Wayne Geoffrey Strawhorn, 51, guilty of supplying drugs to murdered underworld figure Mark Moran.

The 51-year-old was found not guilty of making a threat to kill a police officer.

The jury was unable to reach a verdict on a charge of drug trafficking.

Reporting on the cases of four other police officers - heard in the same court this year - had been suppressed until yesterday's verdict.

Police chief Christine Nixon said today she understood why people may feel they could no longer trust the force but she said most police were honest, ethical and worked under difficult circumstances for the community.

"There are a small number of officers who in these cases we have seen now come before the courts and have been convicted," Ms Nixon said.

"They have been charged by members of Victoria Police and are now convicted before our courts, so I hope the community will judge us on the vast amount of us that do a good job and an appropriate job and say that, yes, we pursued the small number who behaved inappropriately."

Ms Nixon said she was shocked when she joined Victoria Police to find detectives used chemical diversion, in which drug squad police were allowed to trade in chemicals used in drug manufacture to snare offenders.

"... I was shocked that we would be involved in that kind of practice and that it would put our members so much at risk in terms of the corruption behaviour," she said.

"I believe that, in good faith, the senior management of Victoria Police thought that this was an appropriate way to behave and an appropriate strategy to be able to detect and catch and convict drug offenders, and that did work. But the risk, I believe, was too high."

Ceja taskforce officers who investigated police corruption could be in line for commendations, Ms Nixon said.

Victorian Premier Steve Bracks congratulated police for making "strong, robust and tough" decisions that led to the establishment of Ceja and a thorough investigation of corrupt police.

"It is very important and that is the message which is behind these prosecutions - that you will be detected. You will be found out. You will be brought before the courts. You will face a significant sentence ... " he said.

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Article sourced from

NEWS.com.au - Australia19 October 2006

'You can trust Vic police'

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NEWS.com.au - Australia
19 October 2006