NEWS > 21 October 2006

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The Australian - Sydney,Austra
21 October 2006

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Probe into police off the agen

DESPITE strong evidence that corruption in the Victorian police goes well beyond five bent drug squad cops - including deep into the murderous gangland war - the state will not get a royal commission to clean out the force.
Just weeks before the state election and with the powerful police union circling, neither the Bracks Government nor the Liberal Opposition is countenancing an official inquiry to flush out more crooked police.

With the Government and the police hierarchy insisting that corruption is in hand and exists only in pockets, the Opposition has now also stepped back from its push just two years ago for a royal commission.

Yet, despite various convictions of mid- to high-ranking officers, nobody in management has been held accountable. And exhausted members of the Ceja Taskforce openly say they were only ever given the resources to fully investigate priority cases, leaving many other allegations against police untested.

Former internal affairs investigator Simon Illingworth, who quit the force in 2004 after enduring threats and intimidation, says force command is not interested in cleaning out Victoria's police and is disappointed that the state Opposition has lost its will.

"Both the Government and force command want to say they've got a clean force without really taking the steps to insure that they really do have a clean police force," Mr Illingworth said.

"Of course, this goes up the tree further than those that have been charged. If you accepted the pay for a supervisory position, then you have a duty to carry it out. What were the managers doing?"

While the jailing of senior drug squad detective Wayne Geoffrey Strawhorn brought corruption to a head this week, the issue has been boiling for years and largely ignored by a Melbourne media reluctant to think the worst of the state police force.

In the past five years, there have been at least two double murders tainted by the possible involvement of corrupt police, the closure of the drug and armed robbery squads amid reports of appalling behaviour, and a raft of officers charged.

Internal affairs investigators have been subjected to threats and left hung out dry, with some struggling to return to normal duties.

After asserting that the corruption was an isolated problem, the state Government, cowed by the Police Association, baulked at a royal commission but was finally forced to establish the Office of Police Integrity, an arm of the Ombudsman's office, in November 2004. But those investigating corruption say the OPI is not enough.

Detective Sergeant Bill Patten, who spoke out in the Melbourne media yesterday, said up to two dozen officers had escaped sanction or prosecutions. He has already been contacted by command to ask who else he had spoken to, and to offer him belated counselling, as command goes into damage control.

Although Christine Nixon can claim credit for moving against errant members, the full extent of the police force's corruption may never be known.

With internal polling showing the corruption issue has failed to gain traction in Victoria, the Bracks Government has also remained committed to the status quo.

Despite this week's revelations, Premier Steve Bracks continues to claim the problem is being dealt with.

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Article sourced from

The Australian - Sydney,Austra21 October 2006

Probe into police off the agen

EiP Comments:

The Australian - Sydney,Austra
21 October 2006