policing the police

You tell me what is right or wrong. A policeman punches a man in custody so hard that it almost splits the man’s liver in half. The man is then left to die on the floor of the cell. No check is made on his condition until another policeman realises he is dead.

This is not my scenario. They are the words and findings of a Queensland coroner.  The coroner, Christine Clemens,  concluded that the actions of Senior Sergeant Chris Hurley caused the fatal injuries.

They were inflicted on a Aboriginal man, Mulrunji Doomadgee on Palm Island.  The death led to widespread rioting and arson on the island.

Doomadgee is dead. What happened to Hurley who had been the officer in charge on the island? He is still a policeman now working on the Gold Coast.  He has not been stood down despite the  coroner’s damning indictment. And various people, including Premier Peter Beattie have gone to tortured lengths to defend him.

First of all the Premier said any decision on Hurley’s future was a matter for the Police Commissioner. Then he made much of the fact that Hurley was confined to a desk job and would not appear in uniform. Presumably because it is a uniform a coroner has said he besmirched.

The Police Union, predictably, is trying to shoot the messenger. The president Gary Wilkinson has accused the coroner of being ‘anti-police’. He says the coronial findings are completely wrong.

(It always puzzles me how Police union reps so vociferously and relentlessly defend members accused of violence and other crimes when you think they would be trying to protect the reputation of the force and all the non-thugs in their union).

At least the Speaker of the Queensland Parliament has gone against the Premier and the Police Commissioner and demanded that Hurley be stood down.

And Police and politicians wonder why the public is increasingly cynical and disillusioned about our police forces.

Closer to home we had  all that support for members of the disbanded Armed Offenders squad. Their videoed violent attempts to get confessions from suspects.  Some of those tactics are already threatening to abort trials.

But there are other issues. I have asked before: How many police officers are on stress leave?  The latest is Senior Constable Christopher Vincent who has been charged with stealing $40,000 while on duty. He’s been on paid stress leave for more than a year. Surely that stress has been exacerbated by the crime he has been alleged to have committed.

Now we have the sacking of a senior sergeant, Richard Shields, an alleged predator accused of sexual misconduct and harassment. He was sacked by Police Commissioner Nixon this week but he has been suspended on full pay for more than six months.

We have had policemen accused of rape stood down on full pay. As I have said before I would love to know, and you have a right to know, how much money has been spent in the past year on genuine stress leave cases and on officers on paid holidays for self-induced stress. Methinks the cost to the taxpayer (forget Police morale)  would astound you.

Friday, September 29, 2006

©Copyright Derryn Hinch 2006