The More Things Change the More They Stay the Same....

How to make a good police force better

There need to be changes to Victoria Police, but a royal commission is unnecessary.

The Victorian police force is facing an allegation that it has a culture of systemic corruption. This is the most serious allegation that any police force can possibly face.

There has been debate among media commentators, academics, the legal fraternity and politicians about how this allegation should be dealt with. There have been calls for the establishment of a body such as a royal commission, an independent inquiry, or a crime commission similar to that which exists in other states.

In this environment it is important that any decision be made not for political purposes, but rather with a view to ensuring the best result for the public and for the long-term interests of the police force. All parties must consider the objectives of any such inquiry or body, and keep in mind what we want to achieve from it.

We want an outcome that helps lock up crooks and keeps the force clean - and it is by no means certain that either a royal commission or a crime commission will deliver those results.

There are, at present, 13 members of the Victorian police force facing very serious criminal charges.

While these members are entitled to the presumption of innocence, just as any member of the public is entitled to this presumption, these charges have come about due to internal investigations conducted by Operation Ceja.

For the past 18 months, the police Ethical Standards Department through Operation Ceja has delivered more charges than any royal commission throughout Australia - and at far less cost.

There is a real question about whether these 13 charges amount to systemic corruption within a police force of 10,500 members.

And while this discussion alone could be debated arduously, what we really need to be asking ourselves is: are we doing enough to prevent corruption?

In the worst circumstance, a royal commission would give too many criminals the capacity to be exonerated.The Premier this month announced an extension of powers for the Ombudsman and further funding on $1 million to assist his investigations. This is a good start, but more needs to be done.

While discussion has predominantly revolved around royal commissions and crime commissions, there is a third option that hasn't been raised but is worth serious consideration.

In 1999 the Victorian ALP, then in opposition, made a policy commitment to introduce a Police Career Services Commission. The idea was to restore a similar body to the Police Service Board, which had been dismantled by the Kennett government.

The reasoning behind this policy was to appoint an independent body that had the capacity to audit the police force. Such a body would provide a process of appeal on transfer and promotion decisions, and independently hear and determine misconduct hearings against police officers.

Once elected, the Bracks Government appointed former commissioner of police John Johnson to review the operations of the Victorian police force. He delivered a comprehensive report to the Government that included a framework for the establishment of an independent auditing body in the form of the Police Career Services Commission.

Surely now is the time for Government to look more seriously at this proposal.

One of the major issues to arise from the Fitzgerald inquiry into the Queensland Police Force was the capacity for corruption of the police service in circumstances where police management had the unfettered right to promote, demote and transfer officers without proper transparency and the right to appeal.

A Police Career Services Commission would help make the Victorian police force more transparent across operational, administrative and management levels.

A royal commission, by contrast, would only create political scapegoats and media fodder. Indeed, in the worst circumstance, a royal commission would give too many criminals the capacity to be exonerated.

And a crime commission would create another layer of law-enforcement bureaucracy - in other states such commissions compete with the police force for resources and funding.

Victoria needs an increase in resources for the police Ethical Standards Department and for the police Crime Department, so that both can continue their work in investigating corruption and serious crime.

In the case of the Ethical Standards Department, such an increase in resources would allow it to be more active in educating police officers and encouraging professional development.

And in the case of the Crime Department, it would be able to play a greater role in the prevention and detection of crime.

The Police Association still believes Victoria has the best police force in the country, despite the recent allegations. A Police Career Services Commission would only improve our capacity to perform and to deliver what the community expects.

Senior Sergeant Paul Mullett is secretary of the Police Association.

April 19, 2004

The Age