May 2002 Volume 83 Number 5 "serving the protectors"

New members?

Dear Andy

I read with interest the Transfer List at the back of the March 2002 issue of the Police Journal and noted six new members transferred to the Elizabeth CIB. The trouble is I work at the Elizabeth CIB and I’ve never seen any of these members, so where are they? Five came from the trainees area and another from employee management register.

The reality, of course, is that none of these members is working in the Elizabeth CIB; rather they are “filling slots”. My concern is that when a statistics-driven department (the POR) starts looking at resources and results this fact is forgotten.

This is highly unfair to those working in the area. Equally, and in fairness to LSA managers, they cannot produce experienced detectives or officers overnight to fill the vacancies. I cannot quote the exact numbers, but with Operation Chart and about eight murders since the middle of 2001 in the Elizabeth area alone, more than half of the designated detectives and senior constables are away on secondment.
Peter Weber
Detective Senior Constable
Elizabeth CIB

Alarm over sentencing

Dear Sir

It is becoming alarmingly evident that we are reading and hearing of more and more suspended sentences when penalties are decided in our courts.

I not only refer to Noel Jub’s letter (Aghast over suspended sentence, Police Journal, April 2002) but, reading our newspaper, it is evident that something is wrong with judicial decisions.

“Suspended jail term for machete attack” headlines in the press, and the judge deemed the offender “had learned his lesson and was not likely to re-offend”. What about the next time he has racial slurs made against him. His penalty? A $500 fine, and to be of good behaviour for two years.

With criticism directed against the judiciary, a representative of the legal profession responded by saying that the public did not understand the whole story and facts in cases where the perpetrators were given suspended sentences.

One can perhaps understand the apathy and overall lack of faith in expectations of having justice dealt out. Personally, I think the current trend is disgusting and the judicial system needs a good shake-up. I am getting very tired of hearing that the criminals are very sorry, but one is reading of these “penitent” law-breakers more and more. How they must feel elated at their slap on the wrist. What a joke!

At least when plain old fisticuffs were the only weapons it was a fairer fight, but to come prepared with knives, machetes and various other weapons with only one thing in mind, it is certainly a frightening thought with premeditation in mind.

By the way, our boys did a fantastic job down here at Victor over the Easter and Encounter 2002 weekends – great stuff!
Rox Rosey
Victor Harbor

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