June 2002 Volume 83 Number 6
"serving the protectors"
| June 2002 Volume 83 Number 6 "serving the protectors" |
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Visiting British police officer, Mick Matthews, has described not only SA policing but also the Australian way of life in glowing terms (Likely to return?).
He speaks of an impression so positive that he would not rule out one day applying for higher (police) office somewhere in Australia.
On his return to England, he intends to report on our front-office designs and our police use of digital technology. Little more could be a stronger endorsement of SA law enforcement.
But upon whom do Matthews’ greatly positive impressions most reflect? Some might suggest the police department and, to some extent, that is true. But Matthews’ assessment is far more a statement upon the department’s most valuable asset – its people.
Too often people who, in many fields, create the impressions go unrecognized, as the corporate entities gleefully accept the credit for them.
Any officer associated with an area that drew admiration from Matthews should be appropriately acknowledged. And those same officers should take pride in the many positives he plans to take home to England.
Also clear from Matthews’ visit is that, with dolphin-watching, Showdown XI and his pursuit of Australian fauna, he had a particularly fun time. Naturally, credit belongs to those who showed Matthews these wonderful aspects of Australian life.
But that he was able to come to a foreign country, knowing no one, and enjoy the hospitality of “strangers”, reflects credit upon that greatest of organizations, the police family.
A Victorian woman convicted in the Frankston Magistrates Court of assault police plans to appeal against the judgement next month.
Senior Constables Kevin Walsh and Alyssa McDonald charged April Whitelaw in May last year after she sneezed in Walsh’s face.
Magistrate Kim Parkinson found that Whitelaw’s action had been deliberate and that she had exposed Walsh to the risk of disease.
Whitelaw’s barrister, John Bushby, is quoted as saying in court: “…this is a bit like a sneeze in a tea cup. It’s a nonsense” (The Advertiser, May 16, 2002).
Most police would – and should – have just two questions for Bushby. First, what would he have had to say if Walsh had contracted hepatitis? Second, would he have shrugged it off as “a sneeze in a tea cup” had he been Whitelaw’s victim?
The officers’ actions and the court’s decision deserve the community’s strong support.
The death of former Police Association president, Paul Turner, brought deep sadness to the police community earlier this year. All who knew him recognized his dedicated service, not only to unionism but also to policing.
Some among police ranks – retired and serving – might harbour some sense of cynicism about the soon-to-be-released film, Black and White. One can only hope it proves to be a fair and accurate portrayal of all who figured in the Rupert Max Stuart case.
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