February 2003 Volume 84 Number 1 "serving the protectors"

Dear Andy

As I have retired from SAPOL and my warrant card now has a large “retired” stamp on it I thought it was time to inform you of my resignation from the Police Association.

I have often read others’ letters of resignation in The Last Shift and pondered what I would say when my turn came around. Well, here goes.

First of all, I will spare you any litany of whinges about my nearly 40-year career. The reality of my time with SAPOL is that it has been and still is a bloody good job. Ask any of the people who have resigned and rejoined.

I cannot believe that I graduated as a three-year wonder from Fort Largs at a time when the Beatles were still shocking people around the world with their wild music. I was trying to warm myself up in some doorway while walking the beat in Rundle Street on night shift while Neil Armstrong was striding his paces on the moon. It has all gone so fast.

There have been good times and trying times.

All older police will remember the gauntlet that had to be run to get an arrest before some of the old grumpy watch-house sergeants. The days when a COR took about five sheets of carbon paper, and if you ever left your typewriter for a few minutes some wag on the watch would add some words of stupidity on the bottom of your report, which only became apparent at the completion of the page.

Remember when duty inspectors used to cruise to check that members were wearing their hats inside cars? And nobody wanted patrol 14 on night shift (entire eastern suburbs), because you would be lucky to get a single tasking in a shift.

I have been lucky to have had two postings that I found enormously satisfying. The first was my country posting at Coober Pedy. I look back fondly of the time spent up there with Kingsley Oakley and Peter Magerl.

We decided to do some opal mining. One of the confessions I have to make from that time is that the superintendent from HR failed to tell me that the Yorke hoist (a small crane which winches the cable down mine shafts) had a neutral position between winching up or down. It was only when I heard Kingsley screaming in the mineshaft that I realized he was heading for terminal velocity. Luckily, I found the up switch as instructed which made him bounce to the surface almost as fast.

The other of my favourite postings was the time I spent in Forensic Services. At various times I have been posted at Fingerprints, Crime Scene, Photographic, Management Support and culminating in being on the DNA Implementation Project Team.

I have enjoyed the DNA project immensely and I hope that the momentum for this project – that is, the day-to-day management of the Forensic Procedures Act – is advanced to its next stage with all haste.

Truth is, I got out of FSB to avoid the oldest-fart-in-the-branch tag.

As a superannuant taxpayer, I will now take a great deal of interest in the Government and in what form the amended Forensic Procedures Act becomes law.

If the ABC is worth 8¢ per taxpayer per day, then SAPOL must be worth all that, and I shall be looking out to see that my SAPOL 8¢ is well spent.

There are many members I should thank. I will not single anyone out so thank you to all.

Suffice to say that it was a good ride. There were the occasional bumps but the trip was worth it.

Would I hesitate to recommend SAPOL as a career?

Put the old chequered-band reality hat on top of your scon. You will find that the answer is yes.

Beyond all reasonable doubt.

My best wishes and the best of luck to all.
Hagen Amtsberg
Transferred from SAPOL to Superannuant

Dear Andy

I wish to tender my resignation from the Police Association due to my retirement (invalidity) from SAPOL, my last day of service being October 30, 2002.

I thank yourself and staff for your achievements over the years and your assistance in more recent times. I have enjoyed my time over many years in both metro and country areas.

I thank the many workmates in both uniform and CIB areas who I have had the pleasure to serve with. To them I wish every success.
Mick Akeroyd
Detective SC1G
2601/3
Elizabeth CIB

Dear Andy

Please accept my resignation from the Police Association due to my resignation from SAPOL effective November 4, 2002.

Thank you to all the members I have worked with over the years for the friendships and memories. A special thank you to the girls (past and present) and, of course, Flash, at Crimestoppers.
Louise Worsley
FCC 8430/7

Dear Andy

Please accept my resignation from the Police Association of South Australia as of November 13, 2002, which coincides with my retirement from SAPOL.

I extend my appreciation to the committee and staff of PASA for the achievements it has obtained to the benefit of all members.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my 44 years as a police officer and thank all members with whom I have served and wish you all good luck for the future.
Regards
Chris Chamberlain
Major Crime Investigation Section

Dear Andy

Please accept my resignation from the Police Association of South Australia, due to accepting a position within the Australian Federal Police. My last day of service is November 27, 2002.

I thank everyone out at Norwood station for their help, especially team six. Lots of thanks to you guys for helping me, being patient and making me feel welcome.

To the members of “the one and only” course 42 (and team six), thanks for the memories, keep safe and look forward to catching up when I get back. Good luck to all.
Regards
Warren Rogers
Probationary Constable 7311/0
Norwood Patrols

Dear Andy

Please find my letter of resignation from the Police Association due to my resignation from SAPOL.

I thank the association for its assistance given to me in recent years.

I also thank Karina very much for her help with the holiday house at Glenelg last March when I was expecting Hannah. I think I doubled her work for her with all my phone calls.

I must say that resigning from SAPOL has left me extremely disappointed. I have had no contact from anyone, as in HR, and today received an impersonal letter from the Commissioner. I feel as if the last 17 years have not been recognized and my efforts, loyalty and dedication to the job have been quite a waste of time. I believe others may feel the same as me.

Anyway, I am healthy and happy, and it is a beautiful sunny, warm day here in Elliston. So I may just go for a walk down the street.

Thanks again and a happy New Year to you all.
Yours sincerely
Lisa Wisseman

Dear Andy

Please accept my resignation from the Police Association of South Australia due to my retirement from SAPOL. My active service terminates on December 17, 2002.

I thank the Police Association for the work it has done on behalf of the members and the support it has given to the members who required it.

To those I have been associated with during my time in SAPOL, I wish you all the best for the future.
Regards
Eddy Sudrabs
Detective Senior Sergeant
1680/5

Dear Andy

Please accept my resignation from the Police Association effective December 25, 2002, being my last day of service with SAPOL. I have basically enjoyed my five-and-a-bit years’ employment, even while there were some puzzling decisions made by many people of all ranks.

I am indeed appreciative of the assistance, support and friendship received from the association and friends within the areas in which I have worked. The experiences and memories I have attained could not be achieved in any other work environment.

I am leaving the job to spend more quality time with my three absolutely fantastic children. Being a single parent and shift-worker could not allow me to be the father I should be.

Finally, I thank team one at Elizabeth during my first years and team three at Gawler. I give special thanks to Panda for all his advice. Good luck to all.
Peter J “Foxy” Fox
Gawler Patrols

Dear Andy

Please accept my resignation from the Police Association due to my resignation from SAPOL. My last shift will be on December 25, 2002.

I thank the members of Transit Police for their assistance and friendship during my time there, especially teams four and one.

I also wish the rest of Course 37 success in their SAPOL careers.
Sincerely
Shane Claridge
Probationary Constable
3893/1

Dear Andy

Please be advised that effective December 31, 2002, I wish to resign from the Police Association of South Australia due to age retirement.

For someone who had no intention of joining SAPOL I have spent a considerable amount of time involved in policing issues of every description. Like most employees, I have had my ups and downs with the organization but, in general, found it to be very supportive in times of need.

It has been mostly my pleasure to work with a variety of truly loyal and dedicated people, strong in commitment and view. Whilst not always agreeing with everything that occurred, I have, nevertheless, found satisfaction in most aspects of my career.

Let me now wish all those remaining all the best for the future, particularly my peers who do need their role to be recognized adequately in the forthcoming EB4 agreement.
Yours sincerely
Jon Tuncks
Senior Sergeant

Dear Andy

I am now joining the retired list, so please accept this as notification of this fact to the Police Association as of December 31, 2002. SAPD was the medium that gave me a working life of experiences all over the state and brought me into contact with some great characters, some of whom never made it to their just reward. To them all I say is thanks for the memories.

I joined the Fingerprint Bureau in the ’60s and finished with a decade as a crime scene investigator on the West Coast.

Unfortunately, in my opinion, the core business of the Crime Scene Section on the West Coast is being eroded from within, and without, especially from management, which openly states that Crime Scene is the most overrated section in SAPOL and not worth even 10 per cent of its local budget allocation – time to go?

Thanks to Andy and his team and their predecessors. I look forward to retirement with a measure of dignity.
Good luck
Arch Kempster
Senior Constable 1636/2

Dear Andy

Please accept my resignation from the Police Association as a result of my resignation from SAPOL, effective January 1, 2003.

I have accepted a position as an investigator with the Environment Protection Authority and look forward to the challenges associated with a new position and working in a different field of law.

While I only had five-and-a-half years of service, during that time I met and worked with many wonderful people and have only fond memories. I know I will maintain many strong friendships with people I have met over this time. Most notably it is through my employment with SAPOL I met my other half, who I know is pleased I have made the decision to move on from Prosecution – he is anticipating less stress at home.

To all the SAPOL prosecutors, look after yourselves and good luck for the future – it can only get better.

To the Port Adelaide prosecutors, with our recent desertions now is the time to run to the top deck and find the highest point you can.
Tracy Riddle
Senior Constable 9397/8
Port Adelaide Criminal Justice Section

Dear Andy

“It’s time,” as the saying goes, to close the books and move on. I therefore tender my resignation as a member of the Police Association. My last day of service was January 5, 2003, exactly 44 years since I joined. I take with me many great memories of friends, experiences, situations and some achievements. I hope I leave behind some degree of aspiration to others with whom I have interacted.

Like many, I have had to face the paranoid adversaries who are a product of their own self-serving mindset. These internal challenges can be either sole-destroying or character-building. The choice was simple – rise above them and watch them wallow in their own mire.

To the friends I have had the privilege to work with, I thank you for your support and loyalty. I shall continue to follow your careers with interest.

When I joined SAPOL in 1959, it was recognized as the best police force in the country and thanks to most members (police and public servants) it still is.

To the Police Association I give my thanks for its support in many ways over the years. It is a union that truly works for its members and is to be envied. We accept it cannot please all the members all the time, but you certainly get value for your small contribution.

I’m not physically retiring, just modifying my occupational demands, which will allow me some spare time to smell the roses instead of running over them in the rush to catch the bus to work.
Best wishes for the future
Jock Riach
Superintendent 20/2

Dear Andy

I am writing to advise of my resignation from the Police Association of SA effective January 8, due to my resigning from SAPOL on the same date. I am leaving SAPOL to spend a year travelling overseas.

There is every possibility after that year I will be back and attempting to seek reemployment as a police officer. I have found the job to be interesting and enjoyable.

Thanks to all the people I have met and who have made my stay a great experience. My stints at Henley Beach, ComCen and Operations Media Unit have given me experience in a variety of policing roles and all have their important place in making SAPOL the professional organization it is.

I have made many friends in the job and especially thank the members of the police football and basketball teams for some great times. For those who don’t compete in any team sports within the department and have the opportunity to travel interstate and sometimes overseas, you are missing camaraderie that you will not find anywhere else. After playing in these teams as a probationer or junior constable, there was no better feeling than getting to a job or going to a station out of the area and having more senior police officers, and quite often bosses, saying: “G’day, Snowy.”

Finally, if you really don’t like the job and want to whinge about it, get out. Stop making it harder and morale-sapping for those who are in the job and like what they are doing. There may be better things out there, there may not, but if you have not got the courage to get out and give it a go, then try to enjoy what you are doing. There are lots of worse things that could happen to you.
Julian Snowden

Dear Andy

Please accept my resignation as a member of the Police Association of South Australia, due to my resignation from SAPOL, effective January 17, 2003.

I have been privileged to work with many great people over the last 23 years and am grateful for the fun and unique experiences I have enjoyed. I will take particularly fond memories of 15 years (off and on) at STARies with me into my new role.

My sincere best wishes to the Police Association and all its members for the future.
Kind regards
Michael O’Neill
Inspector 237/8
STAR Group Operations

Dear Andy

Please accept my resignation from the Police Association effective from my last day, January 17, 2003. This is due to my resignation from SAPOL.

Goodbye and good luck to all those I have known over the past 14 years.
Regards
Ian Williams
Senior Constable 178/6
Fingerprint Bureau

Dear Andy

I wish to advise you that I am terminating my membership with PASA due to my resignation from SAPOL, effective immediately.

I thank Mark and Tom for their efforts and want you to know that I appreciate all that PASA has done, not only for me but for all members.

My decision to resign is for personal reasons and the fact that I am fed up with the incompetence and inadequacies of SAPOL. I could no longer tolerate my safety and that of my friends and colleagues being put at risk by ludicrous policies, inadequate equipment, poor staffing and training. Things have gone from bad to worse in recent times, particularly with the GRN and all of its flaws. I fear it won’t be long before someone is seriously injured or worse through poor management and conditions.

I want to acknowledge all of those members who are in the front line and work so tirelessly under ridiculous conditions for no reward or recognition. I doubt that you will ever get the recognition you deserve. While SAPOL places so much emphasis on the ever-precious CVs, we will not see the camaraderie and leadership that this job so desperately needs. The promotion system is flawed to the point of being corrupt and sees those who deserve it least getting ahead. This adds to the already poor morale which is compounded when SEG insults you by claiming that morale is high. It is sad to see more honour and camaraderie amongst the criminals than amongst police officers. Perhaps SAPOL could put as much time and effort into fighting crime as it does into pinching coppers for trivial breaches of impractical and outdated regulations.

I want to thank those who I have worked with over the past 13 years. I have met some fantastic people and some of the best police officers you could imagine. Unfortunately, a lot of them have retired or resigned. There are some left, however, and to you I wish the best of luck.

To the old team 2 at Hindley Street, Steve, Pinky, RG, Quinny, Cooky and Fish, thanks for being the best team I have worked with. I had a great time, and remember “it’s all about response times”. To Mark Bailetti, thanks for you support, Bull, during a very trying time, even though it was to your own detriment.

To the old team 3 Hindley Street, Baldy, Stoney, Presto and Co, thanks for unforgettable memories. A special thankyou to my wife, Mandy, for her tolerance and support over the past four years – a more supportive and loving person I will never know.

Good luck to you all, and please work for yourselves and do what you want to do, not what SAPOL dictates. Remember that it is only a job like any other and definitely not worth the stress. I still say that it is the best job in the world but, unfortunately, it is ruined by moronic management and a culture of empire builders.
All the best
Nigel Ambagtsheer
Senior Constable, 858/5

Letters of withdrawal of Police Association membership should be addressed to PASA secretary, Andy Dunn, at:

• Police Association of SA,
  PO Box 6032, Halifax St,
  Adelaide, SA 5000
• secretary@pasa.asn.au
• Police Association 168 (internal dispatch)

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