I recently sat in on meetings of the Police Federation of Australia
executive and the PFA Women’s Advisory Committee in Canberra. They
were held over three days in the federation’s new building, which
was formally opened after the second day’s dialogue.
The PFA executive has become a powerful force for police officers
in Australia and, with continuing unity, will become even more so.
The presidents of each of the state and territory affiliates make
up the executive. They are very much individuals with various styles
of organizing their own unions. But, when they sit around the PFA
table, they work together, recognizing the growing need to be unified
to ensure the best outcomes for all police.
Superannuation is a major issue that needs to have continuing energy
put into it – nationally. Policing is an occupation that needs to
provide separation with dignity options, owing to the impact of the
work on people. Good work has already been carried out with some significant
assurances gained.
Workforce mobility is also a developing issue. Police forces are
now poaching trained members from other states. New Zealand has recently
imported 80 members from the United Kingdom to ensure staffing levels
are maintained. This area is married to whole-of-industry competencies
that need to be worked through to ensure best practice and disallow
any consideration of cheap options.
The Women’s Advisory Committee represents some 9,000 women police
officers, who are members of their unions.
These women police leaders bring a wonderful amount of energy to
their discussions. The PFA executive realized that there needed to
be an improvement in raising the issues of concern to the policewomen
of Australia, and this group now meets formally every six months.
At the risk of challenging other states, I will say that PASA is
well served by its women’s branch. Its continued input and discussions
on working conditions and possible issues for enterprise agreement
debates – as well as the development of the Women’s Plan – are very
useful for PASA assistant secretary, Mark Carroll, as he develops
the framework.
Police unions are strong as individual state entities. As a united
group, they have a powerful lobbying voice.
Handguns beyond use-by
There have been regular reports of shrapnel injuries from the Smith
and Wesson Model 66. As PASA member on the Commissioner’s Occupational
Health Safety and Welfare Advisory Committee, I have received copies
of PD77s that have been submitted in relation to some of these worrying
incidents. It has been reported that the problem is long-standing,
and exacerbated by the age and wear of the weapons. It is apparently
seen as a training issue.
I am interested to hear of any other such incidents and, in so doing,
discover the age and usage rate (if recorded) of the weapons involved,
what happened to the weapons (whether defected), and any other important
points.
Although I sit safely in my office, I can understand how others
– who do not carry the accoutrement belt and use the firearm – think
these wonderful tools that were brought into SAPOL in the 1970s are
still best practice.
Consider the 1980 car, or the 1980 computer. Those models were lucky
to last a year, but the firearms have lasted more than 20 years. Other
states have moved on.
I am not a firearms person and cannot say whether weapons A and
B are equal, or whether one is better than the other. I can, however,
report incidents and ensure that the issue remains on the PASA agenda,
if members feel their current-issue firearms have deteriorated so
as to be unsafe, or have simply passed their use-by dates.
Contact me at the Welfare Office on 8204 2153, or by SAPOL e-mail.
