October 1998 Volume 79 Number 10 "serving the protectors"
President's Message

Retired judge Iris Stevens’ review of the Police Complaints Authority has now been tabled in Parliament.

The Attorney-General ordered the review after continual complaints from the Police Association and recent highly publicised findings by the Authority.

The review focussed partly on the operations and processes of the Commissioner of Police and the Internal Investigation Branch in terms of their statutory functions relative to investigating and reporting on complaints against police officers.

I believe the summary of issues identified by the retired judge clearly highlights the major concerns voiced by police officers over many years. Questions which those issues raise include:

• Should the Authority, the Commissioner and the IIB - in light of the decision in Casino’s case - re-examine their procedures to achieve strict compliance with the Act, by ensuring that none of its procedural steps are omitted and no procedural steps which are not sanctioned are introduced?
• Should the ambiguities in the Act, such as those in the making of assessments and findings on conduct, be afforded statutory clarification?
• Should the inequities in the Act, in relation to supplying police officers with particulars of investigations and the opportunity to make submissions, be remedied by statutory amendment?
• Should the confidentiality of reports relating to investigation results be clarified by statutory amendment?
• Should complaints concerning management issues be transferred to the Commissioner for managerial action?

The Association now calls on the Attorney-General to introduce legislation at the earliest opportunity to remedy those ambiguities so clearly identified in the Act by Mrs Stevens’ report.

We thank all those members who provided documentation and information to assist the Association submission to the review.

The anxiety caused to members, their partners and families, by what can only be described in a number of cases as a denial of natural justice, has been clearly evident to the Association. We will continue to lobby Parliament until appropriate legislation is passed.

Copies of the full report of over 100 pages are held at the Association.

This issue, which is about getting a “fair go” for police officers, is as important as any issue currently being dealt with by the Association. It will be pursued accordingly.

Peter Alexander    President