November 1998 Volume 79 Number 11 "serving the protectors"
the ReadOut

Check Your Policy

I would like to bring to the attention of members of SAPOL who took out any life insurance policies through the Credit Union Group Plan in or about 1986. This was promoted through the Police Journal at that time - an application form was included.

The medium of the Police Journal is the easiest means of contacting those members who took out similar policies.

I am unable to name the insurance company via this medium.

I was awarded a refund from the Life Insurance Complaints Service after a disagreement over the amount of fees charged each month on these policies. These fees were inflated to a staggering 41 per cent - the actual contractual fee being a mere six per cent. The monthly premium was deducted straight from your Credit Union account.

Any member wishing to receive a refund on their policy should write immediately to the insurance company claiming a refund of the management fee.

Should you not receive a satisfactory response contact:

Stephen Bray
Life Insurance Complaints Service
PO Box 579
Market Street Post Office
Melbourne. 8007.

Mr. Bray was able to bring my claim to a successful conclusion.

I urge any member who took out similar policies to carefully scrutinize their policy documents and the relevant fees being charged.

Any member wishing further information can contact me at Mount Barker Police Station (54) on 8391 3761.

Senior Constable G. Niblock
Mount Barker Patrols.

The Revered

A couple of months ago there appeared a brief item in the world news section in the Sunday Mail to the effect that Colonel Andrew Croft had died in England at the age of 91. He had been awarded the BEM or similar in the mid-’70s for his role in working with young soldiers. He had also served as a commando during WWII and was an expert in cold climate warfare and survival. I believe he had something to do with raids on “heavy water” factories in Norway.

So why do I bring up this obscure snippet from the world news pages?

In September 1962, together with a couple of hundred others, I started my police career as a cadet with the Metropolitan Police at Hendon in London. Our commandant introduced himself as Deputy Commander Andrew Croft, a tall, straight-backed man who took a huge interest in the development of cadets through the three-year cadet training scheme. This included camping under canvas in the Epping Forest in the middle of one of the worst winters in England this century.

What was outstanding was that he knew each and every one of us by name. To a 16-year-old, being addressed by the “guv’nor” by name was a real incentive - many of our instructors couldn’t do it. When he knew I was migrating to Australia he kept me on for eight months virtually until just before the boat left.

After I had joined our cadet system I couldn’t help thinking how similar the late Eric Meldrum was to Andrew Croft. Both were totally dedicated to the improvement and development of young people into their chosen career. They were autocratic in their own moralistic way but all who graduated from their courses look on them with respect.

Thank you - both Andrew Croft and Eric Meldrum - for guiding me and countless others into a unique career. Vale Andrew Croft and Eric Meldrum.

Mick Symonds
Senior Sergeant
Media Liaison Section.

Focus on Morale

The Editor

I am writing this letter to make an uneducated, probably uninformed but hopefully interesting opinion regarding Focus 21. Firstly, let me begin by saying that this letter is not designed to put down the work being done. I think there will be some very good things to come out of Focus 21, but also some bad things. Regardless of this I will, like most of my colleagues, continue on and do what we’re told. However, I would make the following observation and offer this story in support of my opinion.

Last week I had a coffee with a friend. This friend has been with SAPOL since he was 16, doing a three-year cadet course at the academy. He is a person who loves his job and is a career copper - last year he made sergeant and is now 41 (that narrows his identity down to a few). He has always worked on “the road” doing general patrol work. Over the afore said coffee, he made the comment to me that for the first time ever he is considering taking early retirement at 50 and doing something else.

Does this send any kind of message to those of importance? Does this give any of the Police Journal readers a hint of what is happening out on the road.

I also have always worked on the road in general patrols. Can I remind those making decisions that at times, general patrol work means:

• We have to perform tasks which can be horrendous in nature (picking up the pieces of a baby boy who has been torn apart by a machine).
• We regularly get verbally abused by the low-lifes out there.
• We regularly are the targets and victims of assaults, threats and violence.
• We are continually scrutinized by the public, TV, PCA, management and integrity testing by IIB. God help you if you have made a mistake. Merely refer to previous issues of the Police Journal where officers have been charged on video evidence, only to be cleared after the magistrate saw the same video. Amazing stuff. Any on-road copper could tell you a similar story.

The only thing that makes most of us keep doing this job (it’s not the money) is because of your mates at work. The comradeship between partners, the perverted jokes we make to each other merely to cope, the fun you have after work at team barbecues, etc. This can be summarized in one word - MORALE.

I realize there is a concerted effort to remove or destroy the police culture totally. Please understand though that morale is one very important aspect of the police culture which should be nurtured and fostered. Otherwise examples like my friend’s story will become commonplace. SAPOL cannot afford to lose officers of his experience and calibre. Perhaps a new focus group to examine this very important aspect, namely morale, would be appropriate.

To the Police Association reps, committee and executive, please keep up the outstanding work you are doing protecting our interests.

Pat Humphrys
Senior Constable
3654/8
Officer-in-Charge
Kimba Police

Is SAPOL haemorraging?

Dear Andrew

As a former member of SAPOL for over 30 years I have always been an avid reader of the Police Journal. Yet, what has emerged over recent years must be sending warning bells to the wider community! Is SAPOL haemorrhaging internally and becoming a less-than-robust organisation in which to work today?

For some years now, this journal has become inundated with personal accounts and features articles which appear to highlight a sheer arrogance or indifference towards the needs of fellow employees by some organisational elites. Many of the stories refer to an abuse of authority, under-funded resources, unethical management practices, unequal opportunity, nitpicking and sexism. The interpretations which can be drawn from these experiences, together with those “completing duty”, should be cause for some concern.

If I continue to be disturbed by what I read, it is possible that the wider audience of this magazine; the members in the community, must also be asking themselves some questions. In fact, as I move about, there are people in the community who are concerned about the direction of SAPOL, but it’s inability to manage and appropriately resolve human issues particularly! How do you respond to their questions, such as:

• What sort of organisation is it?
• Does it really care about its employees?
• Are those responsible for managing employees appropriately skilled?
• Is nepotism a feature of policing?
• Is there a code of conduct which is applicable to all employees but is administered in different ways, dependant upon status?
• Why is the industrial body of policing having to consume much of its time and resources intervening or advocating for members in issues concerning inappropriate management practices?

Policing is recognised as a somewhat unique profession which has many reputable people. These people are mature individuals and yet there is a glaring impression that they are considered as unimportant and treated like children.

This is hardly the stuff of the 1990s and it will be to only trivialise these issues with the submission that SAPOL is no different from some other organisations. If other organisations are haemorrhaging, lessons can be learned from those experiences and not seemingly replicated. To respond to this letter by using statistics which reflect a growing interest in people wishing to become police officers does not necessarily get rid of the argument. The significant thrust of this letter concerns the image that SAPOL continues to project of itself onto the public stage.

In the future I want to read feature articles which, for instance, clearly establish that SAPOL is a dynamic organisation, where its people are endorsed as the most valuable resource and equity is transparent.

Kind regards

Tom Kelsey