January 1999 Volume 80 Number 1 "serving the protectors"
Police Minister from the farm By Brett Williams

Government ministers should never involve themselves in police operations, according to police minister, Robert Brokenshire.

Recently appointed to the emergency services portfolio, Brokenshire told the Police Journal that he was “no expert in day-to-day policing”.

He insisted, however, that local MPs must have “a very good understanding” of, and a quality working relationship with local police.

To broaden his own understanding before winning the seat of Mawson in 1993, Brokenshire accompanied a Christies Beach police patrol on an eight-hour shift.

“It gave me a real insight into the diversity and intensity of a so-called normal police eight-hour shift,” he said.

“When you're actually at incidents with them, and you’re having a meal with them, you really start to learn what police life’s all about.

“It’s my intention as minister to actually broaden that now - and Hindley Street’s one area that I want to go to as soon as possible.”

But Brokenshire wasn’t prepared to recognize policing as the community’s toughest job. He instead suggested that many occupations within South Australia were tough, and even categorized government ministers’ work as “not an easy job”.

Although appointed police minister with no background in law enforcement, Brokenshire said he felt qualified for the role because he had worked “at the coalface for five years as a local MP”.

He came to politics from farming and had also owned a rural real estate business. His motivation to embark on a political life, he said, was his anger over the State debt.

“I saw that we were actually heading down a track to nowhere - where there would be no future for our children,” he said. “So, you either grizzle a fair bit and do nothing, or you put your hand up - and I got involved with the (Liberal) party from there.”

Brokenshire said that he regards rank-and-file police input to his office as “very significant”. But he said he also welcomes advice from those outside the rank and file, such as commissioned officers and other politicians. The onus, he insisted, was on ministers to listen to all advice offered before making decisions.

But Brokenshire’s in-house advice on police matters comes a from 35-year-old law student and former United States serviceman, Derron Jarell. Brokenshire said that Jarell - who holds a degree in public policy - “gives me quite a lot of advice”.

Although Jarell has neither practical nor theoretical experience in policing, Brokenshire considers his input appropriate. He doesn’t necessarily believe that someone with police experience should have been appointed his adviser.

“You may be better off coming in with a fresh and open approach to a ministry, rather than coming in with set ideas because you’ve been a police officer,” he said.

Of the acrimonious dispute over amendments to the police bill last year, Brokenshire said that some angst was to be expected. But he questioned whether the credit given to the ALP and Democrats for winning certain concessions was deserved.

He believes that, other than the Police Association, he and other backbenchers who had been able to “have a real say” deserved the credit.

“The Police Association worked closely with Liberal members and highlighted concerns to us which we were able to express to the minister of the day,” he said.

And of shadow police minister, Patrick Conlon’s assertion in a Police Journal article that, the government “has absolutely lost the way with the police force”, Brokenshire said: “That’s not right.

“I believe we’re creating, in conjunction with the police department, a new and better opportunity for policing in this state.”

Brokenshire conceded that some police would concur with the shadow minister’s view - but he regarded Conlon, by his remarks, as playing party politics.

“I’ll be looking forward, not going back over old ground,” he said. “If we wanted to take that track, I could put a lot of blame back to 11 years of his party in government.”

Although Brokenshire comes to the police portfolio against the backdrop of bitter negotiations over the bill, he’s confident of developing a positive relationship with the Police Association.

He said he expects differences to arise at times, but hoped he and the Police Association would, for the most part, work “very co-operatively together”.

“I would hope that I’ll be respected by the (Association) membership,” he said. “I hope that I’m able to show the Premier that I’m giving absolute commitment to the job, and therefore that I can stay in this position for at least the next three years.”

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