May 1999 Volume 80 Number 6 "serving the protectors"
Readout

Money Earner

Dear Editor

We are writing to advise members of our interest in forming a “share-club” with other police officers.

It is our intention after seeking legal/accounting advice to form a company/association/cooperative which invests in bluechip shares. The basic premise evolves around size in numbers.

It is anticipated that a one off joining fee of $100 will be required to establish the venture and a further $25 per fortnight be paid into a bank account through payroll deduction. All dividends will be reinvested.

A mutually agreed independent share broker will be engaged to advise on and conduct transactions, although if anyone knows a stockbroker who would like to participate in this venture we would be receptive to the idea. A credible advisor with a vested interest in the outcome would be beneficial to all involved.

Needless to say this is for the long haul and we are looking for a long term commitment. Safeguards would be established to protect the interests of all involved. This is an ideal opportunity to utilise the oncoming payrise without a reduction in take home pay.

Please send a forwarding minute or e-mail to either Kev Lawton or Sid Nankivell at Elizabeth Patrols if interested.

Kev Lawton

What Crisis?

The Editor

Again, in this public magazine, eyewitness accounts help to describe the pathetic organisational crises which continue to unfold in SAPOL. Sadly, but somewhat expectantly, the community is hoodwinked by responsible individuals into believing that there is no crisis of morale. Urgent demands must be made of these responsible individuals to seek advice from dependable sources who will not continue to betray or discredit them.

In November last year I reported some of my observations in the Police Journal about organisational haemorrhaging. I anticipated that someone would categorically refute my comments. Yet the responses that I received were from a large cross-section of the police and general community who shared similar important concerns. Interestingly some senior police officers, who have tended to trivialise such contentious issues in the past, are now openly demonstrating their disquiet.

Like other members of the general community, I have experienced eroding morale within SAPOL over recent years. A lack of staff to meet community needs, the lack of resources to undertake tasks and functions, issues trivialised, experts in their fields being devalued and cast upon the redundancy scrapheap and increasing dysfunctional behaviour being exhibited among employees generally.

As early as 210BC, Petronius Arbiter was reported as saying:

I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by re-organising...and a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion, inefficiency and demoralisation.

Re-organisation seems such a futile exercise if change is simply self-fulfilling or the nature of the problem(s) are never defined or blatantly disregarded. The efficacy of organisational change can be significant when employees are enthusiastic and involved in change processes. Despite the assurances of those who have accountability for the recent changes in SAPOL, there is little evidence about consultation in the wider community.

Consultation involves discussion and shared outcomes. Yet a small number of minions with myopic world views have dominated the future directions of policing in this State for some time now. Their years of limited service do not necessarily endow them with the knowledge, experience or skills to enable such organisational change.

It seems clear that officer Arbiter and cohorts still remain as employees of SAPOL. Confusion, inefficiency and demoralisation continue unabated and the evidence of the need for many of the changes has not been proved beyond reasonable doubt. The net outcome in recent years has seen sycophants gaining unmerited opportunities while the greater majority have had their spirits crushed, aspirations curtailed or been left to eke out some existence towards separation. This is unacceptable to the consumers of police services and an absolute insult to their intelligence. As John F Kennedy was to say in 1959:

When written in Chinese, the word “crisis” is composed of two characters - one represents danger and the other represents opportunity.

CRISIS - yes, there is, and it's bloody dangerous. NOW is the imperative in resolving it.

Regards
Tom Kelsey

Dear Andy,
Re: Editorial May 99 p 17

I refer to the above editorial

The question that the Sunday Mail put to me was, “How do staffing levels for sworn officers in SA compare with other States”. I answered that our levels were higher than all of the Eastern States. Your editorial asked me for the evidence. The answer is that I went to the Australian Institute of Criminology website and found the information, dated 30 June 1998, at http://www.aic.gov.au/stats/pol98.htm#sa98

Only WA (slightly) and the NT have higher levels per 100,000 population. That’s the evidence you asked me to supply.

(WT) Rick Sarre
Associate Professor
School of International Business
University of South Australia

RESPONSE

Mr Sarre’s answer to the Sunday Mail reporter’s question did not accurately portray the staffing situation.

He has relied on information available from the Australian Institute of Criminology website regarding police numbers. This website uses a “headcount” as opposed to “full-time-equivalent” counting. The figures quoted there also include police cadets and personnel working outside of SAPOL. Police cadets are not sworn and it is hardly fair that personnel working outside of the police are included at all.

The most reliable information source – The Commissioner of Police Report to Parliament – records the number of active full time equivalent sworn police officers on that date as 3,463. This figure is some 111 fewer than the figure quoted on the AIC website.

It would have been far more accurate if Mr Sarre had used the Commissioner’s figures in computing the ratios.

Nonetheless, I thank Mr Sarre for responding. The Police Journal was happy to print his explanation.

Andy Dunn
Editor

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