Ph 3259 1900 (24 hours) - Queensland Police Union

Nationwide
The Northern Territory Police
Association welcomed the
announcement by Chief Minister
Paul Henderson that an independent
resource efficiency review would be
conducted.
‘Our Association welcomes this
long overdue announcement,’ NTPA
President Vince Kelly said today.
‘While this review is not as broad as
we had hoped, it will go some way to
alleviating serious issues of concern to
our members in relation to resources.
We can only hope it also brings some
common sense back to the political
debate about policing.
‘Our Association maintains that the
Federal and Territory governments’
funding agreements to meet remote
policing needs is inadequate.
‘This review should also focus on
issues highlighted by CLP member Jon
Elferink regarding the administrative
burden placed on operational police.
‘We are hopeful this review will receive
the support of the CLP.’
‘Our Association looks forward to
working closely with the review
team and Commissioner McRoberts
to improve the working lives of our
operational members and to improve
community safety’, he said.
POLICE ASSOCIATION OF
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Association to back member against
assault claim
Police Association member Constable
Norman Hoy pleaded not guilty in the
District Court last month to one count
of aggravated assault.
The prosecution case will be that after
an alleged incident on 18 September
2010, Constable Hoy assaulted petrol
baron Yasser Shahin, who owns the On
The Run petrol and cigarette chain.
As reported in The Advertiser, Mr
Shahin retained Michael Abbott QC
to file a complaint with the Police
Complaints Authority, which led to the
criminal charge.
Constable Hoy has the full support of
the Police Association. The committee
of management has carefully
considered the circumstances of
the case and has elected to fund the
defence.
It is evident that this matter has had a
negative impact on not only Constable
Hoy, but also his family. In the situation
in which he found himself, he was
acting in the line of duty. It is therefore
disturbing that any charge, let alone
one of assault, has been laid.
Many members of the public, equally
disturbed by this prosecution, have
contacted the Police Association to
offer not only moral but even financial
support.
And from other association members
have come expressions of great
dismay at the decision of the Director
of Public Prosecutions to recommend
the filing of this charge. Without doubt,
all operational police will follow and
scrutinize this case through intensely
critical eyes.
It serves to highlight, once again,
the undeniable necessity of Police
Association membership. The path
of non-membership is trodden by the
foolish, by those who at their peril
underestimate the value of belonging
to a Union which guarantees to be
there, to stand up for, and to defend the
individual and the collective.
Country housing dispute
The Association is presently before
the Industrial Relations Commission
regarding a dispute about the
provision of government housing for
police residing within 100km of the
Adelaide GPO.
The Association’s position is that all
members who resided in governmentsubsidised
housing before the
announcement of the 100km policy
should continue to receive their
concessions.
And the Association is lobbying the
government to exempt the towns
of Murray Bridge, Tailem Bend, and
Mannum from the new policy, which
does not provide government housing
within 100km of Adelaide.
That policy, especially for towns such
as Murray Bridge and Tailem Bend, is
short-sighted and makes a mockery of
community policing.
The government is well aware of the
Association’s concerns, but has failed
to respond to them. Indeed, the Crown
has briefed counsel to argue for the
government position.
In failing to providing housing in
townships such as Murray Bridge,
police will choose (and have done so)
to reside outside of the town, in areas
such as Mt Barker and Strathalbyn.
Over time, fewer police will live in the
township in which they work.
The association firmly believes that
this is a poor result for police service
delivery in local communities.
Association secretary Andrew Dunn
will meet with the Council for the
Rural City of Murray Bridge to brief
it on the government’s position, and
how that position will impact on its
community.
POLICE FEDERATION OF
AUSTRALIA
Federal budget strips
funding for crime prevention
In the 2012-13 Federal budget, the
government announced that it ‘will
defer payments from the Confiscated
Assets Account made under section
298 of the Proceeds of Crime Act
2002.’
The Budget forecasts that this will
lead to ‘savings of $58.3 million over
four years’, which ‘will be redirected to
support other government priorities’.
Queensland Police Union Journal August 2012 49