Police Journal December 2021

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DECEMBER 2021

Taking the hits in Hindley Street “It can be very dynamic, change really quickly, and become quite dangerous. You don’t know what people are carrying on them in large crowds.”

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y family’s history in the police community dates to the early 1900s. My great grandfather, “Willie” Hubert King, trained cadets for the mounted police force. My grandfather, Ken, and father, Chris, followed in his footsteps. While I didn’t join the force, they imparted one important lesson: never leave Police Health. You’ll regret it if you do.” Russell King, son of a third-generation police officer

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“At 34 years old, just three months after we had our second daughter, my wife was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. “She found a lump that didn’t clear up, so went in for a check-up. That same afternoon, she had an ultrasound and biopsy, with a diagnosis the following day. By that Friday, she had a CT and bone scans, an MRI, a biopsy, and a double mastectomy. “She got everything she needed done within a matter of a few days. Being stage 4, every minute mattered, and I doubt she’d still be here today if we had to wait around for two months. “Police Health covered everything. There were no out-of-pocket costs for my wife’s treatment. There are no words to express how much we appreciate it.” Russell and his family have received more than $150k in benefits from their Police Health policy

speak with a representative. Everyone is responsive and truly cares. It feels like a small family practice, not a big corporate fund.”

“Because we were young, we had an air of confidence that we wouldn’t need Police Health. The thought had even crossed my mind that we might be able to find coverage that’s half the price, because we were fit and healthy. “Essentially, I became the sole carer for our three-month-old overnight. I was also taking care of our older daughter and being there for my wife as she faced a stage 4 prognosis. We both weren’t working, and I had no extra willpower to handle the financial side. I don’t know how people without top-level health insurance handle that. “Nearly six years on, my wife continues to get chemo-based infusions every three weeks, as her body’s response to the drugs and chemo plateaued. A recent tumour grew on a nerve and affected her vocal cords. Because she’s a lecturer, she can now only work one or two days a week. “Thanks to Police Health, we’re not having to manage a second crisis – a financial one. “This gives us the peace of mind to focus on my wife, as well as the kids.

She’s able to build a trusting relationship with the oncologist of her choice, who she sees regularly, and I can take the kids to the dentist and visit the physio, without compromising or putting up with pain. “There’s a big difference between 40 and 25 years old. If you’re unsure about the value of being with Police Health or, like me, haven’t served in the force, take it from me – you’ll be glad you stayed. “I wasn’t thinking about major health issues when I was 25. I was saving for a house and travelling the world. But this was the smartest decision I made for my family’s health and finances. “Everything has been so easy with Police Health. There are no hour-long wait times to speak with a representative. Everyone is responsive and truly cares. It feels like a small family practice, not a big corporate fund. “While I didn’t choose to become an officer, I have been looked after as if I had. “To anyone who’s going through this, just get through one day at a time. There’s no point worrying if the worst-case happens. Please don’t suffer twice. Get up, live your life, and do everything you can to stay grounded in the day. You’ll realize that the things that used to occupy your mind don’t matter. Happiness lives in the small things.”

To join more than 65,000 other members of Australia’s police community already enjoying peace of mind from Police Health’s gold-tier insurance, call 1 800 603 603 or visit policehealth.com.au December 2021

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E EDITOR

If the floor of the House of Representatives in Canberra is The Bear Pit, you would have to wonder what that makes the Hindley St beat in Adelaide. Any cop who works that beat would tell you that it’s a bear pit far grislier than any house of parliament. Just last month, police arrested a 20-year-old Plympton man in Hindley St and charged him with attempted murder after a stabbing incident. Three Police Association members who walk Hindley St give a first-hand account of the violence, the abuse and the disorder they deal with every shift. They also detail some of the injuries they’ve suffered after drunk and drug-affected revellers have attacked them. Police Association assistant secretary Steve Whetton looks at just how heavy a burden police have had to carry over the past two years and its effect on morale. Dr Rod Pearce explains the pros and cons of running as an exercise and why a treadmill or a running track is the better option. Police Association president Mark Carroll outlines the importance of the return of police to their regular duties from COVID-19 roles. And, in Jobs you never forget, Senior Constable 1C Alex Lunn remembers a five-year-old “little angel” who didn’t survive. The Police Journal team has delighted in the chance to tell Police Association members’ stories for another year. I wish all readers the best possible ChristmasNew Year break. Brett Williams brettwilliams@pj.asn.au

Publisher: Police Association of South Australia Level 2, 27 Carrington St, Adelaide SA 5000 T (08) 8212 3055 F (08) 8212 2002 www.pasa.asn.au Editor: Brett Williams (08) 8212 3055 Design: Sam Kleidon 0417 839 300 Advertising: Police Association of South Australia (08) 8212 3055 Printing: Finsbury Green (08) 8234 8000 The Police Journal is published by the Police Association of South Australia, 27 Carrington St, Adelaide, SA 5000, (ABN 73 802 822 770). Contents of the Police Journal are subject to copyright. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the Police Association of South Australia is prohibited. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the editor. The Police Association accepts no responsibility for statements made by advertisers. Editorial contributions should be sent to the editor (brettwilliams@pj.asn.au). 4

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Police Association

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President 10

Police must return to policing Industrial 20

Time to boost front-line morale Health 23

Cushioned running to avoid joint damage Motoring 24

Kia Niro Hybrid / Nissan Navara Banking 27

The year in review

Books 28

Cinema 30

On Scene 34

Jobs you never forget 38


December 2021 12

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Taking the hits in Hindley Street

Challenges on the front line of policing don’t come any tougher or more dangerous than the Hindley St beat, as three cops explain.

COVER: Constable Kelisha Maynard on duty in Hindley Street with partner Constable Anthony Feo. Photography by Michael Haines. December 2021

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COMMITTEE Julian Snowden

Chris Walkley

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Michael Kent Treasurer

Bernadette Zimmermann Secretary

Police Journal

Leonie Schulz

Police Association of South Australia Level 2, 27 Carrington St, Adelaide SA 5000 www.pasa.asn.au

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Daryl Mundy Vice-President

P: (08) 8212 3055 (all hours) E: pasa@pasa.asn.au Membership enquiries: (08) 8112 7988

Trevor Milne


Samanda Brain

Darren Mead

POLICE JOURNAL

MEDIA AND COMMUNICATIONS

PRESIDENT

Brett Williams Editor

Nicholas Damiani

Mark Carroll

EXECUTIVE SECRETARIES Sarah Stephens

Anne Hehner

Jan Welsby

FINANCE Tegan Clifford Assistant Finance Officer

Wendy Kellett Finance Officer

INDUSTRIAL Andrew Heffernan Member Liaison Officer

Nadia Goslino Grievance Officer

Steven Whetton Assistant Secretary

OFFICE

POLICE CLUB

Shelley Furbow Caitlin Brown Reception Executive Assistant

Bronwyn Hunter Manager

December 2021

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REPRESENTATIVES Superannuation Police Dependants Fund Leave Bank Country housing Commissioner’s Office Health Safety & Welfare Advisory Committee Legacy Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity & Intersex members

Mark Carroll and Michael Kent Bernadette Zimmermann Andrew Heffernan Andrew Heffernan Steven Whetton Julian Snowden Nadia Goslino and Andrew Heffernan

DELEGATES & WORKPLACE REPRESENTATIVES Metro North Branch Gawler Golden Grove Henley Beach Holden Hill Northern Prosecution Parks Salisbury

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Alex Grimaldi Kristin Enman Sam Agostino Stephen Foenander Alex McLean Scott Mitchell Scott Milich

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James Cochrane Dick Hern Paul Clark

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Les Buckley

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Brendan White (chair) (no delegates)


Critical Incident Response Industrial staff on call 24/7 and ready to support you

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P PRESIDENT Mark Carroll

The 2022 state election

Police must return to policing I

can’t remember a more challenging 12-month period for police since I graduated from Fort Largs in 1986. The COVID-19 response and its associated burdens have taken an enormous toll on cops. The response has impacted on policing in ways we would never have thought possible. It certainly presented challenges we had never seen in our profession. Members have shown extraordinary resilience and patience while dealing with the impact on police work and resources. As I have often said – and continue to say – publicly: we are the first line and the last line, and the last two years have reaffirmed that adage. Our members’ courage and expertise have been first class. But there’s a critical point to emerge from all this, and it hasn’t been raised anywhere near often enough. At the very beginning of all this, in March 2020, I told the media that crime does not stop during a pandemic. 10

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It turns out we’ve had much more than the usual crime to deal with over the course of the last 18 months. Be it border closure enforcement, hotel quarantine, testing facilities, stay-at-home orders or QR code enforcement, there is barely a challenge our members have not been called upon to undertake. I know it has often meant the postponement or cancellation of leave and great uncertainty about personal and family lives. The Police Association is clear on one thing: as the state transitions back to normal life, it is imperative that police officers are fully relieved of the COVID-19 burden and returned to their regular duties. Police department strategies have brought about the conscription of police officers directly into COVID-19 roles across the country. They are simply not sustainable and need to change.

The Police Association has already set out a preliminary list of expectations for all the state’s major political players. Regardless of the election outcome, we expect the government of the day to act on these issues: • Funding for the recruitment of 200 police security officers and maintenance of 4,719 sworn police. • Establishing a Premier’s task force of key stakeholders to make recommendations with a view to an increase in the recruitment of sworn police officers over the next 10 years. • Purchase of 1,500 additional load-bearing vests. • Funding to implement fully SAPOL’s mobility project. • Funding to improve resourcing of SAPOL’s domestic violence response capabilities. • Support for improving SA’s most dangerous roads. • Funding for a permanent presence of nurses in all police custodial facilities. • The introduction of weekend courts. • Cost recovery for SAPOL’s failed Operation Bandicoot (Mantle) prosecutions. Also on the association’s radar for the next term of government is a host of desired legislative changes, which include: • Increasing the speed limit from 25km/h to 40km/h for civilians passing emergency vehicles. (This will avoid vehicles in convoy having to stop suddenly, thereby placing police officers and civilians at an increased risk of injury or even death.) • Presumptive legislation for police who suffer post-traumatic stress disorder. • Greater legislative clarity surrounding the definition of a death in custody. • Re-introduction of legislative 1 per cent superannuation premium additional to the government guarantee. • Mandatory blood-testing of offenders who spit at or assault police officers. • Mandatory reimbursement of legal expenses for officers who are acquitted of criminal charges or subject to an ICAC investigation.


• Support from state government for the federal government to introduce a national police blue card scheme for veteran officers. • Commissioned ranks to be covered under the Injury and Income Protection Scheme. • Selection review for all positions up to the rank of chief superintendent. For well over a century, the association has remained an apolitical organization. We are not concerned about party politics, only outcomes for association members. Of course, this list of items is not exhaustive. The association will continue to negotiate for these and other outcomes, regardless of which political party forms government next year.

The festive season

Members who perform their duties right through Christmas and the new year deserve the unconditional respect and co-operation of communities all throughout South Australia.

It’s hard to believe Christmas is already upon us. The last two years have presented unprecedented challenges for cops and the SA communities they protect. With life finally getting back to some kind of normality, all of us will love nothing more than to celebrate by relaxing with loved ones. Realistically, we know a significant percentage of front-line cops won’t have that option. They’ll be rostered on to protect the community on occasions like Christmas eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve. Crime doesn’t stop for the holiday season. Calls to triple zero still have to be answered. Victims still suffer. Cops still have to be there for the community, around the clock. Members who perform their duties right through Christmas and the new year deserve the unconditional respect and co-operation of communities all throughout South Australia. They will get it, too. The relationship between the SA community and police officers remains as strong as ever, despite the tribulations of the last two years. I wish all members and their families and, indeed, all Police Journal readers a safe and enjoyable Christmas. December 2021

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Taking the hits in Hindley Street A Hindley St cop might finish his or her shift with anything from a black eye to a broken bone. That’s because drunk, foul-mouthed revellers think nothing of assaulting police who simply try to keep the entertainment precinct safe. By Brett Williams

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Sergeant Tim Tollenaar speaks with security at Plain Jane nightclub.

indley St sergeant Tim Tollenaar once chased and cornered a fleeing offender who then glassed him with a bottle in the Festival Plaza. He was lucky to emerge that night with only a cut to his head and survive the attack. But where he works, pounding the infamous Hindley St beat, police come under attack almost as often as an Australian bushy swats flies. The number of king and other hits Tollenaar has absorbed in his dozen-odd years battling the street’s violence and disorder would be incalculable. “I’ve been assaulted numerous times in Hindley St,” the 54-year-old says. “And I think of all the places I’ve worked, it’s where police are probably most susceptible to getting assaulted.” One attack Tollenaar remembers is the full beer bottle that landed square in the middle of his spine after a cowardly offender threw it at him. He has copped black eyes, cuts, bruises and ultimately had a shoulder replacement after repeatedly grappling with offenders. Indeed, an offender came close to stabbing Tollenaar in the packed Austral Hotel on a Friday night back in 1994. He was a member of a gang of unruly skinheads and had refused to step outside to discuss an allegation of property damage. He took a wild swing at Tollenaar and the pair wound up in an intense fight. And, as that played out, another skinhead smashed his beer glass against a wall. Two other cops, however, had rushed back into the hotel after making an arrest and spotted him – and knew what he intended. “He was coming up to me to try to stab me with it (the glass),” Tollenaar says, “so one of the officers struck him with a baton. “Then we just had a huge brawl. Patrols came from everywhere and we ended up locking up five of the gang. Biggest pub fight I’ve ever had.” Then there was the “ultra-violent” weekend Tollenaar worked in 2006. One offender tried to set fire to a police cage car. Two others, ejected from HQ nightclub, tried to run down the bouncers who had thrown them out and were standing at the front door. December 2021

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His vast first-hand experience of Hindley St makes Tollenaar more knowledgeable than most on policing the precinct. He has undertaken five stints of two to three years at the coalface but concedes that, by the end of them, he has felt “sick of it”. “And then I’ve gone back to the suburbs,” he says, “but then I miss Hindley St, so I come back.” From what Tollenaar remembers of his first stint working Hindley St, in 1987, it was outlaw motorcycle gangs that brought the most disorder to the entertainment strip. What he sees now, 34 years later, is not bikies but rather “young thugs who just refuse to obey the law”. “We just get constant abuse,” he says. “Everybody is angry, and everybody calls you a f---wit or something similar, and it just never stops. They’re all just angry, drunk people. “And the biggest change I’ve seen over the years is the complete lack of respect for police. So, you have to be really primed to put up with abuse. “When somebody’s drunk and angry and you tell them to leave the area, they just tell you to f--k off. Then you’ve got to put your hands on them, and that’s when it can all go to shit.” Tollenaar estimates that in all front-line SA police work, cops do more physical fighting with offenders in Hindley St than they do anywhere else. And, as Tollenaar sees it, the toughest time for Hindley St cops is around 4 o’clock in the morning. Nightclub revellers, many of them drunk or drug-affected, start spilling out onto the street, with no thought of quietly heading home. And “massive fights” erupt when groups emerge from the Dog & Duck and nightclubs on the opposite side of the street in Cosmopolitan Arcade. “Around 4am” Tollenaar explains, “you’ve got to be standing outside in that area, in the 100 metres from Rosina St down to Cosmopolitan. It’s like the epicentre of all the shit that happens in Hindley St late at night. After 1am, you don’t want to be in the street.” No surprise that with Friday and Saturday nights comes the biggest crowds and the most violence. In fact, Saturday night is the one Tollenaar calls “fight night”. 14

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But, in Hindley St, violence can break out at any time, night or day. Cops see it as late as 6am, when some revellers are still pouring out of nightclubs and onto the street. “They’re still blind drunk, really agro, and only there to fight and cause problems,” Tollenaar says. “And we might only have two patrols because the rest of my team are at the watch house with arrests. The work never stops.” And Tollenaar knows exactly the assets a copper needs to confront and survive the constant violence and disorder of the Hindley St beat. An ability, and willingness, to go head-on in a scrap is the first one he lists. “It does take someone who can cope with a lot of anger and violence,” he says. “And you need to be a really good team player because, like a game of football, it really is a team effort. We can’t do anything in there by ourselves.”

Above: Tim Tollenaar confers with his team members, right: Mounted Ops members patrol the street.

But cops who are new to Hindley St never take more than a few months to develop a sixth sense. “We’re almost like dogs (sniffing out trouble),” Tollenaar says. “You can walk the street on a Friday or Saturday night and go: ‘Something’s going to happen tonight.’ You can feel that something’s not right. You can sense it in the air, and the CCTV cameras don’t pick that up.” Tollenaar certainly values that sixth sense, but he rates Hindley St cops themselves, and Mounted Ops members, as the street’s greatest law-enforcement assets. He speaks of his team members as “a fantastic bunch of people”. “They are just really keen, really switched on, and really balanced,” he says. “They just get on and do the work. And it’s a special type of person who can walk up and down that bloody street. It takes a certain amount of courage.


“I knew it was going to be full-on with drugs, fights, foot chases, and shop theft during the day.”

T “And summer’s absolutely mad. On warm nights, like when it’s still 32 degrees at 3am and it’s still stinking hot, that’s when we have “And the horses are awesome. The way they push the crowds a lot of issues.” back for you when you're on the

ground with some idiot is fantastic. There’s nothing better. They help us so much.” Now, with Christmas and another hot summer approaching, Tollenaar and his colleagues know the action will ratchet up in Hindley St. Some of the people the festive season is likely to attract will, as always, be those who rarely come into the city. “Some of them get blind drunk and then we have to remove them,” Tollenaar explains. “They can get all uppity because they don’t understand the rules. “And summer’s absolutely mad. On warm nights, like when it’s still 32 degrees at 3am and it’s still stinking hot, that’s when we have a lot of issues.”

he Hindley St beat is all Constable Kelisha Maynard has known in her short post-graduation police career of 15 months. In that time, she has been kicked, punched, had her hair wrenched, and had blood spat at her. She has also copped the obscenities young revellers have routinely, and without provocation, yelled at her and other cops on the street. “They walk past us and yell: ‘F---wits, c---s, dogs…’ ” she says. “You get called so many names just by being present and walking past a group of young kids. Even kids who are underage and on the street at night. I’ve been called every name under the sun.” But Maynard, 31, always knew that she should expect constant violence and abuse if she ever wound up assigned to the Adelaide entertainment precinct. Her husband, a former police officer and now firefighter, had himself worked Hindley St and given her an insight into the environment. “So, I knew it was going to be full-on with drugs, fights, foot chases, and shop theft during the day,” she says. “I knew what I was walking into, but I was excited because I wanted to do that sort of hands-on policing.” And, on just about every shift, Maynard has indeed had to go handson with one irrational offender or another on the street. Already, after such a short time working Hindley St, she has had to thrust herself into so many fights she cannot count them. From one of them, she emerged with her arms, legs, hips and abdomen covered in bruises after a savage kicking she took in Solomon St. Her attacker was a drugged-up young woman suspected of stealing a phone. December 2021

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“Thank God that’s over. Made it, and no one’s hurt. And you’re just wrecked because you just go the whole time. The street doesn’t stop.” Maynard and her male partner had taken the woman to ground, but he came under attack by a young man who charged in from the sideline. That left Maynard to grapple with the woman on her own, as it did her partner with his offender. “She just kicked the absolute crap out of me, and I had to go along for the ride,” Maynard recalls. “I had my hand wrapped around her collar and her hair, and I was trying to defend myself against all her kicks. “She kicked my body-worn and radio off me, she clawed my face, pulled my hair and was just so highly under the influence of drugs.” Help eventually came from Maynard’s partner after he got his attacker under control and the two offenders wound up arrested. Hindley St cops respond to multiple 16

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fights throughout many shifts. When they can simply break them up and move the brawlers on, and no one has been hurt, Maynard calls it “a good night for us”. “It’s when you get big brawls and people get king hit and injured,” she says. “They’re really bad nights.” “And, if we’re going into a fight and dealing with it, we’re asking ourselves: ‘Is the crowd going to turn on us? Are we visible to the CCTV cameras?’ “It can be very dynamic, change really quickly, and become quite dangerous. You don’t know what people are carrying on them in large crowds.” And Maynard insists that, when it comes to those brawls, the Hindley St cop has to be decisive, particularly after talk fails to calm a situation. “You’ve just got to recognize when something’s not working,” she explains.

Above left: Constables Kelisha Maynard and Anthony Feo in Leigh St, above right: Maynard checks on a man in Hindley St and, far right: Brevet Sergeant Michael Montgomery observing movement on the street.

“You’ve got to stop talking and just do something else. “There’s no time to step back, especially when there’s a brawl going on. You’ve got to decide: ‘Am I going in. Am I standing back?’ “I’m very junior in the job but I’ve just got to step up and make a decision. I might be the first one on the scene and I’ve got to do something.” What Maynard can barely believe, even though she sees it, is the Jekylland-Hyde transformation of the normally law-abiding person into the insufferable street offender. “They come to the city for a night out, get on the drinks and drugs and become such aggressive, violent, entitled people,” she says. “Then, you can speak to them during the day when they’re sober and find them intelligent, well-spoken and respectful.”


And in Hindley St itself, Maynard sees another contrast. One image is of bright lights, cars bumper-tobumper on the street, the mass of people, music blaring. It strikes her as a “fun and exciting look” and a place she would like to go – if she knew nothing of its reality. Of course, when it comes to 6am and the street begins to clear of revellers, another image emerges. The bright lights have extinguished, the street has fallen silent, and fastfood wrappers and other rubbish cover the ground. “It certainly looks like that in the mornings,” Maynard says. “And you just think: ‘This is terrible. People have just destroyed the street and had no regard for it.’ ” The one thought Maynard has each time her run of night shifts ends is: “Thank God that’s over. Made it, and no one’s hurt.” “And you’re just wrecked,” she says, “because you just go the whole time. The street doesn’t stop.” When their roster has Maynard and her colleagues on day shift, they confront a Hindley St the polar opposite of its night-time counterpart. Maynard speaks not of revellers but of the homeless, the mentally unwell, shop thieves and robbers, warring gangs in Rundle Mall and, of course, office and retail workers. That environment might appear less dangerous, but it is scarcely any safer for police. They deal with knifewielding offenders on public transport, convenience store robberies, service station drive-offs, shop thefts, and endless mental-health incidents. “You still get people fighting,” Maynard says. “You still get weapon jobs; you’ve still got drugs… There’s just so much. The city attracts everything.” But Maynard never takes her job home. Home life, with her husband and daughter, is her release from the pressure of working Hindley St. She suspects that, with some COVID-19 restrictions eased, entertainment seekers will “want to make up for lost time” over the festive season. “I guess I’m mentally prepping myself for it,” she says. “I think it’s going to be a hell of a show.”

“Now it becomes an argument and you have this running battle. Then the mobile phones come out, and something that starts off as quite a small thing becomes bigger, with all the hangers-on.”

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revet Sergeant Michael Montgomery came to Australian policing with 11 years’ experience as a London Met police officer. But he had never policed a beat as densely populated, as consistently violent, or as clearly dangerous as Hindley St. His only experience of maintaining order at big gatherings in England was at events like soccer matches and carnivals. Now, he has a history of seven years working Hindley St and knows the environment as intimately as do other veteran city cops. “On Friday and Saturday nights it’s chaotic,” he says. “On every corner there’s something happening, from the buskers to beggars, to people handing out tickets to get into the nightclubs. “The whole street is just thriving, and just the sheer noise from every licensed premises as you go further down the street. From start to finish it’s busy.

“So, when you start night shift at 11, you can get your kit on and at 5 past 11: bang! You can be dealing with something straight away. You don’t ease into a shift, certainly not on weekends.” Montgomery, 48, has been lucky not to suffer any serious injuries like broken bones. Still, he has emerged from fights grazed and bruised and had blood spat at him. And, in just recent months, he and his teammates have responded to the kinds of incidents that stick firmly in their minds. There was the report of an alleged rape of a young woman in King William St on a busy Friday night. On the following Sunday night, the officers chased and caught a suspect for the offence on the riverbank after he allegedly broke into a Hindley St grocery store. On another night, a fight broke out as Montgomery and his partner undertook a simple COVID check on a licensed Leigh St establishment. It involved an OMCG member and spilled out onto the street. December 2021

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What struck Montgomery was how quickly he and his partner had gone from such a routine duty to the arrest of a suspect in a street fight. And, on another night, Montgomery and others chased a youth through back streets, the railway station, the grounds of the Intercontinental Hotel and onto North Terrace. He had allegedly attempted to slash an off-duty police officer with a “big pair of scissors”. What Montgomery sees as the cause of much of the trouble in Hindley St, apart from drugs and alcohol, is an attitude of entitlement. “It’s a case of: ‘I can’t be told what to do,’ ” he says. “There’s a lot of that when you give people a direction, when, before, it would’ve been: ‘Oh, the cops have told me to move on. I’ll move on.’ “Now it becomes an argument and you have this running battle. Then the mobile phones come out, and something that starts off as quite a small thing becomes

bigger, with all the hangers-on.” Of course, the anger in those hangerson can boil over when police have to remove or arrest one of their violent, entitled mates. And what makes that situation dangerous are the hordes of people and banked-up traffic that clog the street on the busiest nights. With traffic at a standstill, police in cage or patrol cars cannot get into the street quickly to whisk that suspect away from the fired-up mob. “There’s no access,” Montgomery explains, “so getting a vehicle out to you to get your arrest safely out of the environment can be delayed.” And, on night shift, Montgomery and his teammates might make as many as 30 arrests through the hectic Thursday-toSunday period. “That’s quite a conservative number,” Montgomery says. “We have behavioural offences, assaults, some drug offences, a few weapons jobs, and maybe some thefts.

“You can just see that there’s going to be an argument that’ll spark up between different groups. You can just feel it in the air, that it’s going to be a busy environment.”

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Police Journal

Mounted Ops members supporting their colleagues on the beat.

“And, on occasion, you’ll have sexual incidents, whether that’s touching someone inappropriately, all the way through to allegations of rape. “We certainly get the domestic matters, too. There’s nothing like alcohol or drugs on a Saturday night to make couples fall out. I think people would be surprised by the amount of it.” Just like his teammates, Montgomery can sense trouble before it starts on Hindley St. He can “feel it brew” in the atmosphere and pick up on changes in the dynamics of a crowd. “You can just see that there’s going to be an argument that’ll spark up between different groups,” he says. “You can just feel it in the air, that it’s going to be a busy environment.” But Montgomery understands the attraction factor when it comes to Hindley St. When he passes the western end of the street on his drive into work for night shift, he takes a momentary glance east. “You see the lights and the nightclubs and it does look glitzy,” he says. “You just get the vibe of the street. You’d think: ‘Oh, this is the place to be.’ It has that draw to it.” But the glitz, according to Montgomery, is not what keeps him and other cops dedicated to their duty in a stressful, frustrating Hindley St. Rather, it is simply the calibre and support of their teammates. “If you’ve got a good team,” Montgomery says, “that sustains you. There might be an incident and you’ll either get a good outcome or it’ll become a funny story, and you’ll look back and think: ‘We’ve had a good day.’ “At the moment, I enjoy the work to a degree, but you’ve got to be very reliant on your team. If you’ve got a good team and a good bunch of people around you, that can make it a whole bunch easier.” So, for now, Montgomery – whose release is the gym, cycling and family – is happy to continue working Hindley St. His advice is that, for cops to succeed there, they need to be, and are, confident and resilient but also tolerant and patient. Montgomery wisely expects to be “significantly busier” during the festive season. He knows that even more people will flock to the street’s licensed premises and is bracing himself for the onslaught. “From now,” he says, “right through until after New Year, you’re preparing yourself for a very busy night. Every night.” PJ


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T H AU S T R

POLICE ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA


Steve Whetton Assistant Secretary Police Association

I INDUSTRIAL

Time to boost front-line morale M

ajor organizational change has tested metropolitan frontline and investigations members, particularly in the socially challenging environment of recent times. And now, with a regional review under way, it would behove SAPOL to consider the ramifications of organizational change to achieve a budgetary advantage and recognize the impact of the emergency management declaration on its employees. Much debate has taken place in respect of the October 27 direction that, from November 15, members who have not received a first COVID-19 vaccination must not engage in work or perform duties in a police setting. Owing to this direction, some members have wound up furloughed. Police Association members have had to face seriously tough challenges over the past three years. They have stood united to confront violence and social upheaval but ended up divided by an emergency management declaration.

Now, Western District response members get higher remuneration and more rostered days off than do response teams in the three other districts.

SAPOL released its district policing model (DPM) paper on December 7, 2016. In 2018, members had to undertake the move from local police stations into four main centralized districts, supposedly to create a “one-team mindset” and “increase flexibility”. The terms “consolidation” and “redistribution” of resources featured prominently in organizational documentation, which heralded the introduction of district policing teams. Stage two of the SAPOL DPM began on March 26, 2020, as major COVID-19 restrictions took effect. It created greater supervisory and management spans of control, workload intensification, increased travel, and financial inequality. As restrictions remained in place, an extended-hours trial began on November 5, 2020, in the Western District (response teams) for 30 weeks (three full rotations of the 10-week roster). The DPM brought not only financial hardship to members but also created division between those working frontline general duties. Response teams

worked a 21.05 per cent roster compared to 18.25 per cent for district policing teams based on variable shift penalties. A 23 per cent flexible shift allowance applies to the EHR trial. The current response roster, however, equates to around 21.05 per cent based on variable shift penalties. A minimum 10-hour break between rostered shifts applies, as does a paid meal break. The roster does not represent 40 hours per week, so it comes without programmed hours off per month. It does, however, average around 30 additional days off per year. Both metro and country members have indicated their strong preference to switch from their existing rosters to the EHR. SAPOL, however, has sought an external review of the trial. Now, Western District response members get higher remuneration and more rostered days off than do response teams in the three other districts. At the same time, Western District members are rotated into district policing teams and suffer financial and social disadvantage.

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Police Journal


The pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, declared on March 11, 2020, created additional burdens for Police Association members and their families owing to emergency management declarations. At short notice, members had to adjust to new rosters, work placements, locations, and standard operating procedures. Members had to undertake increased workloads with substantially reduced staffing because of COVID deployments in the airport and on border checkpoints. This occurred in an environment of cancelled personal leave, work-from-home rejections, vulnerable persons, the lack of personal protective equipment, and substandard border accommodation and checkpoint facilities. Then, in May 2020, the George Floyd death in the US sparked protests in Australia and allegations of police brutality and excessive force. As our members sought to maintain order at the protests, they became victims of wildly inaccurate media commentary.

Stretched resources Also at that time, front-line resources were at a critical point. It emerged that SAPOL had committed 85 district members to medi-hotel duties daily, and a further 52 staff on average to “other COVID-19” functions. That made a daily average of 137 members removed from their substantive police functions. The DPM failed to facilitate a permanent police presence in Hindley St and did not allow for permanent foot patrols.

The association remained in dispute with SAPOL over chronic shortages of front-line staff and was deeply concerned at the prospect of officers falling into the red category and ending up removed from the front line.

After the association agitated on the issue, SAPOL returned permanent foot patrols to Hindley St police station. But the association understands that these resources do not meet the staffing that existed before the DPM or provide a sufficient police response. The association received advice of the staffing shortage for front-line response members. The requirement of district policing teams was to log on as response crews, and the continual ad hoc relieving of response late shift led to an “increase in workload, lack of downtime and lack of morale in the workplace”. The association lobbied for, and achieved, funding of 168 extra SAPOL protective service officers to relieve members of COVID-19 duties.

Functional capacity assessment In 2019, SAPOL had moved to implement the functional capacity assessment as a compulsory part of IMOST 2019. SAPOL a t te mp te d the implementation in February and then on April 8 and August 1, 2019, and July 1, 2021. Of concern to the association was the implementation of a “fitness test” in circumstances in which Emergency Management Act directions had, for members, led to excessive hours of work, high workload intensification, and lack of respite owing to cancelled leave.

Of equal concern was the Emergency Management Act directions which placed restrictions on exercise and forced the closure of fitness centres. Members had not had to undertake physical assessments since their recruit training (for some members, that period exceeded 40 years). Inappropriate timing was another factor. The association remained in dispute with SAPOL over chronic shortages of front-line staff and was deeply concerned at the prospect of officers falling into the red category and ending up removed from the front line.

More strain Members have come under serious strain owing to other pressures too, such as: • Back pay being withheld from members on WorkCover. • Audits of overpayments to current and retired members and the requirement now for repayment owing to SAPOL system errors. • IS&T changes and their impact on training and education. • The roll out of multi-purpose loadbearing vests only to specified functions. It seems obvious that, right now, no more appropriate time could exist to address, and boost, front-line morale. High morale among police is in everyone’s interests.

done differently. CEO Brett Schatto, former SA police officer and Police Association member (11 years).

December 2021

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Call 1800 603 603 or visit policehealth.com.au to join today! *Terms & Conditions apply. Promoter: Police Health Limited ABN 86 135 221 519 320 King William Street Adelaide SA . Promotion Period: The ‘Promotion’ commences on the 1 November 2021 at 9:00am ACDT and ends on 31 January 2022 at 4:45pm ACDT (‘Offer Period’). Prize: The winner(s) Police Health Limited private health insurance policy paid for 12 consecutive months up to the value of $10,542.75. For clarity there is one random draw and two ‘prizes’. ‘Prize (1)’ is awarded to the, ‘new member’ (Winner 1) selected in the draw of the ‘Promotion’ and who joined as the result of the referral by ‘Winner 2’. Draw: computerised random selection in the presence of an independent scrutineer – 18 February 2022 at 02:30 pm ACDT using TPAL ELECTRONIC DRAW SYSTEM Permit no. 1224. Notification: The ‘Winners’ will be contacted individually by phone and email (winning confirmation email) within two (2) business days of the draw. The ‘Winners’ will be published in the next member Newsletter published on 19 March 2022. Permits: Authorised under: ACT Permit No. TP 21/01772; NSW Permit No. TP/00420; and SA Permit No. T21/1603. For full T&Cs, visit www.policehealth.com.au/winmypremiums. © 04/11/2021


H

Dr Rod Pearce

HEALTH

Cushioned running to avoid joint damage

K

eeping fit is important, and we all know the sensation of feeling fit, but how to get fit is more complicated. Physical fitness is commonly split into the three components which involve our muscles, our lungs (pulmonary) or our heart (cardio). These can be limited by disease. Also, however, a healthy person might have good muscle strength but not be able to run 50 meters if his or her lungs are not “fit”, or heart can’t keep pace. Running is essentially one of our most normal and basically evolved skills and the merits and harm associated with it have long been debated. Running a marathon represents one of the highest levels of extreme stresses to which the body can be exposed. For example, in a person who has an extremely high fever, approaching the level of lethality, the body metabolism increases to about 100 per cent above normal. By comparison, the metabolism of the body during a marathon race increases to 2,000 per cent above normal. In general, the exercise-related measurements established for women follow the same general principles as those established for men, except f or the quantitative differences in body size, body composition, and levels of testosterone. In women, the values of muscle strength, pulmonary ventilation, and cardiac output are generally 60 per cent to 75 per cent of the exercise

It might be boring but running on a treadmill with a spongy base is better, as are running tracks which provide optimal conditions for the knees. To maintain fitness, the next best exercises are cycling or swimming which results in less damage to joints.

physiology values recorded in men. When measured in terms of strength per square centimetre, the female muscle can achieve the same force of contraction as that of the male muscle. As you run, your body takes in oxygen to break down glycogen, a chemical that provides your muscles the energy they need to run. The longer you run for, the harder it is for your oxygen intake to match the speed at which the process is moving. Your lungs try to increase the amount of oxygen delivered to your blood, and your heart pushes the blood around faster to maximize the amount of haemoglobin (oxygen carrying red blood cells) that can pick up the oxygen and deliver it to the muscle to let the chemical reaction with glycogen drive the muscle contraction. Both running and jogging are forms of aerobic exercise because of this mechanism. Aerobic means oxygen use. You can run about 100 metres using the energy stored up in your muscles before you have to add oxygen. Muscular fitness is related to strength. It is the amount of resistance which one’s muscles can counter, and muscular endurance, which is the amount of muscular work one can do over time. Running will increase endurance mainly and improve the efficiency with which your muscles can exchange oxygen and convert stored glycogen to muscle movement. Muscles learn to function better with training, and a good exercise programme will encourage the muscle

to work without damaging the integrity. A rough guide is to increase activity no more than 10 per cent at any one time. For further muscle fitness, the lungs need to be able to take in oxygen and get rid of energy conversion products such as carbon dioxide (and acid). The muscle in the heart then needs to be able to increase its fitness to deliver blood to the lungs and the body. When running, the body weight on knees and, to a lesser extent, ankles and hips, is likely to increase wear and tear, particularly if running occurs on hard or uneven surfaces. It might be boring but running on a treadmill with a spongy base is better, as are running tracks which provide optimal conditions for the knees. To maintain fitness, the next best exercises are cycling or swimming which results in less damage to joints. The calories you use in aerobic exercises are directly proportional to the speed you run and the weight you carry. The benefit for weight loss is the intake of calories which can be burnt during the type of exercise you do.

Continued page 32 December 2021

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M MOTORING Jim Barnett

Model pricing Niro Hybrid S (HEV) $39,990, Plug-in hybrid S (PHEV) $46,590, Electric S (EV) $62,590. Sport model adds between $3,400 and $3,900. Electric-only range HEV limited to very short distances of low power demand then automatically assisted by petrol motor. PHEV up to 58km then assisted by petrol motor. EV up to 455km. External charging PHEV – two hours, 15minutes with AC 3.3kW charger. EV – four charging options between 29 hours (2.3kW AC home charger supplied with vehicle) and 54 minutes (0-80% with 100kW fast DC charger). Claimed fuel economy HEV between 3.8 and 4.4 litres per 100km. PHEV 1.3 litres per 100km. Combined testing. Safety Seven airbags, AEB with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane-keeping and lane-following assistance, driver-attention alert, smart cruise control. Sport also gets blind-spot detection with rear cross-traffic alert. Warranty service Seven-year unlimited-kilometre warranty, seven-year capped service and roadside assistance. Seven-year 150,000km on electric motor and battery.

Kia Niro Hybrid DESIGN AND FUNCTION Kia has started its foray into the Australian EV market with its Niro crossover. And there’s a Niro to suit any driving requirements, with hybrid (HEV), plug-in hybrid (PHEV) or full electric (EV) drivetrains on offer. All three variants are available in S or Sport trim with prices kicking off at $39,990 (HEV S). Inside is comfortable seating for five, a nice dash layout, plenty of storage 24

Police Journal

and a decent cargo bay. S scores an electric park brake, roof rails, LED daytime running lights, and eight-inch infotainment screen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Sport models add LED headlights, a 10.25-inch touchscreen with satellite navigation, paddle shifters, leather seats and additional safety items. HEV and PHEV feature a 1.6-litre petrol engine coupled to a small electric motor with combined output of

Power on tap

104kW (power) and 265Nm (torque). Drive is to the front wheels through a six-speed DCT transmission. Petrolelectric motor workload-sharing is determined by driving conditions and driver inputs. HEV will operate on electric-only power for very short periods of low power demand while PHEV can operate on electric-only power for up to 58km. Niro EV runs a more powerful electric motor (150kW/395Nm) coupled to a single-speed (reduction gear) transmission and larger 356-volt lithium-ion battery. It’s capable of up to 455km from a full charge but, once exhausted, the battery needs recharging. On the other hand, HEV and PHEV will continue as far as is necessary by adding petrol.

DRIVING Niro drivers score a comfy poweradjustable seat, a small leather-bound steering wheel with reach and rake adjustment and good visibility. Rear parking sensors with dash display, a decent rear-view camera with grid lines, and a 4.2-inch (seven-inch in EV) instrument cluster help keep them informed. Hybrid is essentially like any petrol car to drive. There’s sufficient power on tap for any situation including highway cruising. Power-sharing between the two motors is well sorted but it’s obvious when the petrol engine springs to life, with some engine noise evident. The DCT transmission offers smooth shifting and extracts the most for this drivetrain. Niro EV gets a different console with a rotary gear-selector knob replacing the hybrid’s lever shifter. It’s a far more exhilarating drive and there’s no engine revving, exhaust noise or gear-change shock. Acceleration from any speed is brisk and the power just keeps coming seamlessly and fast. The only noise is a slight whir from its electric motor.


Nissan Navara The Australian thirst for up-market dual-cabs has manufacturers feverishly producing more aggressive-looking, better-equipped offerings. As part of the Navara upgrade, Nissan introduced PRO-4X which sits above ST-X as the most expensive factory Navara variant. All Navaras benefit from a bolder grille, deeper rear tub and reshaped bonnet and tailgate. The PRO-4X grille, alloy wheels, mirrors, door handles and rear sports bar are all painted black. PRO-4X also gets black roof rails and wheel-arch flares. A standout in the pleasant-enough interior is nicely crafted black leather seats with contrasting stitching and PRO-4X embroidery. Although there’s a lot of hard plastic, the driver-focused dash is well laid out with easy-to-use controls. A central eight-inch touchscreen provides satellite

navigation, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto along with DAB+ radio. While there are sufficient USB, USB-C and 12-volt sockets in the cabin, storage space is lacking. The console bin is small and there are no seat map pockets. The rear seat is comfortable enough for adults and has a centre arm rest and passengers benefit from air conditioning vents in the console. PRO-4X also has a sliding rear window, tub liner, 3,500kg tow bar and Uni-track load system as standard. For safety, there are seven airbags, forward-collision alert, emergency braking, rear cross-traffic alert, lanedeparture and blind-spot warning.

DRIVING

Silky smooth and quiet

DESIGN AND FUNCTION

Plusses for the driver include keyless push-button entry and start, a comfortable driver’s seat and a sporty steering wheel. There’s also a digital speed readout and a descent camera

system with handy “birds-eye view”. Minuses are manual seat adjustment and rake-only adjustable steering. PRO-4X runs Navara’s standard 2.3-litre twin-turbo diesel engine hooked to either six-speed manual or optional seven-speed auto (with manual mode) transmissions. While not the most powerful in this class, the engine produces a handy 140kW of power and 450Nm of torque from a low 1,500rmp. This engine is silky smooth, willing and very quiet. All-coil suspension ensures a smooth, comfortable ride on the highway. PRO4X is very agile on rough, corrugated roads with no sign of axle hop. The part-time, two-speed transfer case is operated by a rotary switch. Ground clearance is 224mm and wading depth 600mm. PRO-4X also benefits from selectable drive modes, a rear diff lock and hill-descent control.

Model and pricing Nissan Navara PRO-4X $61,290 (drive away) auto adds $1,500. Drivetrain 2.3-litre twin-turbo diesel, six-speed manual or seven-speed auto. Part-time 4x4 system, high-low transfer case, rear diff lock. Fuel Diesel, 80-litre tank, between 7.5 (manual) and 8.1 litres/100km (auto) combined test. Weights Kerb mass 2,137 – 2,146kg, payload (up to) 1,013kg, gross vehicle mass 3,150kg, maximum braked towing (up to) 3,500kg, gross combination mass 5,910kg. Warranty/service Five-year unlimited-kilometre warranty and roadside assistance, capped-price servicing.

December 2021

25


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Paul Modra Executive Manager Member Value and Distribution Police Credit Union

B BANKING

The year in review L

ike the year before, 2021 brought many obstacles and challenges thanks to the global pandemic. But, like last year, Police Credit Union rose to the challenge, once again achieving our strategic goals while remaining committed to our members and the broader community. Our core values of superior service, honesty, integrity, and financial prudence continue to guide us well, just as they did in 1970 when the Credit Union was first formed by police to assist colleagues with their banking needs. This values-based approach is crucially important as we navigate the future and continue to deliver member value.

Important community initiatives and partnerships Since 2006, our cumulative community investment spend has exceeded $5.5 million and, during the past year, Police Credit Union invested $527,000 in sustainable strategic community investments. We even initiated some exciting new partnerships. This year we helped our longstanding partner Crime Stoppers SA celebrate 25 years of protecting our community. Since launching in 1996, Crime Stoppers has assisted the police with catching more than 22,400 criminals and solving almost 35,000 crimes, including some of the state’s largest cases. We’re proud to support such an important and influential organization in our state. In the world of sport, we renewed our major sponsorship with Adelaide Footy League and welcomed onboard our new partner Hills Football League of which we are now naming rights sponsors.

Both partnerships allow the credit union to positively support grass-roots sports across metro Adelaide and in the hills area. We strengthened our existing relationship with emergency services personnel through a new partnership with SA SES Volunteers Association to help support the 1,700 volunteers who donate their time to help others. We also renewed our sponsorship of the historic clipper ship City of Adelaide for another three years. This sponsorship helps to generate public interest in the organization’s work and preserve a part of our state history. Since 2018, Police Credit Union has maintained a carbon-zero footprint having achieved its strategic reduction target which formally commenced in 2007. We continue to expand the scope of our environmental impact initiatives, including policy frameworks and initiatives designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, waste, and pollution. Our future focus will include a positive step forward in enhancing key product characteristics to introduce pass-through of carbon-zero offsets on products such as car loans. Watch this space.

Giving back to our core bond Our commitment to supporting our dedicated South Australian police officers continues, and this year we expressed our gratitude for your tireless work to keep our community safe. While only small gestures, we said “thank you” with a delivery of thousands of blue iced doughnuts

2021 0 Our unwavering support to members achieved a record 93.8 per cent member satisfaction rating for a second year.

on St Valentine’s Day and Kit Kats to police stations across the state as part of Police Week. We look forward to continuing to provide these moments of delight next year.

Better now and in the future We’re proud to share that Police Credit Union has again achieved an excellent year of performance across all measures despite difficult operating conditions. Our unwavering support to members achieved a record 93.8 per cent member satisfaction rating for a second year. Our strong consistent results also include a prudent profit-after-tax result of $6.5 million, taking member reserves to $95.7 million, 7.7 per cent ahead of the previous year, and an increase in our total assets of 2.86 per cent to $1.2 billion for the year ended June 30, 2020. As a mutual customer-owned organization, 100 per cent of our profits are reinvested back into the business to provide members with access to loans and deposits, and to invest strategically in capital infrastructure designed to improve products and services. Continued page 32 December 2021

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B E BOOKS

The Dark Hours Michael Connelly Allen & Unwin, $32.99

A brazen, methodical killer strikes on New Year’s Eve and LAPD detectives Renée Ballard and Harry Bosch must join forces to find justice for the victim in a city scarred by fear and social unrest. There’s chaos in Hollywood at the end of the New Year’s Eve countdown. Working her graveyard shift, Ballard waits out the traditional rain of lead as hundreds of revellers shoot their guns in the air. Only minutes after midnight, Ballard is called to a scene where a hard-working auto shop owner has been fatally hit by a bullet in the middle of a crowded street party. She quickly concludes that the deadly bullet is linked to another unsolved murder – a case at one time worked by Detective Harry Bosch. At the same time, Ballard hunts a fiendish pair of serial rapists, the Midnight Men, who have been terrorizing women and leaving no trace. Determined to solve both cases, Ballard must go outside to the one detective she can count on: Harry Bosch.

Win a book or in-season movie pass! For your chance to win one of the books or an in-season pass to one of these films (courtesy of Wallis Cinemas) featured in this issue, send your name, location, phone number and despatch code, along with the book and/or film of your choice to giveaways@pj.asn.au

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Police Journal


Prisoner

S R White Headline, $32.99

When a man is found savagely “crucified” amid a murky swamp in northern Australia, Detective Dana Russo and her team are called to a shocking scene. The victim is a convicted rapist, just released from prison. Years earlier he committed an atrocious crime, metres from where he was killed. Who murdered him – and why? With several potential leads, the investigation quickly becomes more complex and sinister than anyone imagined. And Russo realizes she’ll have to confront her own troubled past to understand the true motives of the killer.

The Survivors

Alex Schulman Fleet, $32.99

The Dark Remains

William McIlvanney and Ian Rankin Canongate Trade, $29.99

Ian Rankin and Scottish crime-writing legend William McIlvanney join forces for the first-ever case of DC Laidlaw, Glasgow’s original gritty detective. Lawyer Bobby Carter did a lot of work for the wrong type of people. Now he’s dead and it was no accident. Besides a distraught family and a heap of powerful friends, Carter’s left behind his share of enemies. So, who dealt the fatal blow? Laidlaw’s reputation precedes him. He’s not a team player, but he’s got a sixth sense for what’s happening on the streets. His boss chalks the violence up to the usual rivalries, but is it that simple? As two Glasgow gangs go to war, Laidlaw needs to find out who got Carter before the whole city explodes. William McIlvanney died in 2015 and left half a handwritten manuscript of Laidlaw’s first case. Ian Rankin finished what McIlvanney started.

Benjamin sees the shape of his two brothers trying to kill each other. It’s no worthy finale, but perhaps it’s also no surprise. Three brothers return to the family cottage by the lake where, more than two decades earlier, a catastrophe changed the course of their lives. Now, they’re here to scatter their mother’s ashes. Here they are as boys, left to themselves by remote parents; here they are as young men, estranged but bound together by the history that defines them, their lives spent competing for their father’s favour and their mother’s love. In the intervening years, Benjamin has grown increasingly untethered from reality. And between the three brothers hums a dangerous current. What really happened that summer day when everything was blown to pieces? The Survivors is a tale of family falling apart and a chronicle of a mind unravelling in the wake of a tragedy.

December 2021

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B E

C E

BOOKS

CINEMA

Sweet Jimmy

Bryan Brown Allen & Unwin

Phil and Sweet Jimmy are cousins. Phil grows orchids… spider orchids… learnt about them in the nick. Jimmy likes orchids, too, but there are things he likes even more. Sam is a tea leaf, a thief. Likes nickin’… anything… always has... until the day he knocked off more than the Volvo. Fell for the sexy and beautiful Sue May from Hong Kong, Frank Testy did. Silly old prick. What price for ego? A huge bloody price, it turns out.

Sing 2

December 26

Treasure & Dirt

Chris Hammer Allen & Unwin, $32.99

Chris Hammer returns to the outback noir settings that made Scrublands so compelling. Treasure & Dirt is set in Finnigans Gap, a fictional desolate outback mining town, located close to the NSW-QLD border. In typical Hammer fashion, you are thrown into the dangerous world of opal thieves, religious fanatics, billionaires, and a horrific crime all within the opening pages. Our new protagonist is Sydney homicide detective Ivan Lucic, who is assisted by inexperienced young investigator Nell Buchanan. Detective Lucic is sent to Finnigans Gap when an opal miner is found crucified and left to rot down his own mine. In the suspense-filled world of Finnigans Gap – opals, bodies and secrets won’t stay buried forever.

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Can-do koala Buster Moon and his all-star cast of animal performers prepare to launch a dazzling stage extravaganza in the glittering entertainment capital of the world. There’s just one hitch – he has to find and persuade the world’s most reclusive rock star, Clay Calloway, to join them. Cast: Matthew McConaughey (Buster Moon, voice), Tarin Egerton (Johnny, voice), Scarlett Johansson (Ash, voice) and Reese Witherspoon (Rosita, voice).


Ghostbusters: Afterlife January 1

Ghostbusters: Afterlife is the next chapter in the original Ghostbusters universe. When a single mother and her two children move to a new town, they begin to discover that they have a connection to the original ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind. Cast: Paul Rudd (Mr Grooberson), Carrie Coon (Callie), Finn Wolfhard (Trevor), Mckenna Grace (Phoebe) and Annie Potts (Janine Melnitz).

West Side Story December 26

West Side Story is an adaptation of the 1957 musical, which explores forbidden young love and the fierce rivalry between the Jets and the Sharks, two teenage street gangs of different ethnic backgrounds. Cast: Ansel Elgort (Tony), Rachel Zegler (María Vasquez), Ariana DeBose (Anita), David Alvarez (Bernardo Vasquez) and Rita Moreno (Valentina).

The Matrix Resurrections December 26

The Matrix Resurrections is the long-awaited fourth film in the ground-breaking franchise. It reunites original stars Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss in the iconic roles they made famous. In a world of two realities – every-day life and what lies behind it – Thomas Anderson will have to choose to follow the white rabbit once more. Choice, while an illusion, is still the only way in or out of the Matrix, which is stronger, more secure, and more dangerous than ever before. Cast: Keanu Reeves (Neo), Carrie-Anne Moss (Trinity) and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Morpheus).

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If you run sprints, the muscles will use the energy stored in or near your muscles. If you run marathons, the body will get used to breaking down stored energy in your liver and fat stores. But, if you “push yourself”, the energy you use will be from the breakdown of protein and other tissue rather than glycogen stores. And, if you overheat (running on a hot day), your body switches to the breakdown of healthy tissue rather than the conversion of stored energy. Running is a basic and natural human activity. If you choose it as your exercise, you should run on a cushioned surface and exercise within your capacity with clothing that allows the heat you generate to disperse without doing any damage. You will need to eat right for the type of running you do and avoid running if you have significant knee or ankle arthritis. The benefit of running is that your lungs will be more efficient with oxygen transfer and your heart muscle will be stronger and able to withstand more. If your joints are sore, or your weight makes running difficult, you can get the same benefits from cycling or swimming.

Your credit union achieved record annual member-value and productsper-member results of over $272 and 5.3 respectively. We were particularly pleased to see our significant and ongoing investment deliver a balanced mix of traditional face-to-face service, as well as reliable and innovative digital solutions for customers, resulting in a score of 97.1 per cent in the measure of member trust in Police Credit Union looking after our members’ financial needs. This is testimony to the consistent delivery of positive and well-received member-experience outcomes by our dedicated and professional employees, even during lockdowns. Our significant achievements from the past year are outlined in more detail in our 2021 annual report which can be accessed at policecu.com.au – just type “annual report” in the search bar or grab a copy at one of our branches. As always, our innovative, resilient and sustainable culture allows us to remain as committed as ever to providing a secure banking environment for our members, while continually supporting our emergency services and important wider community and environmental initiatives. We look forward to seeing what 2022 brings.

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Police Credit Union Ltd ABN 30 087 651 205 AFSL/Australian Credit Licence 238991 Terms, conditions, fees, charges and lending criteria apply. Full details upon request. All information correct as at 01/11/2021 and subject to change. Police Credit Union reserves the right to withdraw or amend product features at any time. *Excludes Business Banking &/or Commercial Loans and loans to a Trust or Self-Managed Super Fund. No further discounts apply.

Working part-time? Are you currently working part-time? Are you commencing or ceasing part-time work? If your hours change, it is important that you advise the Police Association. Your subscriptions may be affected.

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For more information about your exclusive benefits as a Platinum member, including select discounts on loans and $0 loan package fees – a saving of up to $420* – please contact your local Platinum relationship managers, Glenn Lewis (0421 243 741) or Ryan Mountford (0437 286 804). They’d love to provide you with their personal banking service. Please view more special Platinum benefits at policecu.com.au/platinum/.

Please phone (08) 8112 7988 or e-mail membership@pasa.asn.au to advise of a change in hours.


POLICE CLUB Closing 5pm Thursday, 23/12/2021 Reopening 11am Tuesday, 18/1/2022

from all the team at the Police Club

PRECINCT CAFÉ: Closing 2pm Friday, 24/12/2021 Reopening 7am Monday, 17/1/2022 THANKS FOR YOUR ONGOING SUPPORT AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU SOON

27 Carrington Street, Adelaide (08) 8212 2924 PoliceClub@pasa.asn.au

policeclub.com.au

BackBeat 60 presents WE SAY YEAH! It’s 1960 (or thereabouts)… Beatlemania hasn’t quite struck yet… British groups are trying to be Elvis… The Beatles are still copying American rock ’n’ roll… The Shadows hits are topping the charts… and a young Cliff Richard is the British Elvis, a real “bad boy”… That was the scene for BackBeat 60’s excellent 2021 Fringe show at the Police Club. And the band is thrilled that We Say Yeah! will be back for the 2022 Adelaide Fringe on Friday February 25. We Say Yeah! explores the songs and stories from this fabulous musical moment. The band and the Fringe crowd had a wonderful evening last time. This is a top performance which delivers an authentic rendition of the tunes of the time. The previous Fringe show sold out quickly, so get a group together and book early for this nostalgic evening. You can also book for dinner at the club before the show.

February 25, 2022 Police Club – Fenwick Function Centre BOOKINGS

ENQUIRIES & DINNER BOOKINGS

BACKBEAT 60

adelaidefringe.com.au

Police Club 8212 2924

bb60.weebly.com


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Graduates’ Dinner: Course 48/2020 Fenwick Function Centre October 8, 2021


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Graduation dinners are sponsored by Health, Wealthy and Wise, a joint initiative of

8. James Moschis and Rikki Wilson 9. Michelle Burnley and Michael Burnley 10. Matthew Stephenson and Alycia Stephenson 11. Stacey Ward and Zachary Smirnios 12. Kimberley Vidura, Steven Birchall, Dennis Pasamba, Joshua Stevens and Rachel Hunt

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1. Rhiannon Denison 2. Callum Chandler, Talitha Gollan and Zac Smirnios 3. Michael Burnley, Matt Stephenson, Robert Hernandez, Jack Martin and Joshua Stevens 4. Amy Wilson, Brooke Johnson-Watkins and Steve Birchall 5. Drew Poynter and James Moschis 6. Supporting courses and the Band of the SA Police ready to march onto the parade ground 7. Commissioner Grant Stevens approaches his son, Joshua, during his inspection of the course 8. Rachel Hunt 9. Aethan Murrell, Luci Steyn and Rachel Hunt 10. Graduates on the parade ground 11. Luci Steyn embraces a coursemate 12. Steve Birchall with Police Association president Mark Carroll

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Jobs you never forget I was called to a car accident on the outskirts of Keith where a young local girl was killed. The daughter of the CFS captain who attended was her best friend. It was a traumatic scene. We had to close down Dukes Highway and, as I managed the scene with other officers, my work phone rang constantly with enquiries about road closures. One call was from a man asking about the accident – it was the father of the young girl. It was probably the hardest phone call I’ve ever had. I didn’t want to give him any hope, but I was reluctant to give the death message over the phone. In the end, I was completely honest with him. Later, at the hospital, I met him and his wife, and they were completely heartbroken but making personal contact was very beneficial to me.

While working as a negotiator, Tam Yarwood and I got called to a male threatening to jump off the Sturt Gorge. We managed to get within about a metre of him but, unfortunately, there was a high wire fence, so we were unable to try to grab him. We would’ve talked to him for a couple of hours, and he was explaining to us, quite rationally, why he wanted to die. After numerous conversations he sadly took his life. Tam and I later received a request from his family who wanted to meet us. I was a bit reluctant but, after sitting down with his parents and family, I got a better understanding of his mental illness and the struggles he’d been through. I think meeting them gave them a bit of closure as it probably gave us as well.

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SENIOR CONSTABLE 1C ALEX LUNN (Call Centre)

In the early 1980s, while working in the city, we were tasked regularly to the city morgue. Back in those days, police officers were required to undress, tag and place bodies into metal shelving in the morgue. As such, I had to deal with deceased persons of all ages. Sometimes, you would spend a whole shift in there. Because of this, I was used to dealing with deceased people. The only one that has stuck with me all these years is a five-year-old girl who had sadly drowned. When placing her on the metal shelf she reminded me of a little angel. I ended up getting a sheet and making her a little bed, so she looked like she was asleep. Now, as a father, I cannot imagine how her parents would’ve coped.

“Now, as a father, I cannot imagine how her parents would’ve coped.”


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PLATINUM BENEFIT

Starting out, moving up or just treating yourself? Wherever you’re at, our Low Rate Car Loan could help. Call 1300 131 844, email us at platinum@policecu.com.au, head online to policecu.com.au/platinum or visit a branch. Police Credit Union Ltd ABN 30 087 651 205 AFSL/Australian Credit Licence 238991. Terms, conditions, fees, charges and lending criteria apply. Full details upon request. Interest rate is current as at 01/12/2021, subject to change. Comparison rate is based on a secured $30,000 loan over 5 years. WARNING: This comparison rate is true only for the examples given and may not include all fees and charges. Different terms, fees or other loan amounts might result in a different comparison rate. Minimum loan amount is $20,000. New lending only. The information provided herein does not take into account your personal needs, objectives and financial circumstances. Please consider your circumstances before deciding if the product is right for you. This offer may be withdrawn or amended by Police Credit Union Ltd at any time. *Special offer ends 01/12/2022. No further discounts apply. LRCL 20/11/2021


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