FEBRUARY 2021
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“It meant so much to me that someone who had impacted my life felt the same about me, that I’d made an impact on his life.”
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POLICE ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA
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E EDITOR
It was an award-winning act of police bravery that saved the life of a twoyear-old in a house fire nearly three decades ago. No surprise that the incident left its mark on Brevet Sergeant Michael Cole, who never again saw, but wanted to meet, that little girl. As often happens when complete strangers become involved in the same disaster, human emotion plays its part and special bonds form. And cops, of course, are as human as anyone else. In the 27 years after the fire, Brevet Sgt Cole did make one attempt to arrange a meeting with Clair, but it never came to fruition. Not even a phone call. Last year, however, it all changed. Brevet Sgt Cole got his meeting with Clair after nearly three decades. They tell us how it went, and about the many meetings they’ve had since. Sergeant Allan Cannon, who has given 20-plus years’ loyal service to the Police Association, retires this month. He outlines which association victories he rates the highest and reflects on the toughest jobs he faced in policing. Dr Rod Pearce explains the different forms of anaesthesia and how they work when it comes to surgery or simply stitching a laceration. Police Association assistant secretary Steve Whetton looks at the issue of substantive brevet sergeant positions in the Traffic Support Branch. And, in this issue, we begin a new last-page feature – Jobs you never forget. 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
Abandon the model, not the APY Lands Industrial 22
Government action on emergency speed limit long overdue/ Leadership in traffic policing Health 25
The complexities of anaesthesia Motoring 26
Isuzu D-Max X-Terrain/ Genesis GV80 SUV Banking 29
Crime Stoppers still assisting police Legal 31
Separation and divorce – how mental health suffers
Entertainment 32
Wine 37
The Last Shift 40
Jobs you never forget 42
February 2021 12
Finally, we meet
It took 27 years, but Brevet Sergeant Michael Cole never gave up hope of meeting the little girl whose life he saved in a house fire.
18 Farewell, vice-president
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As Allan Cannon retires, he remembers the first time he took his seat at the Police Association board table – and how he reacted.
20 Ride supporting Police Legacy – and rural SA Riders had to execute the last Wall to Wall Ride for Remembrance a little differently under COVID-19 restrictions, but they still succeeded.
COVER: Clair Anderson and Brevet Sergeant Michael Cole. Photography by Steve McCawley.
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INDUSTRIAL Andrew Heffernan Member Liaison Officer
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Nadia Goslino Grievance Officer
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COMMITTEE Steven Whetton Assistant Secretary
Michael Kent Treasurer
Allan Cannon Vice-President
Police Journal
Bernadette Zimmermann Secretary
Police Association of South Australia Level 2, 27 Carrington St, Adelaide SA 5000 www.pasa.asn.au
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Mark Carroll President
P: (08) 8212 3055 (all hours) F: (08) 8212 2002 Membership enquiries: (08) 8112 7988
Trevor Milne Deputy President
POLICE JOURNAL
MEDIA AND COMMUNICATIONS
Brett Williams Editor
Nicholas Damiani
EXECUTIVE SECRETARIES
Sarah Stephens
Anne Hehner
FINANCE Jan Welsby
Tegan Clifford Assistant Finance Officer
Wendy Kellett Finance Officer
OFFICE Shelley Furbow Reception
Caitlin Brown Executive Assistant
POLICE CLUB Bronwyn Hunter Manager
COMMITTEE Daryl Mundy
Mick Casey
Chris Walkley
Julian Snowden
Brett Gibbons
REPRESENTATIVES Superannuation Police Dependants Fund Leave Bank Housing
Samantha Strange
Mark Carroll and Michael Kent Bernadette Zimmermann Andrew Heffernan Andrew Heffernan
Commissioner’s Office Health Safety & Welfare Advisory Committee Steven Whetton Legacy
Julian Snowden
Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity & Intersex members
Nadia Goslino and Andrew Heffernan February 2021
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DELEGATES & WORKPLACE REPRESENTATIVES Metro North Branch
Metro South Branch
Elizabeth
Shane Dragon
Adelaide
James Cochrane
Gawler
Andrew Wearn
Hindley Street
Dick Hern
Golden Grove
Darren Quirk
Netley
Paul Clark
Holden Hill
Matthew McCarthy
South Coast
Andrew Bradley
Northern Prosecution
Tim Pfeiffer
Southern Prosecution
Sallie McArdell
Parks
Matthew Sampson
Sturt
David Handberg
Salisbury
Stuart Smith
Country South Branch
Country North Branch
Adelaide Hills
Joe McDonald
Coober Pedy
Glenn Batty
Berri
John Gardner
Kadina
Gavin Moore
Millicent
Nicholas Patterson
Nuriootpa
John Tonkin
Murray Bridge
Stephen Angove
Peterborough
Nathan Paskett
Naracoorte
Michael Hutchinson
Port Augusta
Peter Hore
Renmark
James Bentley
Operations Support Branch
Port Lincoln
Mark Heading
Port Pirie
Gavin Mildrum
Whyalla
Paul Velthuizen
Dog Ops
Bryan Whitehorn (chair)
Human Resources
Eugene Wasilenia
Mounted Ops
Sonia Wellings
Jason Tank
STAR
Andrew Suter
Crime Command Branch DOCIB Forensic Services
Adam Gates
State Tac/ Op Mandrake Duncan Gerrie
Fraud
Sam Agostino
Traffic
David Kuchenmeister
Intelligence Support
Stephen Foenander
Officers Branch
Les Buckley
Major Crime
Alex McLean
Port Adelaide
Scott Mitchell
Women’s Branch
Kayt Howe (chair) (no delegates)
South Coast
Scott Milich
ATSI Branch
Brendan White (chair) (no delegates)
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Critical Incident Response Industrial staff on call 24/7 and ready to support you
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Working for you P: (08) 8212 3055 (all hours) www.pasa.asn.au
P PRESIDENT Mark Carroll
Hindley Street
Abandon the model, not the APY Lands T
he proposed SAPOL APY Lands model is a lose-lose for police and the remote indigenous communities with which they have worked hard to build significant relationships. The model relies on State Tactical Response Group members flying in and out to police communities on the lands. It is a proposal which not only disadvantages the indigenous communities on the lands but will also become an industrial issue for Police Association members. It situates these Adelaide-based members away from their homes and families for around 60 per cent of their total shifts. By occupying permanent positions on the lands, police have always been able to gain critical knowledge of local communities, such as their family structures and the welfare issues indigenous people face in the area. It is a system which has worked for many years and is critical for gaining trust with the local community members. It is folly to underestimate the relationships police form with local communities. They provide the necessary trust for victims of crime to come forward and make reports. 10
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The proposed FIFO model simply facilitates the abandonment of longestablished customs of community policing. In fact, the Australian Law Reform Commission Inquiry into Indigenous Incarceration Rates highlighted that: “… poor relations influence how often Aboriginal and Torres Straight Island people interact with police… poor police relations can contribute to disproportionate arrest, police custody and incarceration rates.” The association is firm in its position that SAPOL should: • Maintain permanent officers on the APY Lands. • Undertake meaningful discussions with the association regarding any difficulties with the current model. • Actively work to fill long-standing vacant community constable positions. • Create permanent relief positions and train appropriate voluntary discrete personnel to relieve permanent members when absent from the APY Lands. SAPOL should not proceed with its new model. I have written to Commissioner Grant Stevens and informed the government of our position.
The SAPOL district policing model has not only abandoned Hindley St police officers but also put the community at risk. The area has a colourful history and a reputation for trouble. But one thing partygoers in the precinct could count on was permanent foot patrols in Hindley St, Rundle St, Rundle Mall and the surrounding areas. That kept these highly charged areas safe, especially during the peak periods on Friday and Saturday nights. And the sight of uniformed officers on foot patrol provided a strong deterrent for those who sought to create trouble. But under the district policing model, this staple of Adelaide policing is now a thing of the past. Eastern District members, who service the area, tell me that at times there is not a single officer on foot patrol in Hindley St or the surrounding areas. Under the current model, Hindley St members can actually be called to jobs anywhere in the district. That means they might have to respond to jobs as far away as Unley or Parkside. It’s hard to believe that SAPOL could implement a policing model devoid of permanent foot patrols in Hindley St. The result is that the area and its surrounds are now an unsafe, out-of-control haven for anti-social behaviour, criminal activity and alcohol-fuelled violence. SAPOL must take responsibility, and be held accountable, for the abject failure of its model insofar as it relates to the entertainment precinct. It must: • Review the DPM model as it pertains to the Eastern District. • Provide permanent foot patrols in these high-risk city areas — across the full spectrum of shifts. • Increase the size of response patrol teams in the Eastern District and return them to the staffing levels that existed before the Stage 2 DPM rollout in March 2020.
The public will simply not continue to accept the extreme Hindley St violence we see on our nightly news bulletins. SAPOL must act in the interests of frontline police and the public they serve.
Enterprise Agreeement
Particularly important is that we have not sold off any of our existing conditions and entitlements to achieve the outcome.
Police Association members recently voted to accept the new enterprise agreement. It was an overwhelming endorsement — a 94 per cent “yes” vote — which confirmed my view that this was a strong agreement for our members. We obviously negotiated the agreement in an extremely challenging economic climate. Despite this, we have emerged with a package that benefits our members financially and provides them with improved working conditions. Particularly important is that we have not sold off any of our existing conditions and entitlements to achieve the outcome. This is actually a very significant — and often overlooked — aspect of enterprise bargaining. Amid the difficult economic circumstances, the government also negotiated in good faith and offered a package that provides greater flexibility arrangements for members. I acknowledge the significant contributions of association delegates and the committee of management in achieving this outcome. And, during the entire enterprise bargaining process, the efforts of Police Association assistant secretary Steve Whetton were outstanding.
EDITOR’S NOTE: At press time, SAPOL informed Police Association president Mark Carroll that it intends to provide a “permanent foot patrol presence” in Hindley and Rundle streets, Rundle Mall and “surrounding environs”.
February 2021
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Finally, we He was the 24-year-old cop, and she was the two-year-old whose life he saved. But, after the rescue, he would never see her again – until nearly three decades later.
1. Clair, not quite two years old, at the Prospect house. 2. Cole receives the Star of Courage medal for bravery from the now late Dame Roma Mitchell at Government House in May 1994.
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By Brett Williams
meet S
HE WAS THE WOMAN HE HAD NOT SEEN FOR 27 YEARS. Not since she was two years old. But she had always remained firmly and affectionately in his thoughts. His connection to her was, after all, a life-and-death police incident, and it was too indelible in his memory ever to fade. A raging Prospect house fire had threatened to kill her and another child back in 1993. Thenconstable Michael “Coley” Cole ran to the back of the house, kicked open one locked door and then another, and charged straight in to black, suffocating smoke. His vision extended only about as far as the length of his arm, but he could see bright orange flames to one side of the house. He knew the two children were somewhere inside and could hear the cries of at least one of them. Coley simply followed the sound until he found little Clair Anderson sitting on the living room floor, just a few metres from the flames. He scooped her up into his arms and rushed back outside with her to safety. Indeed, he had saved her from a certain, horrific death and would ultimately receive the Star of Courage medal for his bravery.
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And now came a chance for him to meet the grown-up version of the little girl he had not seen since the night of that fire. He had come to think of her as the daughter he had never known and longed to find out what she had made of her life. Coley had discovered nothing about her over the years, and Clair was too young to have any memory of the fire, let alone the cop who rescued her. Bits of information she had picked up as she got older were sketchy. “All I knew was that a police officer had kicked down the door and saved my life,” she says. “I didn’t know anything else about him. Nothing at all.” The pair’s reunion was to begin not face to face but rather with a phone call in February last year. And it would be the first time Coley, then 51, would ever hear Clair speak. The sound of her crying, which led him to her in the fire all those years ago, was the only sound he had ever heard her make.
Today, still a little overwhelmed, he struggles to describe the moment he first heard her speaking voice, and the two-and-ahalf-hour phone conversation that followed. “I was just so happy that I could finally speak to her,” he says, “and just hear that life (for her) was okay. “She was telling me how she had a couple of kids, a partner, a business and was going on quite well. So, it was just really nice to hear.” Clair, who had never even known her rescuer’s name, thinks of those hours on the phone with Coley as “just so wonderful”. “As soon as I talked to him, that first time he called me, it felt like I knew him already,” she recalls. “It was very strange. “Straight away we just felt a connection; and he said: ‘I’ve always wondered about you and wondered how you turned out.’ “I was just in tears. I was just crying and crying and crying. It meant so much to me that someone who had impacted my life felt the same about me, that I’d made an impact on his life. “And then, because of the coronavirus, it was actually a little while before we got to meet face to face.” February 2021
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was easy for Clair to make the decision to meet Coley in person. She found out he wanted to meet her when a SAPOL victim contact officer called her early last year. Coley had sought the okay of his supervisor to initiate the contact, to find out if Clair was amenable to a meeting or totally against it. He had sought consent once before, 15 years earlier, when Clair was 14. Her mother, however, would not allow her daughter to meet Coley and never told Clair of his approach. “So,” Coleys says, “it sat with me for years that I really wanted to meet this girl.” Now it was up to Clair, and when the VCO put the question to her of meeting Coley, she felt “quite emotional”. “But I was really, really interested in doing it,” she says. “She (the VCO) actually said: ‘Can I give Michael your phone number?’ And I said: ‘Yeah, absolutely!’ ” Later that same February day, Coley rang Clair and the two revelled in their two-and-a-half-hour conversation. Says Clair: “When we first spoke on the phone, Michael actually said: ‘You know, I feel like you’re the daughter I’ve never met.’ And that was really nice for me because my father passed away about six months after I was in the fire. So, I’ve grown up without a father.” Although Coley and Clair wanted to meet each other in person, the curse of the COVID-19 pandemic was to make them wait three months. But, in that time, they kept up their contact through text messages and more phone calls. Then, finally, in May, came the day when each would see the face of the other after 27 years. And neither had the slightest idea what the other looked like. “All I remembered was this little baby with blonde, gleaming hair,” Coley says. “And I remembered that (not from rescuing her but) from the Channel 7 news footage of the fire.” Coley drove up into the Adelaide Hills where Clair and her partner live with their two children and run their business. When the two came face to face, Clair found the moment “just overwhelming”. 14
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“It’s very strange that you can have such a full-on connection with someone when you haven’t had anything to do with them before. “All these emotions come rushing over you,” she says. “As soon as I saw But I literally do him all I wanted to do was just hug him. I just felt quite safe around owe him my life.” him and quite comfortable. 3
“It’s very strange that you can have such a full-on connection with someone when you haven’t had anything to do with them before. But I literally do owe him my life.” And her life, of course, was just one of many topics she and Coley talked about that afternoon. He met, and had lunch with, the whole family but, outside on the deck, he and Clair talked privately for more than three hours. Clair remembers “lots of tears and lots of laughs” as they discussed “anything and everything”. That included their families, and deeply personal details of their respective journeys through life in the nearly three decades since the fire. “She’s a talker,” Coley says with a smile, “so there was no lull in the conversation.”
3. Clair and her sons, Iggnatius and Archer, and partner, Gus, with Cole on a visit to his home last year. 4. Cole and Clair reunited after 27 years.
But there did come a stretch of silence when Clair took to reading articles and documents Coley had brought with him about the fire. He warned her that what those writings covered – like the death of the other child – had the potential to distress her. But, undeterred, Clair said simply: “I’d like to know.” No detailed account of the fire and the police response had ever been at hand for Clair. The briefest retelling of the story by her mother was all she had ever known. She had never even seen the news footage. But now, after meeting Coley, she knew the cop who rescued her, the circumstances of the fire, and how close she had come to death.
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“I don’t see him not being in my life. He’ll be there forever now. That’s the way I see it.”
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joyous day of her reunion with Coley eventually came to an end but a special relationship between the two had only just begun. Like a father and daughter, they have remained close and frequently in contact. Clair has visited the Cole home, dined with her rescuer and his family, and got to know the copper she calls “my hero”. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Michael,” she says. “I just feel very at ease around him, very comfortable. We’re a bit the same, a bit antisocial, a bit quirky. I feel like he gets me.” Clair has also appreciated the presence of “a strong male influence” in her life. “He’s just always there if I need him,” she says. “I feel very blessed that it’s someone like him that I’m able to have a relationship with. He’s an amazing person.” Coley stresses that finding Clair was never about him replacing, or even trying to replace, her father. His aim was simply to know that she was all right and to offer help, or just himself as a sounding board if ever she needed one. “I just feel she’s family in a sense now,” he says. “She’s a character, she’s fun to be around and she’s good to talk to. “She’s got a busy life, but I send her a message every couple of weeks and we try to have lunch together as often as we can. I’m pretty sure that we’ll be in touch now for the rest of our lives.” Clair, too, sees a lasting relationship for her and Coley. “It made me feel really sad when I heard that he’d reached out (when I was 14) and I hadn’t got to meet him,” she says. “So, it’s been really nice that I got that second opportunity. “I don’t see him not being in my life. He’ll be there forever now. That’s the way I see it.” February 2021
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THE FIRE It was around 1 o’clock on a Saturday morning in March 1993 when Constable Michael Cole responded to a Prospect house fire. A motorist had stopped him just moments earlier on Prospect Road to alert him to the blaze on Braund Road. As he approached 96 Braund Road in his patrol car, he could see thick plumes of black smoke billowing into the air. And then, as he pulled up, he noticed a dozen-odd screaming, panicked people gathered on the road out front. He could also see smoke and flames burning furiously at a window on the northern side of the house. Bystanders were trying to put that fire out with a garden hose, as others made the same attempt on the southern side of the house. Then someone among those gathered out front yelled out to Coley that two children were inside the house. Coley moved instantly to draw more information from those people, who believed that one child was in the room with flames pouring out of its window. And as best those bystanders knew, the other child, Clair, was in a room toward the back of the house. With that information, Coley sprinted around to the back of the house, kicked down those two locked doors and charged into the inferno. Although the smoke limited his vision to the length of his arm, he could see the bright orange flames burning in that northern room. At the same time, he could hear little Clair crying and followed that sound until he found her sitting on the floor of the living room. As he picked her up and carried her out of the house the smoke grew thicker and he began struggling to breathe. “I certainly remember her crying,” he says. “I just scooped her up and I’m yelling at her: ‘Where’s the boy? Where’s the boy?’ Like a two-year-old’s going to be able to tell me that. “In hindsight you think: ‘Oh, God, what’d I do that for? Poor kid. All she’ll remember is a copper yelling at her.’ ” 16
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“I certainly remember her crying. I just scooped her up and I’m yelling at her: ‘Where’s the boy? Where’s the boy?’ Like a two-year-old’s going to be able to tell me that.” Once outside with Clair, Coley handed her to a bystander, whom he told to give the child to her mother. He then grabbed a piece of child’s clothing, soaked it in water, wrapped it around his face, and charged back into the house. Although he now had almost zero visibility, he made his way to that northern room in which the fire had indeed trapped the three-year-old boy. The room was so full of raging flames that Coley could not even distinguish items such as furniture. “You just couldn’t get in there,” he remembers. In the intense heat and with thick, stifling smoke filling the house, Coley simply could not breathe and had to retreat. But he still refused to abandon the little boy and made four more courageous entries into the house to find and rescue him. On his last entry, he could see the light of a torch in a passageway and hear the voices of two of his colleagues. Kevin Brown and Ian Rowe had arrived on the scene and were now in the house, crawling on their hands and knees in search of the boy. The then-constables would both earn the Australian Bravery Medal for their actions. One of them shouted a warning to Coley that the roof was on fire and might at any moment collapse. Coley reluctantly accepted that he could do no more and made his final exit from the house. He had never had any real chance of saving the boy, but the death left him shattered.
5. Cole receives the SAPOL Police Bravery Medal from now late former commissioner David Hunt during a graduation ceremony at Fort Largs in December 1993.
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“So, I’m just really happy that Clair’s here and enjoying her life. And I’m glad I played a part in her having that life.”
Later,
after he had been to hospital for suspected smoke inhalation, Coley returned to the house, where he spoke with fire techs analysing the scene. “They talked me through it,” he says. “They said: ‘Look, the fire was well and truly going before you even got here. That child wouldn’t have made it. Nothing you could’ve done, Coley, would’ve saved him.’
“It would’ve been hard to live with not knowing if I could’ve got him out but talking to the fire techs eased my mind. I couldn’t have done anything else. “So, I’m just really happy that Clair’s here and enjoying her life. And I’m glad I played a part in her having that life.” Clair has not lived with any memories of the fire or her rescue. But she has, throughout her life, felt particularly uneasy around fire.
6. Clair, at the age of 4, seated at a drum kit in the home of a family friend. 7. At age 6 with her maternal great grandmother in Victoria. 8. Clair aged 5 with the daughter of a family friend.
Whenever it came to sitting near a campfire, or her mother simply lighting the oven, Clair would “freak out”. She even became stressed when she visited friends’ homes in which open fires were burning. “I’d sit there,” she says, “and I’d start to feel too hot. And then I’d start to feel like I couldn’t breathe. So, I couldn’t be around fire at all. “I actually had to go through a lot of hypnotherapy to be able to even deal with it.” Police found, in their investigation of the fire, that the children had lived with their mothers in the rented threebedroom house since January 1993. The cause of the fire appeared to be two lit candles left in the children’s bedroom. Clair was not in the bedroom that night because she had fallen asleep in the living area. PJ February 2021
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Farewell, vice-presi O
utgoing Police Association vice-president Allan Cannon has such high regard for cops that, even in retirement, he intends to keep his watchful eye on them. He swears that if he ever spots, say, a solo traffic cop in trouble, he will “jump back in” as back-up for the officer. And, if his devotion to working cops does indeed continue, it will add to the 20-odd years he has already served them as a Police Association official. Back when the Taser became the law-and-order issue of the day, Cannon provided one of the best examples of his never-give-up approach. “I was always respectful but quite forceful about it,” he explains. “I brought to the association board table the possibility of our members being issued with Tasers. The benefits of a non-lethal option for police were obvious. “It got to the stage where, at every meeting, I’d come to the table with the issue and it was almost a continuous agenda item for me. “I would bring in examples of what had happened at Elizabeth LSA and how the police would’ve been best served to have Tasers.” And with Tasers now commonplace in SA policing, few could argue that Cannon was wrong to take such a dogged approach to the issue. The outcome was a win for Police Association members, who now take to the road with that life-saving tool of their trade. Cannon, 61, has started to reflect on many other wins, too, as he steps down from the vicepresidency and brings his association service to a close. He is also leaving police work behind as he moves into retirement this month.
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ident “Robert Brokenshire, with a Police Journal in hand, made his impassioned plea to the House to recognize the role of police as unique. It was a pleasure to be there for that.”
Cannon thinks of the Protect our Cops campaign of 2015 as the greatest association victory during his time as a committee member. Its crescendo was a march on Parliament House. Association members rallied there in protest after the Weatherill Labor government had stripped away their work-injury entitlements under the Return to Work Act. “That act was an abysmal piece of legislation,” Cannon says. “So, our president, Mark Carroll, and his staff had to come up with strategies, and our own version of what the legislation should provide. “Mark had the right argument against it and the ability to lobby politicians. And I was in Parliament House when different MPs read statements about it. “Robert Brokenshire, with a Police Journal in hand, made his impassioned plea to the House to recognize the role of police as unique. It was a pleasure to be there for that. “Mark led the march, we held our nerve, and in the end, the outcome was truly magnificent.” Outcomes the association has achieved in enterprise bargaining are others in which Cannon takes great pride. He attributes them to the mastery of Mark Carroll and former president Peter Alexander as negotiators. “The results are in black and white for everyone to see,” he says. “Our working conditions and our pay are exceptional. “Peter steered us through some very difficult times. And Mark has taken us through most of the EB era with outstanding results. We still have never ever lost any conditions. “Mark’s leadership has been first-rate. Our results prove that. He knows how to interact with not only government but also the community.” Cannon has always had great respect for the luminaries of the Australian police labour movement, particularly those he has sat with at the association board table. He still remembers, and admits that it was daunting, when in 2005 he took his seat at his first committee meeting. Up until then, he had served as a workplace delegate for four-and-ahalf years, first at Port Pirie (1998-2002) and then Elizabeth (2004-2005). “I was in awe of some of the committee members at that time,” he says. “I looked around the table and just thought: ‘Wow! I’m honoured.’ And that honour will last with me forever.” Cannon had first come to involve himself with the association after he was, in his judgement, unfairly denied promotions. He became so committed to the union that he ran for and won his seat on the committee
of management in 2005 and the vice-presidency in 2011. And, like his fellow committee members, he has had to study reams of legislation and be thoroughly across police industrial issues. Soaking up that knowledge has been critical to his capacity, and that of others, for boardroom decisions on behalf of almost 5,000 cops. And just as critical was always his knowledge of the front line, where Cannon worked for all but the last seven of his 38-and-a-half years in policing. Still strong in his memory, after 30-plus years, are fatal crashes he responded to in Port Augusta – two of them in just two weeks. Three elderly women died in one crash involving a semi-trailer on Highway 1. The other crash, a head-on between two cars on the Port Augusta to Quorn Road, left one child and two adults dead. And, for Cannon, certain SIDS cases brought an extra layer of emotion. He had to deal with three of them when he and his wife, Lesley, were expecting the first of their three daughters. “They were the jobs I didn’t tell her about,” he says. “But we’ve shared a lot, and she’s always been my sounding board.” Cannon would never have stepped away from his front-line job as a Gawler patrol sergeant had he not suffered two serious injuries. The first, a shoulder separation, came about as he was restraining a young man suffering mental ill health. Soon after that incident came his second injury, a hip fracture, which was the result of slipping over out back of the Gawler police station. That mishap necessitated a hip replacement and, ultimately, a role in a non-operational field. In 2013, Cannon took on the job of course mentor to cadets at the police academy, from where he is now ending his career. “I’ve done seven years at the academy and run eight courses,” he says. “And, apart from that, I’ve had at least something to with 1,000odd cadets. It’s been fabulous to provide context for them from what I’ve learnt.” On the day his time is up as union vicepresident, and as a police officer, association life member Cannon expects to feel “melancholy”. But that feeling might well subside if he gets to see more rank-and-file interest in official association roles. “That would be nice,” he says. “The more people concerned about their workplace the better. And I think we’re missing out on some exceptional people who could well play significant roles on the executive committee.” PJ February 2021
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“We brought smiles to the students of the Booleroo Centre school and elderly residents of the Booleroo Health Centre.”
Senior Sergeant 1C Lloyd “Colonel” Sanderson (ret) leads riders out of the Taperoo police academy to start the 2020 Wall to Wall Ride for Remembrance.
Ride supporting Police Legacy – and rural SA By Nicholas Damiani
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Police Journal
S
O MANY POLICE OFFICERS KNOW THE OVERWHELMING PAIN OF LOSING A COLLEAGUE IN THE LINE OF DUTY. For them, and their families, it is one of the darkest realities of police work, and it factors into every shift on the front line. The Wall to Wall Ride for Remembrance commemorates the great sacrifice of the fallen, as well as the enduring service of Australian police officers. It also raises muchneeded funds in support of police charitable organizations. For more than a decade, the event has culminated in riders from all the nation’s police jurisdictions making the trip to the National Police Memorial in Canberra.
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But, last September, with COVID-19 restrictions in place, each jurisdiction had to take responsibility for organizing a ride within its own state borders. So, SA members organized an epic five-day ride through some of the state’s most rugged terrain, with around 100 participants covering over 2,200km. The ride began at the police academy and progressed to a series of locations and police stations, including Nuriootpa, Kapunda, Clare, Wallaroo, Kadina, Quorn, Port Augusta, Barmera, Berri and Robe. Ride organizer and Police Association member Senior Constable First Class Mick Klose said a couple of the ride’s most treasured highlights were the visits to Booleroo Centre in the southern Flinders Ranges and Riverland Special School in Berri. “We brought smiles to the students of the Booleroo Centre school and elderly residents of the Booleroo Health Centre,” he said. “And a few riders made the effort to ride by the Riverland Special School students, which brought much joy and excitement to the children with intellectual disabilities.” And SA’s rural economy enjoyed a surprise economic boost from the ride, according to SC1C Klose, with riders making a particular effort to support local businesses.
“Cafés, bakeries, pubs, diners, and fuel stops – they all benefited from our ride,” he said. “It was a bit of a cash injection to the SA regional economy.” And, proving that cops never lose their sense of humour, SC1C Klose highlighted that a new “fine” system had been set up this year to raise even more funds. “It was for indiscretions, be it a bike falling over, a rider falling off, or leaving something behind, or showing a behind,” he laughed. “Didn't matter the reason. The members were generous in the offending and in the giving.” Ordinarily, a rider from each jurisdiction has the task of carrying a special baton with a hollow centre reserved for the names of fallen members.
1. New Wall to Wall group member Ken Field at Booleroo Centre with a photo of his father who was a SAPOL motorcycle officer. 2. Constable Joshua Prestney. 3. Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor. 4. Senior Constable Kevin King. 5. Constable Glen Humphris. 6. Police Association president Mark Carroll and Senior Constable Mick Klose (left) present Police Legacy president Senior Sergeant Mark Willing with a cheque for $7,786.40. 7. Riders gathered together at Kadina on day two of the ride.
This year, however, restrictions prompted an agile reshuffle of the carriage of the batons. “(Former senior sergeant) Adrian Burnett and friends rode to the WA border and collected the WA baton, Bully (David Reynolds) and friends rode to Darwin and collected the NT baton,” SC1C Klose explained. “Bob Stewart collected the three batons at Orroroo and rode to Canberra to represent the three states (SA, WA and NT) at the national service.” Among those remembered in 2020 were four police officers killed when a truck crashed into them in the emergency lane of the Eastern Freeway in Melbourne last April. They were Constable Josh Prestney, Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor, Senior Constable Kevin King and Constable Glen Humphris. SC1C Klose explained that all funds raised from the ride go toward SA Police Legacy. “SA Wall to Wall will also top it up to $13,000 for 2020, and a grand total of $90,000 over the 10 years of the ride,” he said. “Our goal is to reach $100,000 for 2021.” PJ February 2021
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Bernadette Zimmermann Secretary Police Association
I INDUSTRIAL
Government action on emergency speed limit long overdue Y
ou could almost think police ministers and attorneys-general, from either side of politics, actually mean it when they say how deeply they care about police. They make the claim so frequently. You hear it in press conferences, out on the hustings, and in day-to-day dealings with them. But if ministers really do care about the safety and well-being of police on the street, they have the funniest way of showing it. Just consider a couple of examples of the recent few years. There was the Return to Work Act, which the Weatherill Labor government was quite happy to introduce in 2014. It seemed not to matter to the cabinet ministers of the time that the legislation was a complete abandonment of police officers injured in the line of duty. After two- and three-year caps on income maintenance and medical expenses kicked in, injured police were going to have to fend for themselves. Some were likely, after a time, to face financial ruin. The Police Association campaigned against the legislation and won. Then there was the battle the association had to fight to get weakkneed assault-police laws strengthened. It was obvious that tougher penalties would serve as a greater deterrent and therefore make police safer. But that argument did not initially persuade the Marshall Liberal government. Nor did example after example of front-line police left with appalling assault injuries, like severed tendons and broken ribs.
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Police Journal
So, the association appeal now is to a fourth police minister, Vincent Tarzia, to listen to the collective voice of frustrated association members and instigate change.
Again, in the interests of police-officer safety, the Police Association had to get the law changed by means of a campaign. The problem is that, too often, politicians claim to care about police but then fail to prove it with timely, supportive legislation. And the problem continues with the total lack of action on the 25km/h Emergency Services speed limit (section 83, Road Traffic Act). As far back as 2016, the Police Association warned then-police minister Tony Piccolo that the speed limit was endangering rather than protecting police. The issue, particularly in zones with speed limits as high as 110km/h, was that drivers had to brake so suddenly to comply with the 25km limit. In many cases, other drivers had crashed into them from behind. In December 2019, two cars collided head-on near Tailem Bend. One driver had been slowing for a 25km emergencyservice speed zone. In that zone, two motorcycle officers with lights flashing had stopped to help a motorist whose caravan had lost a wheel. The vehicle slowing for the 25km zone, and crashed into by the other vehicle, spun out of control and smashed into one of the police bikes. By sheer good luck, neither officer was on that bike at the time. And many other police officers have wound up in near-miss situations just like that one. In the last five years, the Police Association has outlined the dangers of the 25km/h limit, and the need for change, to three now former police
ministers – Tony Piccolo, Peter Malinauskas and Corey Wingard. Each minister, for whatever reason, failed to bring about that change. And the close calls keep coming. Just two months ago, police in an unmarked car, with its red and blue lights flashing, stopped a B-triple combination heavy vehicle on the Eyre Highway. This automatically created a 25km/h emergency-service speed zone. And then came a light vehicle, slowing down on its approach to the zone, with a road train travelling behind it. The road train, however, failed to reduce its speed and veered onto the dirt verge. That left it heading directly for the stationary police car at high speed. Of the two police officers on the scene, one was inside the car. That officer had to react with lightning speed to move the car out of the path of the road train. Without that swift, evasive action, the incident might well have ended in fatalities. So, the association appeal now is to a fourth police minister, Vincent Tarzia, to listen to the collective voice of frustrated association members and instigate change. In a letter to Minister Tarzia in December, I indicated that the “association and its members require feedback from the government about appropriate action…” On matters that concern police-officer safety, the association is relentless – and intends to be in this case. I trust Minister Tarzia responds as swiftly as did the officer who had to avoid the road train.
Steve Whetton Assistant Secretary Police Association
INDUSTRIAL
Leadership in traffic policing
T
he SAPOL organizational review of 2015 brought about the centralization of metropolitan traffic by dissolving the individual LSA traffic sections. The formal creation of brevet sergeants came about under this model to recognize the informal second-incharge position in the Road Policing Section team structure. The associated consultation paper indicated that it was SAPOL’s intention to create an environment which provided greater supervisory support to front-line traffic members: With the inclusion of a sergeant and a brevet sergeant on each team, rather than an informal 2nd-in-charge arrangement, it is believed there will be a far greater focus on operational support providing an enhanced service delivery to the community. In addition, this will provide a greater focus on leadership in the field and across teams. The association knows of the dissension in the TSB membership – in which only the Road Policing teams have a substantive second-in-charge brevet sergeant position. The expansion of the brevet sergeant classification aligns with South Australia Police Our Strategy 2020, which highlights that SAPOL will “invest in developing our people as leaders in the business of policing”. The Corporate Business Plan 2020-23 (Safer Communities – The Road Map) highlights that the plan is to build on organizational reform activities and facilitate organizational growth opportunities. The third programme of the plan (Road Safety) dictates priorities, including behaviours of innovative practices, targeting, developing high-
imp ac t ev idence , e ducation , collaborating and engaging to address road safety. The documentation reflects the significance of road safety to the community and the necessity for organizational growth. State Budget 2020-21 agency statement (South Australia Police) reaffirmed the significance of road safety in its key agency outputs: • Providing road safety services including enforcing road rules, regulating road use and educating the community on safe road-user practices. • Targeting dangerous and high-risk driving behaviours across the state, with a focus on recidivist offenders, speed, drink or drug driving, wearing seat belts, distraction, and vulnerable road users. Historically, TSB had supervisory second-in-charge positions. The Focus 21 discussion paper Review of Traffic Services Division (June 8, 1999) identified that the then State Highway Task Force (SHTF) consisted of three teams and an escort section. A senior sergeant managed the SHTF and reported to the officer-in-charge of the Traffic Services Division. The discussion paper identified “three teams led by a sergeant, senior constable and constables”. The escort section consisted of a co-ordinating sergeant (reporting to the senior sergeant SHTF), senior constables and ordinary ranks. The discussion paper indicated that Southern and Northern operations services each consisted of three teams of a sergeant, senior constables and ordinary ranks.
The ongoing lack of brevet sergeant positions has the potential to put TSB members at a disadvantage —in comparison to their colleagues — in locations in which brevet sergeants are now in place.
The term “led” is relevant as it highlights that the organizational design was structured to ensure a formal second-in-charge. The discussion paper highlighted the significance of the Tactical Coordination Group in the LSA in which “tactical decisions are based on intelligence analysis as a precursor to the effective and efficient deployment of resources on a day-to-day basis”. The deployment and allocation of resources requires supervision and accountability only achievable by members who, in a supervisory position, “lead” members in their duties (a sergeant and formal second-in-charge). Under clause 32.1 of the 2004 enterprise agreement, the “senior constable in-situ” progression enabled constables to progress to senior constable five years after permanent appointment (subject to the qualification of senior constable). The agreement has enabled a significant proportion of SAPOL members to attain the rank of senior constable. A new rank of brevet sergeant was introduced in EA 2004, operative from January 1, 2005. Under clause 10.5, the commissioner of police determined the functions to which the brevet sergeant ranks applied. This rank was extended from specialist areas to include general-duties policing and to recognize a formal second-in-charge. In the 2016 traffic restructure, Road Policing Section implemented brevet sergeants as part of its team structure.
Continued page 36 February 2021
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Dr Rod Pearce
HEALTH
The complexities of anaesthesia G
eneral anaesthetic gives us our ability to “put people to sleep” and make operations possible, or just stop a procedure, like sewing up a laceration, from hurting. It puts you into a “coma” so you’re not aware of what’s happening, you don’t remember, and you don’t feel the pain. These are three separate processes and drugs are used to affect different parts of the brain to make sure they all happen. During operations, it is also sometimes important to control heart rates, sweating and other reflexes, and to relax the muscles for ease of surgery. When a small area or specific site needs to be numbed, a different “ local” anaesthetic is used. One example is lignocaine (lidocaine) to anaesthetize a laceration for sewing up. When we use the local anaesthetic, we are just putting the local nerve to sleep by stopping it working at a chemical level. Doing the same thing in the spinal cord is what produces the pain-relieving effect in an epidural (spinal anaesthetic), commonly used for pregnancy delivery but suitable for other more complex procedures. Under certain conditions it can be used for prostate and bladder surgeries and some general surgical procedures. The general anaesthetic is far more complex and has five components which all require subtle differences. The original anaesthetics, like ether, basically shut down the brain. Barbiturates, in their original form, switched the brain off, risking overdose and death. Now we can use injections, or inhaled anaesthetics, to do different things. The various depths of anaesthetic have been described as “stages”.
The anaesthetist is the person who will have a favourite and proven-safe programme for anaesthetic. He or she is the appropriate person to talk to about what is being used, what is being done and why different medication will be used.
Stage 1, also known as induction, is the period between the administration of induction agents and loss of consciousness. During this stage, you are progressing from analgesia without amnesia to analgesia with amnesia. You can possibly still carry out a conversation at this time. Stage 2, also known as the excitement stage, is the period following loss of consciousness and marked by excited and delirious activity. During this stage, the breathing and heart rate might become irregular. In addition, there might be uncontrolled movements, vomiting and pupil dilation. Because of the combination of spastic movements, vomiting, and irregular respiration, this might compromise the patient’s airway, so rapidly acting drugs are used to minimize time in this stage and reach the next stage as quickly as possible. In stage 3, also known as surgical anaesthesia, the skeletal muscles relax, vomiting stops, respiratory depression occurs, and eye movements slow and then stop. You are unconscious and ready for surgery. Stage 4, also known as overdose, occurs when too much anaesthetic medication is given relative to the amount of surgical stimulation. There is severe basic brain depression resulting in a cessation of respiration and potential cardiovascular collapse. This stage is lethal without cardiovascular and respiratory support. To avoid the serious side effects, drugs have been developed that reduce the “depression” of the brain and other functions but stop you being aware of what is happening. For the most part, contemporary practice dictates that adult patients, and
most children aged at least 10, be induced with intravenous drugs. Agents like sevoflurane, a welltolerated anaesthetic vapour, allows for elective inhalation induction of anaesthesia in adults. In addition to the induction drug, many people will receive an injection of an opioid analgesic. Induction agents and opioids work synergistically to induce anaesthesia. Anticipation of events that are about to occur, such as endotracheal intubation and incision of the skin, generally raises the blood pressure and heart rate of the patient. Opioid analgesia helps reduce this undesirable response, which can prove catastrophic in patients with severe cardiac disease. Traditional opioid analgesics (morphine, meperidine, and hydromorphone) are widely used in anaesthesia as well as in emergency departments, surgical wards, and obstetric suites. There is also a range of synthetic opioids, including fentanyl, sufentanil, and remifentanil which, in general, cause less fluctuation in blood pressure and are shorter acting. The anaesthetist is the person who will have a favourite and proven-safe programme for anaesthetic. He or she is the appropriate person to talk to about what is being used, what is being done and why different medication will be used. There is some choice, and there are safe changes that can be offered if previous anaesthetics and/or surgical procedures have had problems. There are lots of options for being “put to sleep” and twilight anaesthetics as well as simple local or regional anaesthetics. Ask the anaesthetist what the best option is; and any anaesthetic should be best for the operation needed. February 2021
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M MOTORING Jim Barnett
Model Isuzu D-Max X-Terrain. Price $59,990 drive away. Drivetrain 3.0-litre turbo diesel 140kW/450Nm, part-time rotary switch-operated 4x4 system, high/low range, rear diff lock. Vital stats Kerb weight 2,130kg, payload up to 970kg, GVM 3,100kg, braked towing up to 3,500kg, GCM 5,950kg. Economy 8.0 litres/100km (ADR combined test). Safety Eight airbags, full suite driver-assistance technology, rear camera, front and rear parking sensors, daytime running lights. Warranty/service Six-year/150,000km warranty, seven-year roadside assist and capped servicing (when serviced at IUA dealers).
Model Genesis GV80 SUV. Drivetrains 2.5-litre (224kW/422Nm) turbo four petrol RWD or AWD, 3.0-litre (204kW/588Nm) turbo diesel AWD or 3.5-litre (279Kw/530Nm) twinturbo V6 petrol AWD. (All use an eight-speed auto with paddle shifters.) Pricing $90,600 – $108,600 plus ORC. (A comprehensive $10,000 luxury pack available on all models.) Performance 0 – 100km/h 6.9 seconds (2.5-litre Turbo), 6.8 seconds (diesel), 5.5 seconds (V6 Turbo). Economy Between 8.8 and 11.7 litres/100km (combined-cycle model dependent). Capacities Luggage between 727 and 2,152 litres (model dependent), braked towing up to 2,722kg. Warranty/service Five-year unlimited-kilometre warranty, five-year complimentary servicing (50,000km petrol and 75,000km diesel), five-year roadside assistance and valet service.
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Police Journal
Genesis GV80 SUV DESIGN AND FUNCTION Hyundai luxury brand Genesis got a toe in the water with its sedan models. Now it’s looking to dive head first into the luxury SUV market dominated by BMW, Mercedes and Lexus. Its new GV80 large SUV is superbly built, luxuriously appointed, rewarding to drive and backed up with complimentary servicing, a concierge and valet service and premium roadside assistance. Four GV80 variants offer three different engines, RWD or AWD, and five or seven seats. Prices range from $90,600 to $108,600 (plus ORC). A ($10,000) luxury option adds things like an 18-way power driver’s seat with massage function. Entry GV80 five-seat RWD features a 2.5-litre turbo four-cylinder petrol engine producing an impressive 224kW. It’s also available with AWD and seven seats for $5,000 more.
DESIGN AND FUNCTION
Look at me
Isuzu spent six years developing and testing its seventh-generation D-Max. The result is a sharper-looking, more powerful ute with better tech and increased safety. Top of the new 20-model D-Max range is the sporty X-Terrain Crew Cab 4x4 ($59,990 drive away). At its heart is Isuzu’s re-engineered, more powerful 3.0-litre (140kW/450Nm) turbo diesel engine coupled to a six-speed automatic transmission with manual mode. It comes with a part-time 4WD system with twospeed transfer case and a rear diff lock. X-Terrain features a bold grille, 18-inch alloys, fender flares, roof rails, Aero sports bar (all dark grey) and a matt black roller tonneau cover, which conceals a decentsize tub with liner.
Seats are trimmed in black leatherette with contrasting stitching, as is the dash pad. Central is a new nine-inch infotainment screen with sat nav, Android Auto, wireless Apple CarPlay and eight speakers. Storage options include four compartments in the dash, a console bin, big bottle holders in all doors and two map pockets in the back. The rear seat, although firm, provides good comfort and sufficient room for adults. Rear air conditioning vents, a centre arm rest and a USB port feature. D-Max earned five stars (ANCAP) and, along with eight airbags, has a full suite of advanced driver-assistance technologies. These include autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, traffic-sign recognition, blind-spot and rear-cross traffic monitoring and lane-keeping assistance.
DRIVING X-Terrain provides handy features such as remote engine start, push-button entry and start and walk-away locking. Although firm, the eight-way electrically adjustable driver’s seat offers good comfort
Then there’s the 3.0-litre (204kW) in-line six-cylinder turbo diesel and 3.5-litre (279kW) twin-turboV6 petrol variants. Both feature seven seats, AWD, bigger 22inch wheels, adaptive suspension and an electro-mechanical limited-slip differential. GV80 has a “look-at-me” exterior with a big diamond mesh grille, split headlights and tail lights, unique alloy wheels and dual exhausts. Inside, it’s pure luxury with open-pore wood trim, adjustable ambient lighting and sumptuous leather trim extending to the doors, console and dashboard. Heated and ventilated front seats feature along with a panoramic sunroof. The stylish 14.5-inch touchscreen has satellite navigation, DAB+ radio, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay pumping through a 21-speaker 1,050-watt premium sound system. Although not yet ANCAP tested, GV80 has a comprehensive list of safety equipment. It includes 10 airbags and a full suite of advanced collision-avoidance and driver-assistance technologies, such as a blind-spot camera projection within the instrument cluster.
No sweat
Isuzu D-Max X-Terrain
DRIVING The top-spec GV80 3.5-litre V6 proves Genesis has the right ingredients to threaten the establishment. The way it looks, feels and performs, this SUV oozes appeal. Of course, there’s keyless entry and push-button start but also a 12-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, poweradjustable steering, power tailgate and 12-inch head-up display.
and support. In conjunction with tilt and telescopic steering adjustment, it’s easy to achieve the right driving position. A decent reversing camera, front and rear parking sensors and central multi-information display with digital speedo keeps the driver informed. The new engine and transmission combination delivers quiet, smooth and willing power. While not the most powerful in this class, X-Terrain doesn’t raise a sweat with tasks like towing a 1,300kg ski-boat through the Adelaide Hills. Its highway cruising and overtaking are effortless. Front coils and rear leaf springs provide good ride characteristics on all surfaces, including corrugations. The steering feels good but its lane-keep steering assistance can be aggressive. When unladen and pushed on gravel roads the stability system will allow the tail to become a little twitchy. X-Terrain has a wading depth of 800mm and, for an auto, provides good low-range reduction on steep descents.
The powerful V6 delivers smooth, effortless and quick acceleration through its slick eight-speed auto. The rotary gear-selector switch on the console is accompanied by a dial to operate the infotainment system and a multi-terrain mode button to toggle between different driving modes. Ride and handling are excellent on all surfaces; and interior sound is limited to slight engine noise at very high revs and minor tyre noise on coarse bitumen. February 2021
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Paul Modra Executive Manager Member Value and Distribution Police Credit Union
B BANKING
Crime Stoppers still assisting police T
he Crime Stoppers concept might have been developed half a world away to help US investigators solve the robbery-murder of a service station worker but, this year, the programme is celebrating its 25-year milestone in South Australia. This year is also expected to mark the milestone of 34,000 SA cases solved, reinforcing its effectiveness in asking people to share information about unsolved crimes and suspicious activity without having to say who they are or get further involved. Whether it has been a murder, an assault, a robbery, an arson or other serious crime, the public continues to use the anonymity provided by Crime Stoppers to help achieve a safer community. Two examples show how Crime Stoppers played a key role in passing information to police to bring criminals to justice.
Murders of Karlie PearceStevenson and Khandalyce Pearce The grim discovery of skeletal remains of a young girl inside a suitcase on the side of the highway in the Murray Mallee captured the nation’s attention. With little to go on to identify the child, police turned to the public to help solve this mystery. A plea for information brought more than 640 contacts to Crime Stoppers in the weeks that followed. A mannequin with hair of a similar colour and length, dressed in new versions of clothing items found with the body was displayed. Images of a unique hand-made quilt and a polka-dot dress found with the remains were also released to help identify the child.
Whether it has been a murder, an assault, a robbery, an arson or other serious crime, the public continues to use the anonymity provided by Crime Stoppers to help achieve a safer community.
During the investigation, Crime Stoppers received unprecedented call volumes, and it was ultimately two critical calls that took the investigation to the next level. One tip helped identify the remains of Khandalyce Pearce, while another provided a photograph showing the toddler in a stroller with the distinctive quilt tucked behind her head. That led to a connection with the unidentified remains of her mother, Karlie Pearce-Stevenson, discovered in the Belanglo State Forest in NSW in 2010. Both Khandalyce and her mother had been reported missing in the Northern Territory in 2009 but, owing to elaborate efforts to give the impression that Ms Pearce-Stevenson was still alive, that report was withdrawn. Her bank cards had been used hundreds of times and her phone used to send text messages. A person impersonated her in brief calls to family members and at a compulsory Centrelink interview in late 2010. In October 2015, the former partner of Ms Pearce-Stevenson – Daniel Holdom – was arrested and charged with the murders. He pleaded guilty and is now serving two life sentences.
The Whitwell murder On August 5, 2016, 81-year-old Robert Whitwell was murdered at his home in Edwards Avenue, Craigmore. He had been stabbed multiple times in his neck and chest and his body discovered three days later. At 8:55pm on August 22, an anonymous phone call was received claiming his granddaughter Brittney Dwyer and her friend Bernadette Burns
were responsible. The pair were arrested four days later and charged with murder. The pair had previously driven from Queensland with the intention of stealing a large sum of money hidden by Mr Whitwell in a rear shed. Burns is alleged to have remained in a car outside, but went inside when Dwyer sent her a message saying “it was done”. The pair searched the property for money and stole several items. Dwyer had previously driven from Queensland with another friend in May 2016 to steal the money, spending days watching Mr Whitwell’s movements. They waited until the night before accessing his rear yard through a garage roller door but left empty-handed after being disturbed. Brittney Dwyer is serving a non-parole period of 20-and-a-half years for the murder and an additional six months for the home invasion. Bernadette Burns was sentenced to life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 13-and-a-half years.
Partner support It is significant support from Crime Stoppers SA partners like Police Credit Union that help the programme to solve an average of 25 crimes every week in South Australia. It also demonstrates the power that people have to help make SA safer when they put their trust in Crime Stoppers and share what they know.
See more about Crime Stoppers SA at crimestopperssa.com.au and Police Credit Union at www.policecu.com.au February 2021
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Free Legal Service for Police Association Members, Their Families & Retired Members. Leading Adelaide law firm, Tindall Gask Bentley is the preferred legal service provider of the Police Association, offering 30 minutes of free initial advice and a 10% fee discount.
To arrange a preliminary in-person or phone appointment contact PASA on (08) 8212 3055
DISCIPLINARY & ADMINISTRATIVE LAW • ICAC
• Police Complaints
• Coroner's Court
• Equity & diversity
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Sam Joyce
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INJURY COMPENSATION • Motor accident injury compensation
• Public liability
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FAMILY & DIVORCE Matrimonial, De Facto & Same Sex Relationships • Children’s Issues
• Property Settlements
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BUSINESS & PROPERTY • General business advice
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WILLS & ESTATES • Wills & Testamentary Trusts
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Adelaide • Reynella • Salisbury • Mt Barker • Murray Bridge Gawler • Pt Lincoln • Whyalla • Perth (WA) • Darwin (NT)
tgb.com.au • (08) 8212 1077
Wendy Barry Partner Tindall Gask Bentley Lawyers
L LEGAL
Separation and divorce – how mental health suffers I
nitiating a separation or divorce inevitably comes with emotional challenges which, to varying degrees, can affect mental health. This is because a divorce or separation is one of the toughest things a person can go through. Consequently, depression and/ or anxiety, diagnosed or undiagnosed, is often a factor. A common experience is that separation brings with it a need to learn to live in a new way, cope with loneliness and loss, and deal with the practicalities of being responsible for things that previously might have been shared. These experiences and responses to separation and divorce impact on mental health, such that almost everyone going through a separation and/or divorce has some mental-health issues to deal with. The impact of the divorce process on mental health is potentially enormous. When a person is suffering mental ill health there is the possibility for the process to be more emotional. That interferes with the ability to think objectively and often results in unnecessary arguments because anger or hurt gets in the way. This has the potential to escalate conflict which ultimately drives up the costs of the process and can get in the way of the ability to make decisions. Making progress then becomes difficult; and the costs are not only financial. There are also the human costs on the children, on each other and on friends.
Mental ill health can put at risk any agreements that are reached when one of the parties to the agreement lacks the capacity to consent to it. That is, when one party is so affected by his or her separation and/or divorce that he or she is unable to understand the consequences of his or her decisions and instructions. Any agreement entered into in these circumstances could be vulnerable to be set aside in the future by a court – potentially devastating for all parties. (There are legal solutions to avoid the risk of an agreement being created when capacity is at risk, including by appointing a litigation guardian on behalf of the person with mental ill health). As part of a property settlement or spousal maintenance claim, monetary adjustments and awards in favour of the party experiencing mental ill health can flow if, for example, it precludes him or her from working. The future care arrangements of children could be changed when one of the parents is deemed at risk on account of poor mental health. If you feel you are unable to cope, want to cause yourself or others harm, or are sad a lot or all the time, you should ask for help, including from your GP. If you are going through a divorce or separation and want help to make arrangements for the future care arrangements for children
The impact of the divorce process on mental health is potentially enormous.
and/or to effect a property settlement, our team of experienced lawyers is here to work with and help you. We will look after you with respect and care, and your information will be treated confidentially and discreetly.
Tindall Gask Bentley Lawyers provides free initial advice through a legal advisory service to Police Association members and their families, and retired members. Police Association members and their immediate family receive a 10% discount on their wills. To make an appointment, contact the association (8212 3055) or start your will online at tgb.com.au.
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E ENTERTAINMENT
Fortune Favours the Dead Stephen Spotswood Hachette Australia, $32.99
New York, 1946: Lillian Pentecost is the most successful private detective in the city, but her health is failing. She hires an assistant, Willowjean Parker, to help with the investigative legwork. Parker can pick locks blindfolded, wrestle men twice her size, and throw knives with deadly precision. When wealthy young widow Abigail Collins is murdered, and the police are making no progress, Pentecost and Parker are hired by the family to track down the culprit. On Halloween night, at a costume party in the Collins mansion, a fortune teller performed a seance which greatly disturbed Abigail. Several hours later, her body was discovered bludgeoned to death in her late husband’s office. Problem is the door to the office was locked from the inside. There was no one else in the room, and the murder weapon, the fortune teller’s crystal ball, was beside the victim. It looks like an impossible crime, but Pentecost and Parker know there is no such thing.
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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The Law of Innocence
Michael Connelly Allen & Unwin, $32.99
Defence attorney Mickey Haller is pulled over by police, who find the body of a client in the trunk of his Lincoln. Haller is charged with murder and can’t make the exorbitant $5 million bail slapped on him by a vindictive judge. Haller elects to defend himself and must strategize and build his defence from his jail cell in the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in downtown Los Angeles, all the while looking over his shoulder. As an officer of the court, he is an instant target. Haller knows he has been framed. Now, with the help of his trusted team, he must figure out who has plotted to destroy his life and why. Then he has to go before a judge and jury and prove his innocence.
The Devils You Know Ben Sanders Allen & Unwin, $29.99
It’s Your World. I’m Just Living in It Ant Hanna Ant Hanna, $20.00
Ant Hanna has regularly featured in the Australian Firefighters Calendar. He travelled internationally to promote it to television audiences. But beneath all the muscles and fire-fighting bravado, Hanna was hiding a dark secret: a childhood diagnosis of OCD and an ongoing battle with depression. He writes about anxiety and the goal-setting techniques he’s developed to focus his mind. As a teenager, Hanna allowed his OCD to prevent him from becoming an elite athlete. Since then, he hasn’t let it win. He explains how his OCD mind is ruled by numbers – he does most things in sets of four – and he’s used those numbers to achieve things that should have been impossible. Hanna describes how OCD gave him the empathy needed to be a successful police negotiator, plus the focus needed to pass the entrance exams for both the police and fire services – even though he’d failed at school.
In sunny California, Vincent decides he needs a change of scenery after a fatally botched military operation. He needs a rest from the violence and so accepts a job in Santa Barbara, as head of security for supermarket mogul Eugene Lamar. It’s perfect: his main duty is driving the boss to and from golf, which means ample downtime for surfing, or sitting by the pool contemplating life. But why does Lamar need a panic room full of assault rifles, and a .357 revolver in his car, when his business is confined to supermarkets? Vincent discovers Lamar owes a debt to bad people. He’s ensnared in a criminal enterprise which soon brings costs in lives as well as money. It seems that Santa Barbara is a sunny town full of dark talent, and Vincent worries he’ll have to revert to dark talents of his own if he’s going to stay alive.
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E ENTERTAINMENT
Rhythm of War
Brandon Sanderson Hachette Australia, $32.99
After forming a coalition of human resistance against the enemy invasion, Dalinar Kholin and his Knights Radiant have spent a year fighting a protracted, brutal war. Neither side has gained an advantage, and the threat of a betrayal by Kholin’s crafty ally Taravangian looms over every strategic move. Now, as new technological discoveries by Navani Kholin’s scholars begin to change the face of the war, the enemy prepares a bold and dangerous operation. The arms race that follows will challenge the very core of the Radiant ideals, and potentially reveal the secrets of the ancient tower that was once the heart of their strength.
A Time for Mercy
John Grisham Hachette Australia, $32.99
Jake Brigance, the protagonist of John Grisham’s classic legal thriller, A Time to Kill, is back. This time he’s at the epicentre of a sensational murder trial that bitterly divides the citizens of Clanton, Mississippi. A Time to Kill established Brigance as a classic American hero, a lawyer who sought truth and justice at all costs, even when his life and reputation were on the line. Brigance returned in Sycamore Row (2013), in which he once again found himself embroiled in a deeply divisive trial. Now, he is the court-appointed lawyer for Drew Gamble, a young man accused of murdering a local deputy. Many in Clanton want a swift trial and the death penalty, but Brigance sees it another way. Once he learns the details of the case, he realizes he has to do everything he can to save Gamble, who is 16.
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Chaos Walking Coming soon
In Prentisstown, Todd has been brought up to believe that the Spackle released a germ that killed all the women and unleashed Noise on the remaining men. After discovering a patch of silence out in the swamp, his surrogate parents immediately tell him that he has to run, leaving him with only a map of New World, a message, and many unanswered questions. He soon discovers the source of the silence: a girl, named Viola. Cast: Tom Holland (Todd Hewitt), Daisy Ridley (Viola).
Nomadland Coming soon
Following the economic collapse of a company town in rural Nevada, Fern packs her van and sets off on the road as a modernday nomad. She explores the vast landscapes of the American West in a life outside of conventional society. Cast: Academy Award winner Frances Mc D or m a nd (Thr e e Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Fargo), David Strathairn (LA Confidential).
Peter Rabbit 2 Coming soon
Bea, Thomas and the rabbits have made peace as a family, but despite his efforts, Peter can’t seem to shake his reputation for mischief among the other rabbits. Once he ventures out of the garden, Peter finds himself in a world where mischief is appreciated. But, when his furry family is put in danger, Peter must decide what kind of bunny he wants to be. Cast: Margot Robbie (Flopsy Rabbit, voice), Rose By rne (B ea), Elizabeth Debicki (Mopsy Rabbit, voice).
The Father Coming soon
Anthony is 80, mischievous, living defiantly alone and rejecting the carers that his daughter, Anne, encouragingly introduces. Yet help is also becoming a necessity for Anne: she can’t make daily visits anymore and Anthony’s grip on reality is unravelling. As his memory ebbs and flows, how much of his own identity and past can Anthony cling to? How does Anne cope as she grieves the loss of her father, while he still lives and breathes before her? The Father embraces real life, through loving reflection upon the vibrant human condition. Cast: Academy Award winners Anthony Hopkins (Silence of the Lambs), Olivia Colman (The Favourite).
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I INDUSTRIAL From page 23 As per the SAPOL 2020 Regional Review (regional highway patrol consultation paper), regional highway patrols are now directly aligned to the Road Policing Section within Traffic Support Branch. Regional co-ordination highway patrols have no brevet sergeant rank as part of the structure. Traffic Operations Section has no brevet sergeant ranks as part of the structure within Driver Drug Testing Unit and State Traffic Enforcement Unit. Investigation Section Heavy Vehicle Enforcement and Escort Section have no brevet sergeant as part of their structures. The ongoing lack of brevet sergeant positions has the potential to put TSB members at a disadvantage —in comparison to their colleagues — in locations in which brevet sergeants are now in place. The role of relieving sergeant is rotated among team members who periodically agree to fill that supervisory position. This is because of the lack of a designated brevet sergeant. Where an unplanned sergeant absence occurs, confusion follows in the team structure as to who is to accept the sergeant function and accountability (as there is no formal second-in-charge).
The association is informed that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected business continuity as team sergeants have attended hard-border locations or attended to other emergencymanagement requirements away from their respective workplaces. No formal second-in-charge (brevet sergeant) leaves the team without operational leadership, accountability and performance requirements. Any such absences under five days attract no renumeration for supervisory accountability. Further, the senior patrol officer daily allowance —as per clause 20, EA 2016 — applies on a shift-by-shift basis when the brevet sergeant is absent for a period of up to four working days to recognize the second-in-charge duties that assist the sergeant. As this is specified as a general-duties allowance, traffic sections are not subject to this clause. The newly created general-duties allowance, as per EA 2021, only applies to a member who is required to relieve temporarily in a position of a generalduties sergeant for a period of no more than four working days. As this is specified as a general-duties allowance, traffic sections are not subject to this clause.
Substantive brevet sergeant positions have the higher NAC role access required for Shield allocations and vetting. Shield is a critical process for investigation and intelligence gathering. A formal secondin-charge position would enhance business continuity and expediency. Supervisor positions share personal information on ordinary-rank welfare, performance management or other concerns that need to remain confidential. Currently, when an ordinary-rank member relieves the sergeant, personal information is provided to that member for a range of concerns, which include diversity and inclusions matters, or to enable flexible working agreements. Communication and privacy of information is vital to ensure members’ work health and safety. In the current process, the ordinary-rank member returns to the team structure at the conclusion of the relieving. Business continuity is a further concern for sections outside of Traffic Support Branch. Members and external community contacts have no direct second-in-charge to whom to direct enquiries if the sergeant is absent. The association is representing TSB members in their request for a formal substantive second-in-charge.
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W WINE
NV Sparkling Meslier Brut Rosé
Lévrier by Jo Irvine Barossa Valley, South Australia www.levrierwines.com.au
Meslier is one of the rarest Champagne grape varieties in the world with only 20 hectares planted worldwide. It is grown in the cool-climate Adelaide Hills area of Mount Torrens, around 600 metres above sea level, and is the only single varietal Meslier Sparkling wine produced in the world. After two years, the base wine is left on yeast lees. It is blended with a percentage of the current vintage and the previous vintage. It then undergoes four years of bottle ageing before release and consequently delivers a complexity of flavour and balance. A superbly fine beading and unique fresh green apple and citrus flavours.
2017 Barossa Cabernet Franc Cabernet Franc is one of the original noble varieties grown in the Barossa Valley. Genetically related to Cabernet Sauvignon, however, Cabernet Franc has less tannin making it ideal for food matching. It is a lighter wine than Cabernet Sauvignon, with a bright pale red colour. It also contributes a beautiful finesse to the wine and lends a peppery perfume along with floral violet aromatics, raspberry and sage flavours. Cabernet Franc pairs well with chicken, lamb and veal dishes. Drink now but it will age for at least five years with careful cellaring.
2016 Barossa Merlot A long-respected variety in France and America, Barossa Merlot presents the classic dark morello cherry, fruitcake and spice aromatics and the flavours are complimented by velvety, soft silky tannins. The fruit is taken from vineyards around 500 metres above sea level giving cooler climate aromas and flavours adding an extra layer of complexity. An outstanding favourite food match for Merlot is double roasted duck and game meat.
February 2021
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ABLE T A K BOO e-show tuskfm.webs.com
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SEE THE MEMBERS BUYING GUIDE TO ORDER YOUR CARD FROM THE POLICE ASSOCIATION. 38
Police Journal
Don’t miss out on A retirement function due to COVID-19
Let us host your farewell at the POLICE CLUB Register your interest now and we’ll do all the rest including: • Hosting your function at the Police Club (post COVID-19 & when restrictions are lifted) • Promoting your retirement event to members / your guests
• Managing the RSVP’s & guest payments • Gift bottle of red wine for the Guest of Honour • Packages at $10 per head for cocktail food & Friday night happy hours drinks from the bar
CONTACT PASA FOR MORE INFORMATION
(08) 8212 3055 or caitlinblackney@pasa.asn.au
February 2021
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The Last Shift
For the full version of The Last Shift, go to PASAweb at www.pasa.asn.au
Karen Brumpton Craig Curtis Tony Crameri Murray Kemp John S Roads Mark Zadow Total years’ service: 212
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Serious & Organised Crime 41 years’ service Last Day: 31.03.20
Comments… “I thank the Police Association for its dedication, support and guidance. I am appreciative of the improved pay and conditions that were hard fought over many years by the executive, delegates and members. “It was with regret that I could not hold my farewell due to COVID-19 restrictions, but I am grateful to all my friends and colleagues who provided best wishes and a wonderful gift. “Being in SAPOL for over 41 years provided me with many experiences and taught me a great many life lessons. “I was aware from an early age that SAPOL owed me nothing, but it gave me opportunities and experiences that many within the community would never face or get to see. “I learnt resilience, standing up for oneself and backing my decisions. The camaraderie, trust, caring and great friendships are what make SAPOL successful. “To everyone who helped me, I am forever grateful. It has been a great journey and I wish all members a very long and safe career.”
Sergeant Murray Kemp
Berri Police Station 35 years’ service Last Day: 23.07.20 Comments… “Thanks to Mark Carroll and his team and predecessors who have worked and fought so hard to get the great working conditions and remuneration that we currently enjoy. “From personal experience, I know there are many other government service providers who wish they too had the strong union support that we are so lucky to have. “Thirty-five years of country postings has been an incredible experience. I have seen a lot of change, mostly for the good, and met some incredible people and characters along my journeys north, south, east and west in this great state of ours. “To my colleagues across the many areas in which I have served: thanks for the friendships, help and support, which the small stations especially need on occasion. “My 35 years was a great experience. Thanks to all for the memories and good times and, most of all, thanks to the association for the support that you give us all.”
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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Detective Chief Inspector Tony Crameri
Please phone (08) 8112 7988 or e-mail membership@pasa.asn.au to advise of a change in hours.
Senior Constable Craig Curtis
Gawler Police Station 27 years’ service Last Day: 20.01.21 Comments… “I thank the Police Association for its efforts in obtaining the benefits and conditions we now enjoy. “I also wish all the members I have worked with and known all the best for the future.”
Senior Constable John S Roads
Highway Patrols 26 years’ service Last Day: 06.01.21 Comments… “I thank the Police Association for all the work it has done over the years to provide the working conditions and wages we enjoy. “I thank all the members I have worked alongside while at Elizabeth patrols, Elizabeth Traffic, Northern Traffic Enforcement and Barossa Highway Patrols at Gawler. “I wish all members and the association all the best for the future and stay safe.”
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Detective Brevet Sergeant Karen Brumpton Mount Barker CIB 40 years’ service Last Day: 27.01.21
Comments… “I thank all present and past Police Association members for all their hard work and commitment toward improving the working conditions of members and their commitment to the safety and well-being of members. “As a female officer who joined SAPOL as a cadet in 1981, I can certainly attest to the improved working conditions for all serving members. “I have absolutely loved my career and never thought I would leave SAPOL. But I have been lucky enough to have won a position as the manager of the investigation unit for the Education Department. “I am now going to leave policing to my daughter and her peers.
I have always been proud to be a police officer and a detective and it was the proudest day of my life to see her graduate from the academy almost two years ago. “I have met the most amazing people and have had some amazing mentors. I hope that I, in turn, have been able to give back and positively help and mentor someone else. “To all past and present members: thank you for your service. The world is truly a safer place for your presence.”
Senior Sergeant 1C Mark Zadow
Recruiting Section 43 years’ service Last Day: 18.01.21 Comments… “I have been a workplace delegate at times during my career and have also worked closely with the Police Association in a number of my positions. “I sincerely appreciate the great work undertaken by the association and wish it and the membership all the best into the future.”
Got something to say? Got a comment about a story you’ve read? Do you have strong views on a police issue? Is there someone you want to acknowledge? Know of an upcoming social or sports event? Whatever the subject, put it in a letter to the editor.
Regular mail Police Journal, PO Box 6032, Halifax St, Adelaide SA 5000 Email editor@pasa.asn.au Fax (08) 8212 2002 Internal dispatch Police Journal 168
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Jobs you never forget I responded to a suspected murder, entered the master bedroom and saw a dead woman with numerous stab wounds lying on a bed. A man had a single stab wound to the chest but was alive. I initially thought this might’ve been a home invasion. SAAS gave the man medical treatment and I secured the scene as other police arrived. I grabbed my video, scanned the whole scene and allocated a patrol to go with the man to hospital in case of a dying declaration. CIB and Major Crime established that the man had killed his partner. After two trials he was found guilty. One reason I remember the case is because I saw a small piece of the woman’s innards on the carpet. It had come out with the serrated knife the killer had used and had landed over his shoulder. I prosecuted a man for the first of 18 listed trials for assaults against his then ex-wife. This guy was an intimidator. A delivery company called me to confirm my home address. My enquiries revealed this defendant was the sender. He was also suspected of cutting the pet dog of an investigating officer. At trial, I guided his ex-wife through the examination-in-chief. Then I cross-examined him, a situation he hated. He was found guilty, remanded in custody and refused to negotiate in the other trials. He continued to slander SAPOL, me and other members. Outside police HQ one day, he yelled that I was corrupt. Some 20 years on, he appeared before me when I was the charge sergeant in the Southern District cells. Then, he was sheepish, quiet and compliant. 42
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SERGEANT IAN FORSTER
(SD Response Teams)
It’s memorable but not exactly a job. It started with a simple “how are you going, mate?” to a colleague in the car park. I’d known him for decades, and he’d worked in a variety of operational fields. His disposition was always pretty extroverted. But those simple words I spoke revealed a response inconsistent with that disposition. And further conversation revealed a broken man who needed help. Further assistance was organized, and he knew he needed it and was receptive to ongoing treatment. That’s why I remember this situation so clearly. I’m glad I asked him the question. It led to a chain of events that helped him to change his life for the better and return to work after an extended period and medical assistance.
“It led to a chain of events that helped him to change his life for the better …”
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