“As we talked about our plans I’m thinking: ‘Is that (joining the police) really what I want to do in France? I don’t really want to go.’ ”
A touch of France in SA policing
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With the approach of Bastille Day, we sat down with three French-born Police Association members to find out how they came to be cops in SA . Each one had a very different story about leaving France, turning up in Australia, and taking on a police career.
Naturally, we asked whether they intended to stay in policing and, ultimately, in Australia We also found out which parts of the Aussie lifestyle they had warmed to and which ones have never captured their interest
Our February 2020 cover story, Torn almost limb from limb, spotlighted a rare but serious danger for cops: dog attacks That issue told the story of an attack on AFP officer Carla Duncan and, after its release, stories emerged of similar attacks on SA cops
We spoke with two of them who told us about the seriousness of their injuries and the full week one of them wound up hospitalized, undergoing two operations Both now urge their colleagues to be particularly wary in any situations which involve dogs they don’t know.
Sergeant Tim Tollenaar dropped into the Police Association on his last day in policing. He told us that, mostly, he had decided to quit well ahead of retirement age because of the negative impact of the DPM. But now he has a new job, and it’s a long way removed from police work
Dr Rod Pearce looks at “The Silent Killer”, otherwise known as osteoporosis; lawyer Daniel Weekley explains the right to silence for cops; Jim Barnett road-tests the Mitsubishi Outlander and Ford Ranger Police Association president Mark Carroll outlines a recent meeting he held with Premier Peter Malinauskas regarding the “defective SAPOL district policing model”
And, in Jobs you never forget, Brevet Sergeant Mike Newell tells the story of responding to a traffic accident involving the young son of his sergeant
Brett Williamsbrettwilliams@pj asn au
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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).
12 A touch of France in SA policing
Not every aspect of Aussie culture works for three French-born SA cops who came to policing out of completely different circumstances
20 When it’s the dog vs the cop
When one dog broke out of its confinement and another got the command to attack, two police officers wound up bitten, bleeding and scarred.
24 The toll on Tollenaar
When a skilled, experienced sergeant quits his job in frustration, the failure of the district policing model becomes even clearer.
30 No local cop more revered
With only 37 years of life before illness took him, Mounted Constable George Manhood contributed to his community to an extent likely unequalled last century
Police Association of South Australia
REPRESENTATIVES
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DELEGATES & WORKPLACE REPRESENTATIVES
Metro North Branch
Gawler Andrew Wearn
Golden Grove
Holden Hill
Darren Quirk
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Salisbury
Country North Branch
Ceduna
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Nuriootpa
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Lauren Smith
Anthony Taylor
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Andrew Dredge
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Gavin Mildrum
Paul Velthuizen
Crime Command Branch
Adelaide Jeremy Handley
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Fraud
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Major Crime
Joel Manson
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South Coast
Metro South Branch
Luke Watts
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Hindley Street Dick Hern
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Southern Prosecution
Sallie McArdell
Mark Carroll and Michael Kent
Bernadette Zimmermann
Andrew Heffernan
Andrew Heffernan
Steven Whetton
Julian Snowden
Nadia Goslino and Andrew Heffernan
Metro South Branch cont.
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Sturt
Country South Branch
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Joshua O’Dwyer
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Officers Branch
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Glenys Moriarty
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Kayt Howe (chair) (no delegates)
Taking the DPM issue to the top
Irecently initiated a meeting with Premier
Peter Malinauskas with the view to brokering a solution to the defective SAPOL district policing model
I briefed the Premier about the serious concerns members raised through the recent Police Association member survey
It is not often a workplace survey delivers overwhelming agreement on not one, but two major organizational issues. But the 2023 survey outcomes — released publicly and to members in early May — did just that.
What was obvious to many is now official: an overwhelming majority of members unequivocally oppose the SAPOL district policing model
A further significant majority also wants the entire model to be abolished
And a similar percentage of members expressed support for the long-overdue implementation of a response extendedhours roster
It was a triple gut-punch to the nothingto-see-here rhetoric emanating from SAPOL over the last few years.
The numbers were stark, and should prompt SAPOL to order an immediate, decisive call to action
Some of the most significant results from the survey were that:
• Only 7% of surveyed members support the DPM
• Only 4% believe the DPM provides adequate service to the community
• 82% support the widespread implementation of an extended-hours roster.
• 79% of members who currently work an extended-hours roster believe it has positively impacted their work-life balance
The fact that even a majority of responding commissioned officers did not express full support for the model must be the most galling part of the survey for SAPOL.PRESIDENT
What should be the most horrifying result for SAPOL is that even high-ranking officers believe the DPM is not working
A majority of surveyed members at the rank of inspector were either unsupportive or unsure of their backing for the model
That fact alone represents a damning assessment of SAPOL, Commissioner Grant Stevens and his now infamous DPM.
The reality is that we are at a critical juncture, and these findings are impossible for the commissioner to ignore
It really is difficult to imagine anybody in the SAPOL executive leadership team could be shocked by these results But association members know only too well that SAPOL leaders have a track record of disregard for obvious truths
The association has long told the commissioner of the precious little support on the ground for the failing DPM.
We did not inform him for kicks or headlines . We were simply relaying to him what members were overwhelmingly telling — and showing — us
That is, that the DPM is a dysfunctional model that is short-changing both police officers and the SA community
The fact that even a majority of responding commissioned officers did not express full support for the model must be the most galling part of the survey for SAPOL
History shows that surveys such as this provide an opportunity for members of all stripes to free themselves, without any fear of consequences, and tell the truth about how dire things really are
The question now remains: will the commissioner continue to live in denial? This many police officers at the coalface cannot be wrong
Some of the direct member feedback about the DPM was compelling:
• It has created division between colleagues There are less people to respond to tasking There is fighting over responsibilities.
• I worked DPT for nearly two years .
The roster damn near killed me, and staff shortages had me stressed to the point of wanting to resign
• Lack of resources Lack of staffing, oversized areas that don’t allow for intelligently led policing
• There is nil proactive policing occurring
• Our unit is running short and has over 300 report/arrest files waiting to be vetted.
Members were equally scathing about the ongoing failure of SAPOL to implement a response extended-hours roster
Among the feedback was:
• It’s taken far too long to implement in the metro area at present
• I have seen no significant progress made in the last seven years
• The executives have shown they will play politician and dance around the truth/do what gets them their contracts/bonuses.
Only 6% of surveyed members had confidence in SAPOL’s ability to deliver an extended-hours roster to the appropriate areas
The meeting with the Malinauskas government went well, and the association now awaits a commitment toward a full spectrum of solutions
In essence, I made it abundantly clear to the premier that this issue is not going away — and neither is the association
The reality is that the survey feedback represents a few ugly truths that neither the government nor SAPOL wants to face. But if the government does not take steps to intervene, the association will take the matter as far as it needs to go
This might also include stepping up our public campaign The community is, after all, the group which will ultimately bear the brunt of such a failing policing model
Even SAPOL’s own analysis of the model shows that proactive policing is almost non-existent Front-line members are flat out just responding to the in-flow of jobs, leaving virtually no time for one very important aspect of police work: crime prevention.
This fact alone will eventually have disastrous flow-on consequences
Vale committee member Darren Mead
The Police Association was deeply saddened by the passing of dedicated committee member Sergeant Darren Mead (pictured above) in April
His death at such a young age (49) came as an overwhelming shock to his family and friends, as well as his close colleagues and the broader police family.
Darren cared deeply about the plight of his workmates, particularly those working under the strain of current workloads.
His colleagues clearly saw his immense qualities: a passion and a willingness to commit himself to them and serve their industrial interests
Accordingly, they elected him to the association committee of management in April 2021
In his two years in that role, Darren performed his duties with honour, integrity and diligence.
He also served as a workplace delegate for a brief period in early 2021
At the committee table I was lucky enough to see, first-hand, the genuineness of Darren’s care for members
The injustice is that he had so much more to contribute — to his family, to his colleagues through the association, and to policing
The association considered it a privilege to represent him throughout his 22 years’ service to policing and extends its deepest sympathy to his family, friends and colleagues
The reality is that the survey feedback represents a few ugly truths that neither the government nor SAPOL wants to face. But if the government does not take steps to intervene, the association will take the matter as far as it needs to go.Brevet Sergeant Julie Edange Constable Sam Morin
A touch of France in SA policing
BY BRETT WILLIAMSIT TOOK A FRIEND TO INSIST THAT SHE WOULD MAKE A GREAT COP If not for that, Sandrine Gates would never “in a million years” have considered a police career She had not set foot in Australia until she was 14, English was not her first language, and she missed France “all the time”.
But she was now 31, separated, and stuck with a coffee-shop business which was “not going very well”. She knew she had to do something to improve her lot And rather than balk at the idea of joining a police force, Gates instantly saw merit in it
“I didn’t get freaked out by it,” she says “I didn’t think: ‘No, I can’t do that ’ I never really thought: ‘Oh, that’s ridiculous ’ It just felt like a really good idea I thought it fitted me quite well because I do like order.
“So, it was really just a smooth transition into: ‘Okay, I’ll give that a go.’ And the next day, or the next Monday, I came in (to Recruiting Section), grabbed an application and that was it ”
Rarely would a French citizen sign up for a career in an Australian police force. But of three who did exactly that, one had always wanted to be a cop and two had never even considered the idea.Sergeant Sandrine Gates
Gates wound up in Course 37 in 2001 . That led to not only months of intense recruit training but also a course romance with her now husband, Adam He, too, had had a previous marriage which produced one child
After the couple graduated in early 2002, Gates scored Whyalla as her first post – and loved it Her subsequent posts, Transit Services Branch, ComCen, and Prosecution, also brought her job satisfaction And, today, she relishes her work at the Call Centre
But she could not now speak of 22 years in policing had her father not brought his family from France to Australia in 1983. The difference back then was that Parisborn Gates could find little, if any, joy at the outset of her new life down under
Her only English was what she had learned in the high school she attended in her small hometown near Chantilly in northern France So, she struggled to communicate
“I didn’t understand anything,” she says, “and people didn’t understand me I could say a few things but that really didn’t help me very much. ”
To prepare her for learning in a mainstream Australian high school, Gates first had to attend an Adelaide migrant school There, she undertook two terms of year nine
“And that was horrendous,” she recalls “I was the freak in school, a French girl who spoke weirdly So, I caught on very early that I had to work very hard to just be invisible at school (That was) so that people weren’t looking for me for entertainment ”
But, once assessed as ready to join a mainstream secondary school, Gates moved on to Unley High, where she completed year 12 After that, she intended to head back to France, just as she had arranged with her parents
They had by then moved to Queensland where she stayed with them for six months and worked in a French bakery
Then, at age 18, Gates made her return trip to France During her months-long stay, she met her future first husband, a Frenchman who loved all things Australian and wanted to come down under.
After her trip was over, Gates came back to Australia but, around six months later, made another journey back to France There she worked and stayed for six months
Once back in Australia, she undertook a tourism course and scored a job with a travel agent By then, her Frenchman had come to Australia and the couple married in 1989
“We decided that we were going to do some travel,” she says, “so I quit my job, we packed the car and we left. That was about 1991 . We travelled all around Australia and did lots of snow seasons It was just travel and work, travel and work for the better part of five years
“And we’d go back to France within our travels as well And then it was time to settle down, so that’s what I did, but he didn’t He was happy to continue his nomadic life and I’d had enough by then in my mid-20s
“After the travel, we broke up and I took up a (business) partnership with a friend and was running the coffee shop in Norwood ”
But Gates could see that the business was not going to fire and so made her swift move into policing And it was a move she never regretted She “loved every minute” of the job back then, and still does now
Her career, however, has struck its sour notes Gates made that clear in a 2016 Police Journal interview (True flexibility a need greater than 50-50).
She told of the needless stress she had suffered owing to the flexible work arrangements she many times found near impossible to access
Still, after nine years at the Call Centre, where she now serves as a full-time sergeant, she continues to find her work “very fulfilling”
“It’s very dynamic,” she says “I still learn things every day I get asked questions about a million things so I have to keep up my knowledge of everything. I find it really challenging. ”
1. Gates with her father and younger sister in a snowfield in France.
2. On a visit to France with her children.
Some of her earliest jobs on the front line challenged her too There was the Whyalla assault victim whose attacker had beaten him with an axe Gates, who had only graduated a week or two earlier, responded with her partner
And until they found the victim in the street, sitting on a roundabout, she had never seen a human head so swollen, blood-soaked and blackened.
“I can still see his face,” she says. “The good thing (at Whyalla) was that I got to see a lot of stuff, which was great because I learnt heaps in my short time there ”
And while she was there, for around 12 months, she and Henley Beach-based Adam had to accept a long-distance relationship Later, in 2004, they had their first child, a daughter, and would go on to have a son and another daughter
Although she holds Australian citizenship, Gates, 53, draws little if any pleasure from Australia’s great loves. When it comes to Aussie classics like footy and Vegemite, she concedes that “I just don’t get it”
She has particularly strong memories of her early life in France, thinks of herself as French, and maintains many French traditions. One is the practice of family dining at the dinner table
“We never eat in the lounge in front of the TV,” she says “We celebrate Bastille Day and, on the first Sunday in January, there’s the Galette des Rois (Three Kings cake) It’s to do with the kings bringing gifts to Jesus We love it It’s great
“And we do Christmas Eve celebrations every year because that’s probably bigger than Christmas over there (in France). ”
The conundrum for Gates is that she loves France but finds that on lengthy visits there she gets “sick of it”
“I go back as much as I can,” she says. “When I was younger, I would go back for six months and then get sick of it. So, I’d come back, and then I’d miss it, and I’d go back
“I get sick of the mentality (in France) and the go, go, go all the time ”
Still, Gates concedes that she might have returned to France for good had she not created an Australian family “Career-wise I don’t know how it would’ve gone,” she says “I certainly wouldn’t want to join the police in France
“But retirement’s not far away so I’m thinking that’s when I can maybe do half and half (in Australia and France), which would be my ideal arrangement ”
Apolice career was always in her thinking Even as a 12-year-old, Julie Edange said she wanted to be a detective when asked in high school in France In fact, her ultimate ambition was to join international police organization Interpol in Lyon
Her determination was obvious to her father, himself a police officer Still, he encouraged his daughter at least to keep an open mind about other career options. In the end, however, he could see that nothing was going to convince her not to pursue a life of crimefighting.
The first step she took to set herself up for policing was to embrace some serious study, and she succeeded Edange scored a law degree and went to work for the Ministère Public, the office of the public prosecutor in France
But, before she finished her degree, she met her now fiancé, a Frenchman who was living in Australia but had returned to France for a visit. He had made his life in Australia where he worked, and still works, for a bicycle import and distribution business.
Leaving France to join him in Australia struck Edange as the perfect opportunity to learn English She knew a command of the language would bolster her chances of a job with Interpol And she preferred not to travel across the channel to learn English in cold, drizzly England
So, in 2010, she told her parents of her plan to join her Frenchman in Australia. They seemed to think their only child, born in Villeneuve-SaintGeorges, would change her mind and not leave when the time came.
But, within a few months, Edange was boarding a plane bound for Australia And it looked as if her parents thought she would, of course, come back to France
She was 22 when she made her move down under on a working holiday visa and intended to stay for just a year
Once here, she scored a job at Nando’s, stuck with it for six months, and then found work within the legal fraternity. She had supplied several Adelaide law firms with her résumé and wound up working with the defence team in the Vonne McGlynn murder case
“… retirement’s not far away so I’m thinking that’s when I can maybe do half and half (in Australia and France), which would be my ideal arrangement.”
“But my intention wasn’t to become a lawyer,” she says. “I just wanted to learn about the criminal justice system here ”
Edange later scored work with the French Consulate and, after that, a job with another Adelaide law firm By then, she had stayed in Australia well beyond the one year she had intended
“After a year, it became two and three and four,” she says “I said to my partner: ‘We need to go back (to France) I still want to be a police officer. I haven’t changed my mind and I want to join the police force in France.’ ”
The two talked about where they might settle back in France but never decided on either the north, somewhere near Interpol, or the south of the country
“As we talked about our plans,” Edange says, “I’m thinking: ‘Is that (joining the police) really what I want to do in France? I don’t really want to go ’
“I think it all became a bit more realistic to me. I thought: ‘Why don’t I apply here?’ and I went to an information session at police headquarters ”
Her decision to stay in Australia, as she told the Police Journal in 2018, was – and remains – the toughest of her life She understood how deeply her parents would miss their only child
Still, Edange went ahead and applied to join SAPOL Her parents could not believe that a “foreign country” would accept her into one of its police forces.
“But I got through,” she says, “and my parents were like: ‘She’s not coming back!’ ”
The question was whether “not coming back” meant not ever coming back, as Edange joined Course 7/2015 and graduated in June 2016
Of course, detective work remained her long-term goal but she first served on the front line out of Parks patrol base And some of the jobs she responded to have never left her
She remembers the eight-year-old boy so worried that he could not wake his father that he called the police. Edange and her partner rushed to a small, two-storey unit and found the father non-responsive in the lounge room
She spotted an insulin pen and figured he must be diabetic. Edange tried to wake the man by pinching his back “really hard” but he simply did not stir With an ambulance on the way, she and her partner manoeuvred the man into the recovery position Paramedics would later say that, by calling for help, the boy had saved his father’s life
“He was diabetic,” Edange says, “and because of his condition he was going into a coma and would have passed away overnight.
“I thought this boy was really brave to call us. His parents were separated and dad had just lost his job ”
Edange, 35, also remembers DV victims from investigations she undertook with Child and Family Investigation Section
There was the one whose abuser left her not only physically hurt but also $30,000 in debt And another whose former partner started showing up everywhere she went – one time in disguise
It emerged that he had tracked her movements by fixing a GPS tracker to her car. Edange investigated and recalls how “we finally got him”.
“After two years of going through court he finally pleaded guilty on the day of the trial,” she says “But it
“But I got through and my parents were like: ‘She’s not coming back!’ ”
was an interesting job because it was a lot to do with all the GPS data and tracing ”
Now a brevet sergeant stationed at Port Adelaide CIB in a position she won last year, Edange hopes soon to score her detective designation She finds great satisfaction in her work and team
“We really support each other,” she says “People talk about a family, well, I feel like we do have a little family just in our team. We just get along well and help each other. ”
That encapsulates what Edange loves most about Australia: “the culture and people’s kindness” And, when it comes
to public attitudes toward police, she considers Australians “a lot more respectful” than the French
But Edange holds on to elements of French culture and has taken several trips back to France in the 13 years she has lived in Australia. This year, she will celebrate Bastille Day at home with her family and French friends or attend a French consulate event – provided she has an RDO
Even with Australian citizenship and “a lot of Aussie friends”, she still thinks of herself as French Otherwise, she lives a completely Australian life, although footy has not yet sparked her interest She concedes, however, that that might change if her three-year old son takes to the game.
She has had only one visit from her parents, who came to Australia for her graduation But her father now feels connected to SA On Anzac Day, he takes a long, early-morning drive to VillersBretonneux where, at the Adelaide Cemetery, he salutes fallen diggers
Says Edange: “Still, as of today, my parents often say: ‘We miss you,’ But I don’t see myself going back to France I don’t know what I’d do there unless I joined Interpol
“Obviously, my parents are becoming elderly and if something happened to them and they needed my support, that’s something I’d keep open-minded about. But, right now, I’m living my life here ”
Sam Morin came to Australia with a valuable set of artistic skills His field was animation and he had worked as a first assistant director on various TV series in France In Australia, he scored a job with Disney Studios in Sydney and worked on movies like The Lion King 3
But in Adelaide, where he was determined to be near his two children, he came close to homelessness. The city offered little, if anything, in the way of permanent work for animators –Australian or foreign.
So, with nowhere to apply his artistic talents, Morin wound up working factory and warehouse jobs That earned him a living, but not all those jobs were secure
When one employer undertook some retrenchments, Morin was in the firing line The job loss left him desperate and unable even to pay his rent He looked destined to end up on the street. With some luck, however, he found another factory job.
But his circumstances were still dire. His marriage to his Australian wife had broken down, he had only limited custody of his children, and his artistic career was lost to him
“I was sending a lot of letters and applications for pretty much every job around,” he recalls “And I don’t know why but I could never get anywhere, even in fields closely related to mine, like video-editing ”
Morin started to sense the onset of depression before he spoke with a friend who told him about an acquaintance who had applied to join SAPOL . It surprised him that applicants did not need to hold diplomas or degrees, as they did in France
“After my friend told me that, I started looking at the SAPOL website and thought I could do that I really didn’t want to feel astray again, and it was a government job as well I saw a government job as bringing some stability and getting that stress away from me
“The combination of the interesting fields in (policing) and the security of it really motivated me. So, I worked hard to get my fitness up, put my application in, and I was thrilled to get (accepted) ”
Morin joined Course 34 in 2018 and graduated with the Walter Wissell award for academic achievement in May 2019 The next challenge for him was to take on front-line police work, based at Henley Beach
It was a serious task for the 48-yearold former animator who, before 2018, had never once considered law enforcement as a career
Morin had grown up in Aix-enProvence, a university city in southern France about an hour from Marseille. After a later move with his parents, he went to university in Poitiers to study maths and physics
He had hoped to be a pilot but aviation was a tough field to break into – tough enough not to work out for him But, at the same time, came a chance meeting with a cartoon animator and the prospect of a career in animation Morin had “never imagined” working in the field but “got hooked” and stayed with it for 17 years
Around Christmas 1998, he met his then-future Australian wife in Paris She was an Adelaide girl whom he joined here in 1999 and later married. They lived a few years in Melbourne and a few in Sydney but returned to Adelaide and had a son
Four months later, in 2006, the young family was bound for France Morin was intensely homesick but he and his wife and son would return to Australia in 2012 – with an addition to the family, a daughter
Back in Australia, however, his marriage broke down, he struggled to find work, and a drawn-out battle for shared custody of his children ensued
To improve his chances on the job front, Morin took up a postgraduate course in creative arts at Flinders University.
“I wanted to transfer my skill into special effects to work with Rising Sun
Pictures,” he says. “It’s a big company here (in Adelaide). But, after I got my diploma, they could only offer me four to six months ”
But temporary rather than permanent employment was not going to work for Morin So, he took up that warehouse and factory work and stayed with it until he ventured into his police career
Now based in Grenfell St, he recalls some jobs which have prompted laughter and others deep sadness.
One of his first jobs as a Henley Beach-based probationer was a house fire he responded to with his field tutor Firefighters were already on the scene and had the flames out but the house was still full of smoke
Morin and his partner spotted a man, in just a T-shirt and underwear, bolting toward rather than away from the Seaview Road house
“We thought: ‘Oh, that’s not right,’ and I just started running after him,” Morin says “I chased him through the house and he went to the other side and got onto the beach. Then he started getting into the water and we just caught him before he started to swim away ”
It turned out that their suspect had been cooking meth in the house and was likely headed back inside to get rid of the evidence
One of the sad ones Morin remembers is the case of a woman who hanged herself from a door She had suffered a break-up with her partner the previous night
“He came back to see her and he found her like that,” Morin says “It was quite a harsh (reality)
“I was very surprised by how much mental (ill) health we have to deal with. Even with the crooks it’s like 80 per cent mental health. ”
Still, Morin hopes to move on from Grenfell St and into an investigational field He speaks of an interest in areas such Crime Gangs and CSI
He still misses France “very much” and might well have returned there were it not for his children Now 52, he does not expect to go back until after he retires, and then it will depend on where his children settle If it is Australia, he will stay here.
“Even if I go back to France now,” he says, “my old career is over. After 10 years, everything’s changed.
“I wouldn’t be a police officer in France So, I don’t even know what I would do there I’d have to restart from scratch, and I’m too tired for that ”
But he will have the energy to celebrate Bastille Day at a French Consulate event or Alliance Française d’Adélaïde this year For him, it is an opportunity to “join the French community and see what’s happening”
His love for France, however, does not blind him to the wonders of Australia. He loves the wildlife, the landscape, and that 42 million fewer people live here than live in France
But, when it comes to footy or cricket, he concedes that he has “no idea” He has not chosen, and does not even follow, either the Crows or Power And he cannot explain why he entered a tipping contest in which he is now running second last out of 12
“I wouldn’t have a clue,” he says
What he does know for certain is that, for him, there will be no more ventures into any other fields of employment.
“This is my new career, and my last one,” he insists “I’m 52 and I don’t have the energy to start another one ” PJ
14. With now former Police Association vice-president Allan Cannon and current vice-president Daryl Mundy on graduation day at the police academy. 15. On graduation day in 2019.“Even if I go back to France now my old career is over. After 10 years, everything’s changed. I wouldn’t be a police officer in France. So, I don’t even know what I would do there.”
WHEN IT’S THE DOG Vs THE COP
room into which this door opened Neither officer could know whether he was armed or had one or both dogs with him
BY BRETT WILLIAMSThedistraught pregnant victim explained to the attending police that her partner had come home and gone into a rage He had smashed a gate, kicked internal doors off their hinges, and punched holes in the walls of the Salisbury North home he shared with her.
It was a March evening in 2018 and Salisbury-based constable Jessica Graham got the story from the victim, Bailey.
They talked on the street outside the house as Bailey’s out-of-sight partner, Smith, took to yelling and rock-throwing
Some of his missiles landed on the road and others hit a police car
To get themselves out of the line of fire, Graham and Bailey took cover behind a tree As they continued talking, Bailey warned Graham that Smith could be armed with a crossbow She also indicated that inside the house were two Staffordshire bull terriers.
But the on-scene police would still have to approach and deal with Smith. So, after back-up arrived, Graham and three other
officers moved toward the house The yelling and rock-throwing had stopped Smith had gone completely silent
Graham came to think of possibilities like a drug OD or self-harm Indeed, she now saw the task as a check on welfare
The officers announced themselves and called on Smith to come to the front door to talk . They got no response, repeated the calls for several minutes, still heard nothing, and decided to enter the house.
“The bottom couple of panels had been kicked out of the front door,” Graham, 40, recalls “We said: ‘We’re coming in,’ and then, as soon as we went into the house, (we could see) he had just trashed it
“We were continually announcing our presence, saying: ‘You need to come out and speak with us ’ But we got nothing ”
Graham and a colleague made their way through the living area and kitchen and into a hallway. At the end of it was a door kicked off its hinges and, to the right, another door – closed and intact.
With no sign of Smith anywhere else, it seemed a good chance that he was in the
But they had to act. So, Graham’s colleague positioned his foot against the door and pushed it open. Smith, naked from the waist down, burst out of the room straight toward the officer. And right behind the crazed, half-dressed offender was one of the dogs
Graham, a dog-lover, spoke to the animal to try to “keep it calm and onside” But, as her colleague had begun to grapple with Smith on the floor, she tried to move the dog clear of the struggle
The dog, however, became excited and began to growl And, to egg him on, Smith yelled the command “Get ’em!”
Graham continued to try to hold the dog back as two other officers moved in to help. But she wound up spun around to her left and felt some kind of pressure on her left leg Then came a sharp pain in her left wrist but it was not immediately clear to her what had happened
She fell heavily on her left knee but still managed to get to her colleague and help him arrest Smith With the help of another officer all three got Smith cuffed and under control
“It wasn’t really until we got him in cuffs that I stood up and noticed that my sleeve was torn,” Graham says. “And then I kind of looked at my wrist and realized that I was bleeding. My shirt sleeve was ripped and wet with blood ”
Some SA cops have suffered shocking dog attacks, just like the high-profile mauling of AFP member Carla Duncan in 2018. Two of them ended up in hospital where one had to undergo two rounds of surgery.
Graham found that the dog had sunk its teeth into her forearm and left her with a laceration almost four centimetres long and half a centimetre wide. And where she had felt the pressure on her leg, she found a patch of saliva on her trouser leg.
Her pants were not torn and her skin was not broken But it was now clear that the dog had first wrapped its jaws around her leg, released its grip, and then jumped up to bite her forearm
“I remembered that pressure on my leg even more than I remembered the pressure on my wrist,” she says “I was surprised that there was no bruising or marks there on my leg.
“I knew something had happened to my wrist but, probably because of the adrenaline, I just kept going. I knew (my colleague) was on the ground and we needed to get (Smith) under control ”
With the commotion over, Graham asked what had happened to the dog, which was no longer in sight One of the other officers, at risk of copping a bite himself, had picked the dog up and managed to confine it in another room
Graham, now angered, “just wanted to get out of the house” and check the rest of her body for any other bite injuries.
“One of the other officers who had arrived was an ex-navy medic
She cleaned me up and bandaged me and we all just did the job, as we do Then two of my colleagues drove me in a police car into hospital. ”
And, at Wakefield Hospital, her lacerated forearm received treatment but no stitches. The medical advice was that it was best to leave dog-bite wounds open at first so as not to seal in any bacteria
So, Graham returned to the hospital the following night to have the laceration closed Five stitches did the job And that same night, she went back to work for her regular shift but on light duties
“My arm ached for a few days but I just bandaged it up and went on with things,” Graham says. “I just think I was very lucky that it was a fairly clean, straight wound. It wasn’t a ragged wound that you see with dog bites
“So, I think I got off lightly as far as the wound. It could’ve been much, much worse. The bruises were the worst They looked awful and stayed for a good couple of weeks
“And from the bruising a few days later, you could clearly see that its whole mouth was around my wrist ”
The attack has made Graham more cautious around dogs But she “very quickly” shut down talk of destroying the one that attacked her She figured it had neither mauled her nor tried to kill her.
“I didn’t feel like that (destroying the dog) was at all necessary,” she says. “In the end, that dog was only doing what its owner told it to do It should never have been put in that position ”
And inciting an animal to attack was precisely one of the charges Smith faced in court The verdict was guilty
Graham returned to his house around a year later She and her partner had responded to a break-in on the house next door It was possible that Smith had captured some evidence through his security camera.
“So, we had to ask to view his CCTV,” Graham recalls. “This guy came to the front door and I looked at him and thought: ‘Yeah, I recognize you ’ He had no idea who I was He didn’t recognize me at all ”
Both dogs were there and Smith, when asked, put them in the backyard
“And then we went and looked at his CCTV,” Graham says “But I could see the dog in the backyard and it was a very eerie thing back in that house ” Graham resigned from SAPOL in December last year, but not in connection with the attack on her. She felt she had had “long enough” away from her family in Victoria and so returned there She now works for the Game Management Authority in Melbourne
Now focused on and enjoying her new job, she is not plagued by thoughts or mental images of the attack
“When I think about it,” she says, “I don’t think about him (Smith) I think about my colleagues and everything they did to help me out. ”
Bailey and Smith not the real names of the victim and offender.
“In the end, that dog was only doing what its owner told it to do. It should never have been put in that position.”
A man had died alone in his small home unit at Aldinga Beach. Sergeant Brian Burnett offered to wait around for the undertaker to turn up and remove the body That allowed the responding patrol crew to leave the scene, return to base, and get on with the associated paperwork
It was a December morning in 2011 and Burnett rightly expected the job of waiting to be an easy task The patrol crew had done its hands-on work, the dead man’s sister was on the scene, and her brother’s unregistered pit bull was secured in the bathroom.
So, it seemed quite safe and reasonable for Burnett to stand outside in the driveway and wait for the undertaker
While there, he engaged in a chat with the sister who mentioned that she had earlier confined the dog – because it was vicious
After a little more conversation, she stepped away to go inside her brother’s unit to use the toilet But, in the process, she would have to move the dog out of the bathroom and secure it in another room
In her absence, Burnett remained quietly waiting in the driveway with no expectation of any kind of attack on him. But then, from behind him, came the sound of movement. It was the big, tan pit bull.
It had escaped from the unit and was now charging straight at the unsuspecting officer Burnett had heard the sound but had no time to turn and react before the fast, fired-up creature sunk its teeth into his buttock
He felt the pain of the bite even though it was only momentary And more was to come The dog released its grip and, within a split second, launched straight back at Burnett with a second and more devastating bite.
“He grabbed on and locked his jaw onto my left forearm,” Burnett recalls. “It all happened within seconds. I think the first I knew about it was the pain I felt in the buttock, and then seeing the dog hanging off my arm growling And he was looking up with (my) blood in his teeth
“It was totally unexpected because it came from behind, unprovoked I was not threatening at all I was just standing in the driveway ”
Burnett first reacted on such pure instinct that, later, he would not realize that he had drawn his OC spray with his right hand. He sprayed the dog and it released its “locked jaw”.
Then Burnett got his first look at the massive damage to his forearm. He had sustained a classic degloving injury
The dog had ripped away a section of skin and tissue measuring 14cm long and seven centimetres wide
So, now, dangling from his wrist was a flap of skin which had left his forearm tendons, bone and muscle fully exposed To Burnett, it looked as if “half my arm had fallen off”.
“And the blood was dripping,” he says, “dripping quite badly. But there was no pain at the time, not until the ambulance came ”
At that point, however, no one had yet called an ambulance, and the pit bull had not finished with Burnett
“The dog came at me again,” he says “But I managed to kick it away and that (forced) it through an open gate and back out towards the main road ”
Then, to Burnett, came a concern even greater than his injury. He had earlier noticed children in the street and now feared the dog would line up and attack one or more of them. So he was, in a sense, relieved when the dog switched its focus back to him
But another attack on the wounded, bleeding cop would come with the potential to threaten his life He needed the strongest defence at his disposal and so drew his pistol and lined the creature up for a shot
Behind the dog, however, through a window, he could see someone sitting in the living room of a house across the street That presented a risk too great to fire his pistol
“So, obviously, I didn’t take the shot,” he recalls. “But it (the dog) had come back towards me. Again, I sprayed it, and it moved away to a garden area with a gate, in front of the unit.
“I managed to get over there and, at that point, the sister had come out She saw the blood dripping from my arm and the dog still running around, so she was screaming ”
Burnett called on the distressed sister to help him shut the gate while the chance was there to secure the dog She responded and the pair got the dog corralled and contained within the fenced-off garden
“Then I called up on the radio for an ambulance and another patrol,” Burnett says. “And I got the sister to go to the police car, unlock it, and get the first aid kit. ”
She clearly felt responsible for the dog’s escape from the unit. As she repeatedly apologized to Burnett, she helped him
“I think the first I knew about it was … seeing the dog hanging off my arm growling. And he was looking up with (my) blood in his teeth.”
bandage his wound and elevate his arm
Paramedics got to the scene around 15 minutes later, applied a saline solution to the wound, and rushed Burnett to Flinders Medical Centre. His degloved arm needed a skin graft operation, which he underwent the next day
“I was in the hospital for a week,” he says, “and it was a week before Christmas, so it wasn’t so good for my wife and kids ”
And it all became worse when infection set in and the grafted skin died So, after that week in hospital, Burnett had to undergo a second operation. The skin in that case survived and he was able to go home.
And, as he went into recovery mode, he understood that the dog attack might have maimed him
The medical opinion was that he was a “millimetre away from losing tendons”
“I was very lucky that I’ve still got full movement in my hand,” he says “The only injury is the skin, and the plastic surgeon has done a really good job ”
After just two months of recovery, then-Aldinga-based Burnett got back to work . For that effort, he received the SISA Recovery & Return to Work Award.
“I didn’t want to stay off work and dwell on it,” he explains. “I wanted to get back to work, back to normality ”
Burnett remembers all aspects of the attack in detail He estimates that, getting the dog confined in the garden, from the time of its first bite, took around 45 seconds
He knew that, were he to sit, lie or even faint, he would be vulnerable to an even more savage attack by the dog
“I did think about lying down,” he says. “Your legs weaken and you think: ‘Oh, I need to go to ground,’ but I knew I couldn’t do that.
“I thought: ‘I have to get this dog secured,’ because I was thinking about the kids down the street I had to get the dog controlled and forget about my injury until after that ”
Local council officers were quick to follow up and seize the dog with a catch pole It did not survive a destruction order
Ever since the attack, Burnett, 44, has become – and remains – not afraid but rather wary of dogs. His practice at work is to ask dog owners to secure their creatures in a room, and he encourages his colleagues to do the same
Most of the time he finds owners “obliging and quite happy doing that”
“A dog is likely to be protective of its owner and its territory,” he says “And police in uniform can be a threat to a dog, especially a protective dog
“Ultimately, you don’t know how it’s going to react, and the owner doesn’t (know). They might say:
‘Oh, he’s a friendly dog, he’s never done anything in the past.’ But there’s a first time for every bite.” PJ
“I was very lucky that I’ve still got full movement in my hand. The only injury is the skin, and the plastic surgeon has done a really good job.”
The toll on Tollenaar
BY BRETT WILLIAMSSergeant Tim Tollenaar
could not get his answer out – at least not immediately. He tried but had to stop momentarily so as not to lose his composure That was how intensely the question, about his love of front-line police work, had sparked his emotions
It was a soft spot he would never have shown at work, amid the violence and villainy of the Hindley St beat
But this was the very last day of his police career after 38 years in the job And the chat about those years took place at the Police Association.
With his deep regard for the organization and its operatives, Tollenaar had set aside a couple of his final hours as a cop to spend there
“Hindley St was my heart and soul,” he said of his 16 non-consecutive years working the notorious night-club precinct
And then the emotion briefly overcame him before he professed his love not of SAPOL or its executive management but of operational police work
“I lobbed at Bank St police station as a keen, fresh 21-year-old in 1988,” he said “I was excited to get into beat policing. It delivered a bit more action than there was in the suburbs. And it was the beginning of my love affair with the bright lights and action of Hindley St ”
Memories of his thousands of Hindley St encounters came flooding back to him. He spoke of one in a city nightclub in 2004. It was day shift, the sun had risen, and the venue was still in full swing
In a bar on the ground floor was a group of six outlaw motorcycle gang members, with whom Tollenaar and his two colleagues exchanged glances
One of the officers was Ava, a probationer who became the target of one of the gang members He approached her and, as if trying to score a one-night stand, started chatting to her.
She had pressed her back up against a wall. The gang man soon positioned his hand against that wall next to her head and moved his body closer to hers
The third officer, Bruno, moved in to intervene For his trouble, he got a glass of scotch and coke swung at his head and the brawl was on
The muscular gang member was, as Tollenaar describes him, short but as wide as he was tall But Tollenaar, who weighs 101kg and stands 187cm tall, had – and still has –a strong, muscular build of his own
Punches flew as Tollenaar and Bruno grappled with the gang member whose “level of strength was insane”. But he copped a face full of OC spray from Bruno before the two officers dragged him toward the exit
The gang member, however, started throwing some more punches at the two officers and his mates looked like jumping in to help him Tollenaar had lost his can of OC spray which had rolled out of its open pouch
Bruno grabbed it and sprayed the other gang members, who wound up coughing, spluttering and stopped in their tracks
Tollenaar called for urgent back-up and patrols were on the scene within minutes More brawling ensued but, in the end, five gang members ended up in the City Watch House that morning.
In an even more dangerous pub brawl, an offender came close to stabbing Tollenaar, as the Police Journal reported in 2021 .
It was in the packed Austral Hotel on a Friday night in 1994 and involved a gang of unruly skinheads One of them 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 said, “so one of the officers struck him with a baton
Experienced Hindley Street cops are close to indispensable in SA policing. But out of sheer frustration, one of them has walked away well before his time.
“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 ”
In what became a critical incident in 1993, Tollenaar and his partner responded to a report of a gun-toting taxi passenger threatening his driver. It played out in a North Adelaide service station on O’Connell St.
The two cops got to the scene, stepped out of their patrol car and, with their revolvers drawn, crept up on the taxi They could see the driver and passenger struggling over “something shiny” inside the car
Then the passenger stepped out holding “an enormous” semi-automatic pistol – a 45 calibre Springfield Armory with nine rounds in the magazine and one up the spout
The clearly agitated man started bellowing at Tollenaar in a foreign language as he waved his gun around. Tollenaar tried to talk him into dropping the weapon as his partner, Calvin, moved up quietly and unnoticed from behind
“I took a step to my right and was fully exposed to the gunman,” Tollenaar says “(Calvin) was at the back of the taxi and so as loudly as I could I again yelled: ‘Drop it!’
“It was enough to keep him fully engaged on me, as Calvin lunged forward, wrapping his enormous arms around the offender I leapt forward and, in seconds, we pulled him to the ground and disarmed him. What a rush that was. ”
It later emerged that the dispute between driver and passenger was over the fare. And Tollenaar, for his effort, ended up with his first certificate of merit
He has copped black eyes, cuts, bruises and ultimately had a shoulder replacement after repeatedly grappling with offenders
But no matter how dangerous his front-line encounters were, Tollenaar never lost an ounce of his enthusiasm in, and love of, city policing. So, handing in his resignation as a seriously fit, healthy 55-year-old did not come easily.
He explained that it was a hard decision to make, and that he had been “fighting with it for a while”
But he was no longer prepared to endure the well-known failings and harmful effects of the controversial district policing model The physical and mental strain he saw it inflict on his team, and the broader police population, was a factor in his decision too.
Police Association delegates had carried a unanimous vote of no confidence in the DPM in 2022 . And, in an association survey this year, an overwhelming majority of police respondents roundly condemned the model
“The DPM paper came out in 2016 and I went through it with a fine-tooth comb,” Tollenaar says “I put forward lots of e-mails in which I said: ‘Look, I don’t think this is going to work ’ But eventually they brought it in, and then brought in DPM2 .
“We really kicked up over that one because, in Adelaide, we had four teams working night shift, Friday and Saturday nights That was four
sergeants and up to 16 patrols. We had the city covered. We could handle everything
“But under DPM2, they (SAPOL) got rid of Grenfell St patrols, made Hindley St the response police base, and increased our area to include suburbs like Parkside and Goodwood
“So, we went from like 16 patrols to two patrols with a bigger area, no beats, and no visible police presence in Rundle Mall And, of course, crime went through the roof. ”
A frustrated Tollenaar, concerned for struggling cops, submitted two hazard reports in 2021 . After the first came beat patrols back to Hindley St Tollenaar had worked there in five stints of two to three years up to January 2022, when he transferred out to Christies Beach police station
“They’d been struggling with oneand-a-half, two patrols for six months before I got there,” he says “I did a hazard report and sent it through to Mark (Carroll) and Steve (Whetton) to make sure the association knew about it.
“That way, Steve could raise it at the (COHSWAC) meetings he has with the commissioner Within a week, I had two extra people ”
But then, in October 2022, Tollenaar transferred to Aldinga police station There, he took charge of a district policing team of which he was the only member – at least for his last few shifts
“I was the sergeant in charge of no one,” he says “I got paid $150,000 a year and, because of this absolutely abysmal policing model, there was no one on the DPTs. They’d all been dragged into response teams to bolster the numbers there ”
“So, the DPTs aren’t targeting the recidivist persons of interest We don’t have any police (for that) And probably why I did pull the pin early was because the frustration level was just getting out of control
“There were many police officers feeling the same way but he (Commissioner Grant Stevens) just won’t budge. You think: ‘Mate, come down here and see what it’s like. It’s a bit different from life in the ivory tower where everybody tells you everything’s great ’ ”
Tollenaar spoke at length with his wife and children about the prospect of walking away from his police career He had never expected to retire before age 60 but, in the end, found that life under the DPM was taking too great a toll on him
“Eventually, it was just messing with my mental health,” he says. “And working that DPT roster, I’d never been more exhausted.
“So, that roster really did just hit the nail on the head I thought: ‘Nah, I’m going to look for something else ’ ”
That would mean the loss to SAPOL of one of its most knowledgeable cops in the art of city police work
And Tollenaar, a motorcycle enthusiast since the age of 15, did find something else: a part-time job in sales with a suburban motorcycle dealer. After almost four decades on the road, he will swap shift work for regular hours and deal with buyers rather than criminals
“I stayed on the road the whole time I was in the job, on patrols my entire career,” he says “I graduated in 1986 so, for 37 years, all I’ve been doing is bloody shift work That’s pretty hard ”
Tollenaar did make attempts to move into specialist fields like STAR Group and Water Operations, but success eluded him.
The only non-operational work he ever undertook was a three-month stint in Central Records after his graduation with Course 3/1985
A former St Paul’s College boy, he had come to policing as “the most immature 18-year-old you’d ever known” Extremely naïve, he had never even set foot in licensed premises
Born in Adelaide to Dutch immigrant parents, Tollenaar was the youngest of five siblings and had served as an altar boy up to age 14 . His now late father had worked as a stoker and Helping Hand bus driver and his mother as a college home economics teacher
One of his original career ideas was journalism He also had an ambition to be a fighter pilot but accepted that he lacked the mathematical skills
But then an old school mate suggested he consider police recruitment, which he had never once given a thought. He concedes now that the attraction back then was fast cars, bright lights, pub and street brawls, and any other form of excitement
After his stint at Central Records, and one at the now defunct ORG, Tollenaar wound up with Holden Hill patrols
“It was fantastic in the early years when I started there,” he says “But it was a very steep learning curve
“I landed on a team with Danny Smalbil, then a senior constable who’d been in the job about 10 years. He was a fantastic police officer. He gave me the best possible introduction to policing and taught me a lot as I was moving through my junior years ”
“I was the sergeant in charge of no one. … because of this absolutely abysmal policing model, there was no one on the DPTs.”
And, right from the start, Tollenaar loved the action. His first high-speed chase ended when the fleeing offender smashed his car into a Collinswood Stobie pole and then a fence It became a spectacle after live power lines came down, hit the road, and sparked
It all left Tollenaar thinking just how much he loved his new job
“In the early years, I just wanted to have fun,” he says. “It was just the most awesome job to go to, especially on night shift because night shift was when everything happened. It was just so much fun ”
Of course, not every job came with adrenaline-pumping action Some, like a suicide Tollenaar responded to in the northern suburbs in the 1990s, sparked nothing but sorrow
The call had gone out for a patrol to respond to a report of gunfire Tollenaar and his partner took the job, got to the scene, and found a worried father standing at his front door. He told how his 16-year-old son had shut himself in his (the son’s) room – with a gun.
A cautious Tollenaar stepped quietly along a hallway toward the boy’s bedroom Once there, he stood to one side of the door and pushed it just far enough ajar to peer inside He could see that the boy, an only child, had shot himself dead
Blood and body parts covered the walls and floor, as well as a suicide note the boy had written. Tollenaar knew that, were he to hand it to the parents in that condition, he would exacerbate their heartbreak . So, he cleaned it up and made of photocopy of it for them
The support Tollenaar was grateful for throughout his career came not from SAPOL executive management but rather the Police Association Even now, he continues to stress the importance of association membership
He speaks of campaigns from as far back as 1995 when the association triumphed over the Brown Liberal government with Pay justice for our police Association backing for cops who criminals falsely accuse of wrongdoing is another benefit Tollenaar always valued. He cannot now count the number of serving and retired sergeants who warned him that, if he was not getting complaints, he was not doing his job
“If you’re dealing with criminals, they’re going to complain about you,” he explains “If you deal with drunk people on licensed premises, they’re going to complain too
“All my complaints pretty much came from working around licensed premises, and I always had the association in my corner ”
In his Last Shift letter to the Police Journal, he specifically thanked association president Mark Carroll and assistant secretary Steve Whetton for their “professionalism and skill”.
“Without those two leading the good fight, we would be a lot worse off,” he wrote
He elaborated on that during his lastday chat at the Police Association offices
“(The presidency) needs someone who is part police officer and part politician,” he says “Mark fronts the media with intelligence and logic and comes across as the right kind of person to represent the association ”
Tollenaar expects to remain in his new sales job for the next five years. He concedes that, in policing, he had become “incredibly cynical” and “slightly pessimistic” but hopes to “get my spark back”
“You’re in a massive organization (in SAPOL) and you can’t create change,” he laments “Although, I did create change at my level through those hazard reports I put in
“But I just felt frustrated because I couldn’t influence more change Management wasn’t listening when what I was saying was, to me and a lot of other people, quite logical.” PJ
Ava, Bruno and Calvin are not the real names of the officers concerned.
“There were many police officers feeling the same way but he (Commissioner Grant Stevens) just won’t budge. You think: ‘Mate, come down here and see what it’s like. It’s a bit different from life in the ivory tower where everybody tells you everything’s great.’ ”
“If you’re dealing with criminals, they’re going to complain about you.”
What else happened?
IN THE CITY
In a street around the corner from a city hotel on night shift, Tollenaar approaches a car and instructs its driver and passenger to step out. The driver shifts the T-bar gear lever into the D position. Tollenaar spears his body into the car from the passenger side and makes a grab for it but the driver hits the accelerator and charges away As his lower body dangles out of the speeding car, Tollenaar cops repeated punches from its two occupants But he grabs the steering wheel, wrenches it to the left, and the car slams into a gutter Tollenaar and his partner drag driver and passenger out of the car and arrest them
In the Crazy Horse strip club in Hindley St on an afternoon shift, a group of six troublesome, strongly built rugby players refuse to leave. Tollenaar approaches their table and tells the main antagonist that it is time to go. He grabs the troublemaker’s massive arm and pushes him toward and onto the staircase exit His two colleagues deal with the other five agitators but two of them crash down on him on the staircase Then comes a struggle in which Tollenaar loses enough skin off his little finger to expose the bone Finally, the police have all six on the street outside but then comes a wild swing and Tollenaar has to duck, maybe to save his life Back-up arrives and all six offenders end up arrested for street offences
IN THE SUBURBS
After a crazed offender threatens his ex-partner with a knife, he cuts his own hand with such force that he severs tendons When Tollenaar gets to the scene, the offender charges at him – knife in one hand and bottle of Baileys in the other – and threatens to kill him Tollenaar uses the police car to shield himself as the offender slams his knife into its hood and then moves off down the street Tollenaar and two of his colleagues form a cordon around him He screams: “Shoot me, shoot me!” and stabs himself in the forehead He charges at the officers again and Tollenaar and the others are justified in firing on him. Instead, they end up covering him with the contents of five cans of OC spray but he never lets go of the knife. STAR Group turns up and overpowers him
The Police Association has stepped up to help reinforce the place in history which rightly belongs to one of last century’s most public-spirited police officers
Mounted Constable George Manhood (pictured above), who served as officerin-charge of Summertown police station from 1938, went way beyond his police role to serve his community
He cut firewood twice weekly for nurses at the Uraidla Hospital, instructed local schoolboys in woodwork, and sold mulga brooches to raise money for Red Cross.
MC Manhood also repaired clocks to raise money at Uraidla’s patriotic carnivals and helped people read and write so they could fill out forms like tax returns
Clearly a deeply caring police officer and family man, he gave his support wherever he saw people in genuine need And all his contributions came in addition to the long hours he worked as a dedicated local police officer
The now late superintendent Len Coghlan served at nearby Lobethal police station in the 1930s. He described MC Manhood as “one of the most humane Mounties who ever graced the South Australian police force”
No local cop more revered
BY BRETT WILLIAMSBut, in March 1943, after just five years’ service to his local community, the popular police officer contracted diphtheria More than 4,000 Australians had died with the disease between 1926 and 1935
MC Manhood wound up admitted to the Royal Adelaide Hospital where he received treatment but died on April 2, 1943 He was just 37
His burial service took place in his hometown of Millicent Among the mourners was his 10-year-old daughter, Shirley, but not his wife, Esther, and younger daughter, Josephine. They too had contracted diphtheria but survived.
The residents of Summertown and nearby districts so revered George that they established a memorial committee Its purpose was to raise funds for the construction of a monument to honour him
The committee also undertook to provide funding for the placement of a marble tablet on his Millicent grave
In September 1943, a granite obelisk was ready for unveiling in Summertown opposite the local police station.
The then-premier Tom Playford unveiled the monument and Police Association secretary Bob Fenwick was among the many who attended the ceremony
This case of a community funding the construction of an obelisk of this type, in honour of a police officer, appears to stand alone in SA history
Lettering on the marble tablet placed on the Manhood grave suffered major deterioration over the decades, as Police Historical Society curator John White discovered From discussions he held with his PHS colleagues came the decision to replace the tablet with a replica
The Police Association, with its strong record of support for the restoration of members’ graves, agreed to cover the full cost of the new tablet.
And, in line with Police Foundation Day on April 28, the PHS staged a dedication ceremony to unveil the replacement tablet on the Manhood grave
Its inscription reads exactly as did the one which appeared on the original tablet: “A tribute to the memory of George William Manhood, Mounted Constable at Summertown, 1938-1943, a faithful officer and friend to all…”
Police Association president Mark Carroll and assistant secretary Steve Whetton and around 50 others attended the dedication.
“George Manhood was clearly a man with abundant compassion,” Mr Carroll said
“He might, in fact, have no equal when it comes to the breadth of his civicmindedness The time and input he contributed to those around him, outside of police work, was staggering
“Our record of high regard for George goes back to his burial service, which our then-secretary, Bob Fenwick, attended in 1943 I was delighted to do as Bob had done by representing the association at the recent dedication
“And the association itself took it as a privilege to contribute to the effort to produce a replica tablet to honour George. ”
MC Manhood was born in Millicent in 1905 and joined SAPOL as a 21-year-old mounted constable in 1927
He married Esther Jones while stationed at his first post, Port Pirie, where the Manhoods had their first child, Shirley, in 1933 Later, at Stirling, came the birth of their second child, Josephine
Esther, who never remarried, continued to live in Millicent with her daughters She died in 1974 at age 70 Josephine, 85, is the last surviving member of the Manhood family. She was unable to attend the dedication service but gave it her blessing. PJ
“He might, in fact, have no equal when it comes to the breadth of his civic-mindedness.
The time and input he contributed to those around him, outside of police work, was staggering.”The new tablet in honour of Mounted Constable Manhood.
Letters
E-mail your letter to the editor to editor@pasa asn au
National Police Football Championship 2023
The SA Hounds team is calling for participants in the 2023 national police football championship in Perth from October 8 to 14 Sworn and unsworn personnel, including police security officers, are invited to take part
This tournament gives members from SA, NSW, Qld, WA, Victoria and Tasmania the chance to show off their football skills, build camaraderie with police across the nation, and represent their states with pride
Player experience is not necessary. Everyone is welcome to join.
After a successful launch of the women’s national police football championship in Melbourne last year, we are calling for women in policing to form an inaugural women’s SA Hounds team to play in Perth this year
Preparations for the 2023 championship are under way and early commitment is critical to ensure we are best placed to manage leave and other logistical commitments
The competition involves three matches spread across five days This requires a large playing group to manage fatigue and bench numbers We are also looking for support staff and members to assist with logistics
For those looking to support without playing, there’s plenty of room to help out in team management, umpiring, photography, sports trainers, first aid and committee roles.
It’s a wonderful chance to build relationships with police colleagues around the nation and form friendships which could last a lifetime
I encourage Police Association members to step up and register their interest Those who do must use accrued leave to take part, and participation can be for the whole or part of the six-day carnival
Participants are liable for their own travel, accommodation and meal costs. Fundraising and sponsorship to subsidize those costs is optional.
All uniform and equipment is supplied and members of the SA Police Sports Federation might be eligible for travel grants.
To find out more, contact me, Zac Cook (8207 6776, zacary cook@police sa gov au) or women’s co-ordinator Sergeant Jim Batzavalis (8172 5303, dimitrios batzavalis@police sa gov au)
Group Life Insurance Beneficiary Nomination Forms
Owing to a Supreme Court decision, the Police Association no longer uses the GLI beneficiary forms Existing forms held at the association have been destroyed
Now, in the case of the death of a member, the GLI benefit (currently $300,000) will be paid to his or her estate
Accordingly, the association’s strong advice is that you ensure that your estate is well-administered This is best achieved by having a valid will.
Tindall Gask Bentley Lawyers provides a free legal advice service to Police Association members and their families, and retired members To make an appointment to receive free preliminary legal advice covering all areas of law, particularly families and wills, members should contact the Police Association (08 8212 3055).
The 60-year reunion
Members of Course 4/1963, “the new breed”, gathered at the Caledonian Hotel on Saturday, March 25 to celebrate 60 years since commencing at Fort Largs police academy Wives also attended and along with 14 course members was course mentor Peter Stretton and instructor Ron Daniels
Relatives of members who are no longer with us – Rod Fitzsimons, David Jellie, Robert Eichner, Ken Green, Ken Newell, Rex Adams and Dean McFarlane – also attended Apologies and best wishes came from Paul and Pam Turner, Ian and Shirley Webber, Bev Green, Josephine Hillier (Bob Eichner’s sister), Nigel and Mary Whitcomb, Peter and Patricia Glenn, Leonie and Peter Mase (Fitzsimons) and Barry McMurtrie
Members of the course had submitted résumés of their life experiences which were collated and produced in book form by Steve and Karen Lewis (Steve a former course member) A truly magic book was produced
The course is fortunate that, in line with Ernie Kirk’s entreaties to take up photography as a hobby, course member John Davies did just that And he provides a treasure trove of photographic memories from Fort Largs days
In looking for a name for the book, Steve Lewis remembered Fred Knight’s call to form up: “Get fell in!” which duly became the title.
Course mentor Peter Stretton was the keynote speaker and presented each member with a copy of the book . He was very kind in keeping to the mainly good things we did
Activities continued the following day with a visit to the SA Police Historical Society at Thebarton barracks.
This museum is a great display, the best police collection of artifacts and memorabilia in Australia The vehicle collection and, indeed, the entire museum is extensive and a credit to those who maintain it
Our reunion concluded on Sunday, March 26, with a luncheon at the Elephant and Castle Hotel
Charlie Rumbelow Sergeant (ret)Limited copies of Get Fell In available for purchase at ormston1@internode.on.net
Back row: Robert Ormston, Ron Daniels, Ray Graetz, Charlie Rumbelow, Michael Wright, Tom Rowbottom, Fred Longley, Milton Clark, Malcolm Schluter.How best to play the EB game
The best recruitment asset SAPOL has is its own people, as I indicated to Premier Peter Malinauskas and Police Minister Joe Szakacs in a recent meeting Police have significant professional and personal reach in the broader community and can engender public interest in policing as a career – or not
A workforce riddled with discontent is hardly likely to promote SAPOL as an employer of choice.
There is no question that the current demands on resourcing come with a heavy, daily impact on members.
That can be workload intensification, increased work-related stress, greater operational risk, or a decline in worklife balance or job satisfaction
The marked increase in separations from SAPOL this year – with resignations exceeding retirements –shows that the retention of currently serving police officers is under threat and that a solution is critical.
Equally, or even more, important is organizational and government investment in policing to restore morale, enhance job satisfaction, and ensure positive recognition of hardworking police
With any healthy, happy, satisfied workforce comes a higher rate of retention and a greater inclination for its workers to encourage suitable candidates from within their network to sign up for a police career
The SAPOL Enterprise Agreement 2021 expires in January 2024. Clause 1.3 stipulates that negotiations for a subsequent enterprise agreement will commence no more than three months before the nominal expiry date
The Police Association has made its view abundantly clear to government –the timely negotiation of an agreement which acknowledges the challenges today’s police officers face, and both protects their rights and rewards them accordingly
No time is more critical than now to present all possibilities and proposals at the negotiation table Securing existing entitlements is a crucial starting point. But it is time to think outside the box .
How can the EA support member recruitment and retention? How can it help protect your employment rights, and define entitlements applicable to a contemporary policing environment?
Most police officers are subject to the Triple S superannuation scheme Is it time for consideration of increased employer contributions when a member achieves a defined length of service?
Is there scope for government to consider a cost-of-living adjustment which takes into account CPI and provides an additional payment over and above the nominal salary increase and/or mid-point adjustment, subject to CPI data?
Would a right to disconnect from work-related communication – except for emergency or welfare reasons when not rostered on duty or on call –interest members?
Although legislatively complex, would it not be beneficial to explore options for alternative salary sacrifice arrangements, including mortgage payments?
And none of us should lose sight of the importance and unique challenges of country police work . What matters most to country police?
Do country police working 24-7 shifts want to transition to extendedhours rostering? If so, the enterprise bargaining process enables SAPOL to seek additional government funding to do so – just as the 2014 and 2016 EAs secured funding for the metropolitan REHR
Clear from my experience as a former chief EB negotiator is that one cannot understate the complexity of negotiation.
The association will undertake specific communication with members in the coming months to help develop a relevant log of claims It will seek members’ ideas or proposals suitable for progression in the upcoming enterprise bargaining negotiations
It is important to grasp the experience and wisdom of the membership and actively listen to member feedback Members are the ones best placed to identify matters which impact on them.
Nothing is guaranteed in enterprise bargaining. Any proposal submitted for negotiation requires agreement by the bound parties: the declared employer, the commissioner of police, and the association
While there will likely be several points of commonality, parties often express contrary views Negotiating in good faith and in a positive, professional, and productive manner is fundamental to achieving key outcomes which support, protect and benefit the membership.
It is important to grasp the experience and wisdom of the membership and actively listen to member feedback. Members are the ones best placed to identify matters which impact on them.
The Monday RDO denial
The denial of rostered days off on Mondays has long frustrated parttime members, particularly female members Denials have occurred in cases in which non-workdays have substituted for RDOs And non-workdays do not attract the same public holiday penalty provisions as RDOs or workdays
Owing to a member’s administrative grievance, the association reviewed general order 8420, Human resource management, Flexible working arrangements, Part-time employment (police).
According to the general order:
“Rosters for a part-time employee are to be negotiated between the individual employee and their manager Unless business, operational and service delivery needs of the specific workgroup are required, rostered days off should be avoided on Mondays where possible, to avoid incurring public holiday rates ”
The association indicated its concern to SAPOL that, effectively, the general order is a structural factor which adds to gender pay inequity – and is certainly inconsistent with SAPOL messaging about commitment to attaining pay equity
SAPOL Workplace Relations Section has since advised the association that, following a management review, approval has been given to remove from general order 8420 the reference to part-time working arrangements not involving rostered days off on Mondays for budgetary reasons
The association awaits formal amendment of the general order.
As per the general order, a part-time agreement may be altered at any time by mutual agreement to meet specific organizational requirements There is no
requirement to wait for an agreement to expire for this to occur
Members can negotiate an appropriate roster with management and submit it to the Flexible Work Team
Commitment to “disconnect”
Federal Greens MP Adam Bandt has introduced the Fair Work Amendment (Right to Disconnect) Bill 2023.
The bill explains that:
“This Bill amends the Fair Work Act 2009 to prevent employers from contacting employees outside work hours and ensure employees are not required to monitor, read or respond to email, telephone calls or any other kinds of communication from an employer outside their working hours This is achieved by adding the right to disconnect outside of working hours to the National Employment Standards ” Clause 59 of the Victoria Police Enterprise Agreement 2020 is titled Right to disconnect outside of effective working hours for Protective Services Officers, Constables, Senior Constables, Sergeants and Senior Sergeants
It stipulates that:
• Supervisors and managers must respect employees’ periods of leave and rest days
• Other than in emergency situations or genuine welfare matters, employees must not be contacted outside of the employee’s hours of work unless the employee is in receipt of an availability allowance pursuant to clause 56.
• Employees are not required to read or respond to e-mails or phone calls outside their effective working hours
Steve Whetton Assistant Secretary Police AssociationThis clause is replicated in clause 33 of the Northern Territory Enterprise Agreement 2023 It indicates that members are entitled to disconnect from the workplace It also sets provisions for contact as:
• Emergency situations
• Genuine welfare contact
• Where extra duty or shift change notifications are required
These clauses are statements only with no penalty provisions.
The Police Association of South Australia has always ensured that members recalled to duty are appropriately remunerated and covered under enterprise agreements and the Police Officers Award
Clause 34 of the South Australia Police Enterprise Agreement 2021 – overtime worked as a result of recall – stipulates the Police Officers Award (5 2) entitlements
The association achieved an enhancement to the time-off-in-lieuof-overtime (TOIL) payment in the 2021 enterprise agreement (clause 33).
When overtime is unavoidable and approved owing to operational necessity, the agreed time off in lieu of payment is calculated at the same rate prescribed at clause 5 2 of the Police Officers Award TOIL is calculated at overtime rate rather than on an hour-for-hour basis
Technological advances have enabled police officers to access their work e-mails on their own mobile phones while off duty This is a dangerous process as it does not break the cycle of hypervigilance.
Continued page 61
The association strongly recommends that members enforce the right to disconnect on a personal level and make the decision as to whether they use the mobile phone when off duty.
Dealing with the payroll error
The South Australian public sector boasts a workforce of more than 100,000. So, payroll errors sometimes occur and result in either underpayment or overpayment of wages
An employee who has been overpaid is obliged to repay the monies, which are essentially a debt to the Crown It is also the responsibility of the relevant agency to take appropriate steps to recover such debt
Treasurer’s instructions have the force of law
In summary, Treasurer’s Instruction
– No. 5: Debt Recovery and Write Offs provides that:
• The chief executive or other agency head of all public authorities is required to establish and implement policies for the management of debt recovery that aim to recover all amounts owing to the authority (and Crown)
• Debts owed by a public sector employee are not to be written off — and the employee must be pursued for prompt repayment
• Debts owed by public sector employees not exceeding $20 in total may be waived at the discretion of a chief executive or other agency head — otherwise, waiver of debts must only occur in exceptional circumstances
• For public authorities that are administrative units (departments), debts may only be waived if approved by the treasurer For authorities that are not administrative units, a debt may only be waived if approved by a board, other governing authority, or the treasurer, noting that debts payable pursuant to any act of parliament administered by the commissioner of state taxation may only be waived by the treasurer
“As the use of the term ‘exceptional circumstances’ indicates, the waiver of a debt created by an overpayment of wages to a public-sector employee will rarely occur,” Police Association in-house counsel Craig Stevens says.
Public Sector Act 2009
Section 70 of the Public Sector Act 2009 is also potentially relevant in respect of overpayments to employees
In summary, the section provides that:
• A public-sector agency may make unilateral deductions from the remuneration of an employee or an amount payment in respect of his or her employment, in order to recover a debt created through overpayment of wages via administrative error
• If a public sector employee or former employee has incurred a liability to an agency/the Crown in connection with his or her employment or former employment, an amount otherwise payable to him or her may be applied in or towards satisfaction of the liability.
• Without limiting either of the above, a deduction may be made, or an amount withheld from monies otherwise payable to an employee
or former employee pending the determination of proceedings relating to the person’s liability to the agency/Crown.
“I believe that term (administrative error) would be interpreted broadly by a court and it is difficult to conceive of an overpayment occurring other than by administrative error,” Mr Stevens says
“Further, in the remote occurrence of an overpayment that did not arise due to administrative error, this merely means that section 70 of the act cannot be relied on by an agency to make unilateral deductions
“It does not mean a debt does not exist, nor that action to recover it will not be taken (in either a court or the South Australian Employment Tribunal) ” Guideline applicable to police
In line with Determination and Guideline 6 (which applies as a guideline in respect of police), when an overpayment of wages occurs, an agency is to notify the following details to the relevant employee, or former employee, in a timely manner:
• The detail of the overpayment, including the reason(s) it occurred and the quantum
“As the use of the term ‘exceptional circumstances’ indicates, the waiver of a debt created by an overpayment of wages to a public-sector employee will rarely occur.”
• The obligation on the agency to recover the monies and, on the face of it, the obligation on the employee to repay it
• The proposed basis for a repayment arrangement by agreement.
Debts of $50 or less might be automatically deducted from an employee’s nett salary For other debts, employees can agree to repay via a lump sum or fortnightly deductions from nett salary
“Generally, repayment arrangements between an agency and employee or former employee are to involve fortnightly repayment at the rate of a minimum of 10 per cent of the employee or former employee’s nett salary,” Mr Stevens says.
“In circumstances where an employee or former employee can demonstrate they would face financial hardship by repaying a debt periodically at the rate of 10 per cent of fortnightly salary, agreement to repayment at a lesser rate is possible ”
When agreement on a repayment arrangement can’t be reached, an employee should reasonably anticipate that unilateral fortnightly deductions at the rate of 10 per cent of nett salary will occur — and former employees should anticipate that legal action will be taken against them in the form of civil debt proceedings
General Order: Business Management, Financial Management, Overpayments
In certain circumstances, South Australia Police or the Crown might charge interest in an overpayment situation.
“This will likely occur,” Mr Stevens says, “where a debt in the form of overpaid wages is not repaid by an officer, in full, within six months of the acknowledgment of the debt — or, it necessarily follows, the finding of a court that the debt exists — and the outstanding balance might then constitute a loan fringe benefit as prescribed in the Fringe Benefit Taxation Assessment Act 1986 (Cth).
“It is also worth noting that errors which lead to an employee being permitted to be absent from work on a form of paid leave — in excess of the employee’s actual accrued leave entitlements — does not give rise to an overpayment of wages, save for the payment of leave loading
“Also, the law recognizes a principle of ‘change in position’ such that, effectively, a person who has received payments because of a mistake of fact or law, is not deemed unjustly enriched (and thus required to repay the monies) if they have received such payments in good faith and they have acted to their detriment in reliance on the payments
“Whilst most employees who are overpaid receive the overpaid amounts in good faith, it is extremely difficult and rare to demonstrate detrimental reliance on such payments
“For example, the commitment of monies to the purchase or improvement of assets or the paying down of personal debts are not forms of detriment but, rather, benefits.
“Members should monitor their payments closely and, if they observe any anomalies, raise the issue with SAPOL Human Resources or Shared Services SA, and obtain advice or take any action reasonably necessary in the circumstances ”
“Members should monitor their payments closely and, if they observe any anomalies, raise the issue with SAPOL Human Resources or Shared Services SA, and obtain advice or take any action reasonably necessary in the circumstances.”
To manage the silent killer
Osteoporosis is a common bone disease given the name “The Silent Killer” It is characterized by low bone mass and structural deterioration of the bone, resulting in increased bone fragility and a high risk of fractures
If you break your arm jumping out of a plane, it does not mean you have osteoporosis But, if you break your arm with minimal trauma, bumping into a door handle, you might have weak bones.
While osteoporosis primarily affects older individuals, particularly postmenopausal women, it can also occur in men and younger age groups The condition often progresses silently, with no noticeable symptoms until a fracture occurs
The primary cause of osteoporosis is an imbalance between bone formation and bone resorption Factors such as age, genetics, hormonal changes, and lifestyle choices play a role in its development
Lifestyle adjustments are crucial for managing osteoporosis. Sufferers should maintain a balanced diet rich in calcium and vitamin D, which are essential for bone health Regular weight-bearing exercises, such as walking or dancing, and muscle-strengthening exercises help improve bone density and bone strength
Bone density is one measure of how strong and healthy our bones are We use two special scores, called T-score and Z-score, to compare our bone density with that of other people our age
The T-score compares our bone density to what it should be at our age.
The Z-score compares our bone density to what it is for other people our age.
The numbers start low and it is normal for them to be negative So,
a T score of -1 might be normal and okay but a T score of -2 5 should be considered “at risk”, and -3 should be treated
Diet and exercise play significant roles in managing osteoporosis A diet rich in calcium and vitamin D helps support bone health Calcium-rich foods include dairy products, leafy green vegetables, and fortified cereals Vitamin D comes from exposure to sunlight, fortified foods, and supplements.
Regular exercise, particularly weightbearing and muscle-strengthening activities, helps improve bone density and reduce the risk of fractures . Engaging in activities like walking, dancing, or weightlifting can be beneficial
Individuals over 50 without osteoporosis should participate regularly in progressive resistance training and balance exercises Resistance exercise should be regular, moderate to vigorous, progressive, and varied to reduce fall and fracture risk .
High-intensity progressive resistance and balance training are recommended in older adults with osteoporosis to prevent further bone loss, improve function, treat sarcopenia (muscle weakness), and decrease fall and fracture risk
Extended exercise therapy, including resistance and balance training, is recommended after fractures, particularly hip fractures, to improve mobility, strength and physical performance
Susceptibility to osteoporosis varies between sexes and in age groups . Postmenopausal women, owing to the decline in their estrogen levels, are more prone to developing osteoporosis
Hormone replacement therapy is recognized as a means of slowing down bone density loss HRT, however, is associated with its own risks, and estrogen does not stop but rather slows down age-related decline
While older individuals are generally more susceptible, osteoporosis can also occur in younger people with specific risk factors, such as prolonged steroid use, eating disorders (calcium or vitamin deficiency), or a sedentary lifestyle.
It is not always possible to know what your starting bone density or bone health is until it is measured. Everyone over 70 should have at least one measurement done to assess his or her risk
Prevention and early intervention are the key to managing osteoporosis So, one should:
• Maintain a healthy lifestyle, including a balanced diet
• Get regular exercise
• Avoid smoking.
• Limit alcohol consumption.
Screening for osteoporosis, using bone density tests, can identify individuals at risk and allow for timely treatment
Medication does not completely stop the risk of osteoporotic fractures, so all the lifestyle and other interventions remain important
Awareness of osteoporosis and its risk factors is essential for early detection and timely intervention By adopting a proactive approach to bone health, you can reduce your risk of fractures and maintain strong and healthy bones throughout your life.
Regular exercise, particularly weight-bearing and musclestrengthening activities, helps improve bone density and reduce the risk of fractures.Dr Rod Pearce
MOTORING
Drivetrain/4X4 system 3
Full-time 4x4 with selectable 2High, 4Auto, 4High and 4Low settings, rear diff lock, hill-descent control, 800mm wading depth.
Towing 3,500kg braked towing, 350kg ball weight, 6,400kg GCM, reverse camera, tow bar, built-in trailer brake controller, tow-haul mode and trailer light check .
Safety Nine airbags, adaptive cruise control with stop/go, traffic-sign recognition, lane-keep assist with lane centring, blind-spot monitor with cross-traffic alert and trailer coverage, auto emergency braking, and front and rear parking sensors (Some items not available cab-chassis )
Standard equipment 10 1-inch portrait touchscreen, sat nav, DAB+ radio, Wireless Apply CarPlay and Android Auto, dual-zone climate control with rear vents, auto high beam, perimeter alarm
Fuel Diesel, 80-litre tank, 8 4 litres/100km (combined test)
Ford Ranger XLT
DESIGN AND FUNCTION
The Ford Next Gen V6 Ranger is a standout among the hotly contested dual-cab 4x4 utes.
Ford has dropped its 3 . 2-litre fivecylinder diesel but still offers the 2.0-litre bi-turbo diesel 10-speed auto combo Up-market models (XLT 4x4 and models above) can be optioned with a new 3 0-litre V6 diesel with 10-speed auto for just $3,200 more
The 2 0-litre bi-turbo is no slouch, but the V6 – with 184kW (power) and 600Nm (torque) – outguns it by 30kW and 100Nm It also gains a new full-time 4x4 system providing 4WD (auto) on high-traction surfaces. These attributes, plus increased GCM (6,400kg), make it a perfect heavy-tow vehicle.
The redesigned chassis provides a 50mm increase in track and wheelbase
and the rear dampers are now outboard of the springs This, according to Ford, provides improved ride and load capability in addition to a wider load space capable of accommodating a Euro-size pallet
Outside, XLT looks bigger and bolder than its predecessor thanks to redesigned front guards, a squarer bonnet and bolder grille with C-shaped daytime running lights It sits on 17-inch silver alloys shod with 255/70 highway tyres with optional all-terrains
Rear disc brakes are an improvement and there’s a handy step below the tail lights and a bold new tailgate Inside, Ranger is completely redesigned, more comfortable, and full of tech features
DRIVING
XLT drivers score an eight-way manually adjustable seat and reach-rake adjustable steering. The leather-bound steering wheel comes with buttons for adaptive cruise, audio, trip computer,
Highly awarded
voice control and configurable eight-inch (TFT) instrument cluster
Central is a prominent 10 1-inch portrait colour touchscreen with inbuilt navigation, DAB radio, Ford SYNC-4A and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
Push-button entry and start and an auto-off electric park brake make life easy. A new stubby electronic gear selector automatically shifts to Park on shut down Drivers can select between normal, eco, slippery and tow-haul drive modes and there’s a rotary knob to select between 2WD, 4-Auto, 4-High and 4-Low
From start-up right through the rev range the new V6 diesel is as smooth and quiet as any decent SUV Acceleration from any speed is brisk and the refined 10-speed auto goes about its business with a minimum of fuss
It still has a leaf-sprung rear end but ride quality is surprisingly good on most surfaces . On slippery surfaces, 4Auto inspires confidence and the steering and brakes are spot-on
Price Ford Ranger XLT double-cab 3 0-litre V6 auto 4x4 – cab chassis $63,290, pick-up $65,190 (plus ORC)
0-litre V6 Turbo Diesel (184kW/600Nm), 10-speed auto with E-shifter and push-button manual mode
Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV
DESIGN AND FUNCTION
The latest Outlander has won four global design awards, including an Australian Good Design Award (2022). To enhance the range further, Mitsubishi has released four new Outlander Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) variants
Outlander PHEV comes in ES, Aspire, Exceed and Exceed Tourer spec levels with prices ranging from $55,490 to $69,990 This makes PHEV models roughly $16,000 more expensive than their respective petrol-only AWD equivalents
The PHEV drivetrain consists of a 2 .4-litre Atkinson-Cycle petrol engine, two electric motors (one for each axle) and Super-All wheel control AWD. That means the car produces combined power output of 185kW and 450Nm of torque This equates to 50kW/205Nm more than conventional Outlander’s 2 5-litre petrol engine
And Outlander PHEV can travel up to 84km without the need for its petrol engine to kick in So the average daily commute is achievable without burning fossil fuel More than that, the petrol motor can act as a generator (charging the battery) or assist in powering the front wheels.
New PHEV’s larger 20kWh battery and 56-litre fuel tank provide a range of around 800km All PHEV models have
V2X capability (can discharge back to the grid or power a home). Aspire and above can run appliances (max 1,500watt) from two on-board 240V power outlets.
Outlander PHEV is smart-looking, roomy and clever. All models score a stack of standard features with flexible seating and cargo arrangements ES and Aspire get five seats while both Exceed models seat seven
DRIVING
Outlander PHEV is superb to drive Its driving position is commanding and its driver’s seat comfortable Visibility is good, too.
Its simple-to-navigate nine-inch central colour touchscreen and 12 .3-inch TFT instrument cluster provide vast information Aspire and Exceed models also score a useful 10 8-inch head-up display
PHEV is extremely smooth and quiet on the road Only when it’s pushed to high revs, after its drive battery is exhausted, is the petrol engine audible Off-the-line acceleration is brisk and linear with plenty in reserve for confident overtaking
Drivers can dial up various power and drive modes, six levels of regenerative braking and Innovative Pedal Operation mode, which can make the brake pedal obsolete
Battery/charging
20kWh battery, 10Amp/240V domestic socket 0-100% charge 9 5 hours, 240V fast charge 0-100% 6 5 hours, DC fast charge 0-80% 38 minutes
Cargo/towing
Cargo between 478 and 1,478 litres, tyre inflator kit, 1,600kg braked towing .
Safety
Five-star ANCAP rating, seven airbags, a comprehensive suite of driver-assistance and crash-avoidance technology, quality reverse camera, traffic-sign recognition and front and rear parking sensors
Standard items
Dual-zone climate control with rear vents, nine-inch touchscreen with sat nav, DAB+ radio, wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, adaptive cruise control with speed limiter (Exceed models also have MI-PILOT semi-autonomous driving system )
Warranty/servicing
10-year 200,000km warranty, drive battery eight-year 160,000km warranty (conditions apply), 10-year fixed-price servicing every 12 months or 15,000km .
SA housing market – predictions
The start of this decade has brought incredible increases in property prices across Australia Good news for those in the market searching for a new property is that it looks like these big jumps in property prices are coming to an end in many areas
Experts predict prices will continue to drop across all capital cities in 2023 However, it might come as a surprise that Adelaide is not predicted to fall as drastically as the rest of the nation.
A PropTrack Property Market Outlook report released in February predicts there will be a three to six per cent drop in property prices across Adelaide, similar to Darwin, which has the smallest drop in property prices across the nation
These modest price drops contrast with a fall of seven to 10 per cent in prices across the rest of Australia
According to PropTrack experts, this market resilience is most notably owing to Adelaide house prices recording some of the best growth during the pandemic period.
At the end of January, the median house price for Adelaide was sitting at $646,000, an increase of 7 94 per cent from the previous year while many other cities have had severe price declines
This is likely owing to Adelaide having an affordable and steadily growing property market compared to interstate, enticing homeowners from interstate and overseas resulting in strong buyer demand Additionally, increased remote working arrangements created more opportunities for people to stay put rather than move to the eastern seaboard for their careers
Early predictions this year are that the SA property market will remain steady for sellers and buyers alike, withstanding wild price fluctuations. While prices are expected to continue to fall throughout the year, it will not negate the growth achieved over the last few years – a certain relief for existing property owners, worried about their capital value
Analysis from AI property analytics
PointData confirmed that 208 Adelaide suburbs have experienced price growth, while 152 are in decline The top performing suburbs in growth at the time of the analysis include Kent Town, followed by Evandale, College Park, Angle Vale and Medindie.
Bowden, Christies Beach, Taperoo, Hackham, Mount Barker and Payneham
Those with bigger budgets – suburbs like Unley, Nailsworth, Eastwood, Rose Park, Tennyson, West Beach, Aberfoyle Park, Bridgewater, Wattle Park and Largs Bay could be appealing
At Police Credit Union, we’re always here to help with all your home-loan needs, whether you’re looking to purchase a new home, refinance to save yourself some funds, or still looking at different options and need a free property report with suburb sales data.
As a police officer, you receive 0 10% off selected home loans and many other free benefits as part of our Platinum membership
When you refinance with us, you could also be saving yourself money as we don’t charge any of the monthly or annual fees that many other banks do, plus we offer Platinum members personalized banking to help guide you through the home-loan process.
Your dedicated relationship managers, Glenn Lewis and Ryan Mountford, have years of experience and are happy to visit you personally to discuss your homeloan options Get in touch with them today at platinum@policecu com au, or call Glenn on 0421 243 741 or Ryan on 0437 286 804
In the market to purchase a property in 2023? Real estate experts are recommending first-home buyers with a smaller budget focus their attention on suburbs such as Fulham Gardens, Police Credit Union Ltd (PCU) ABN 30 087 651 205 AFSL/Australian Credit Licence 238991. Terms, conditions, fees, charges, lending and membership criteria apply. Full details upon request. All information is correct and are current as at 01/05/2023 and are subject to change. The information provided herein does not take into account your personal needs, objective and financial circumstances. Please consider your circumstances before deciding if the product is right for you. PCU reserves the right to withdraw offers or amend product features at any time. Information provided in this article is designed to be a guide only and was believed to be correct at time of publication and derived from various media sources. In some cases, information has been provided to us by third parties and while that information is believed to be accurate and reliable, its accuracy is not guaranteed in any way. Any opinions expressed constitute our views at the time of issue and are subject to change. Neither PCU, nor its employees or directors give any warranty of accuracy or accept responsibility for any loss or liability incurred by you in respect of any error, omission or misrepresentation in this article.
While prices are expected to continue to fall throughout the year, it will not negate the growth achieved over the last few years –a certain relief for existing property owners, worried about their capital value.
Free Legal Service for Police
Association Members, their families and retired Members.
Leading Adelaide law firm, Tindall Gask Bentley is the preferred legal services provider of the Police Association, offering 30 minutes of free initial advice and a 10% fee discount.
DISCIPLINARY & ADMINISTRATIVE LAW
• ICAC
• Coroner’s Court
• Criminal Law
INJURY COMPENSATION
• Motor accident injury compensation
• Workers compensation
FAMILY AND DIVORCE
• Police Complaints
• Equity & Diversity
To arrange a preliminary in-person or phone appointment contact PASA on (08) 8212 3055
• Public liability
• Superannuation claims (TPD)
Matrimonial, De Facto and Same-Sex Relationships
• Children’s issues
• Child Support matters
BUSINESS & PROPERTY
• General business advice
• Real estate & property advice
WILLS AND ESTATES
• Wills and Testamentary Trusts
• Enduring Powers of Attorney
• Advance Care Directives
• Property settlements
• Pre-nuptial style agreements
• Business transactions
• Commercial disputes & dispute resolution
• Advice to executors of deceased estates
• Obtaining Grants of Probate
• Estate disputes
Important to exercise right to silence
The right to silence is one of our most important, fundamental rights Yet, for all their usual legal acuity, police officers are often the most begrudging exercisers of that right
It might be that old habits die hard A lifetime of conducting investigations and exploring every line of enquiry does not sit naturally with a refusal to offer explanations for the unexplained.
Most police officers struggle to accept that they are truly being investigated and point to their good reputations or service records as reasons that investigations are all big misunderstandings that will go away
Some cops think that an insightful answer to an investigator’s question will be the silver bullet that makes an entire investigation go away This is almost never the case
As a police officer, you have the same right as anybody else to maintain your silence and, at the very least, to know the case being put against you before making an informed choice about saying something
That is especially so for police officers who, in South Australia, can be compelled to involuntarily answer questions relating to misconduct
A recent decision of an interstate criminal court has affirmed the importance of exercising the right to silence – especially for police officers
Late last year, in determining an application for whether a criminal allegation against a South Australian police officer should be permanently stayed, an interstate judicial officer
had cause to consider both the fundamental right to silence that applies in all criminal prosecutions, as well as the interplay between that right to silence and the compulsory interview powers under the Police Complaints and Discipline Act 2016
The act sets out a legislative scheme by which SAPOL’s Internal Investigation Section can compel answers from a police officer during an investigation into suspected misconduct. Misconduct is defined as “an intentional and serious contravention of SAPOL’s Code of Conduct”
Section 21(5) of the act specifically abrogates the right to silence by requiring a police officer to answer questions if directed The right against self-incrimination remains, but the exercise of that right would likely lead to termination of employment by section 21(12)
The unique work that police officers undertake often means that there is a fine line between conduct that is permissible, conduct that is misconduct, and conduct that can be a criminal offence
Sometimes there are concurrent investigations Sometimes, a misconduct investigation can lead to a criminal investigation Sometimes a criminal investigation can lead to a misconduct investigation
For that reason, it is of crucial importance that police officers exercise their right to silence, and only waive that right when they have been compelled to do so under the auspices of the Police Complaints and Discipline Act
In the recent interstate case, the police officer exercised the right to silence, even though a cogent explanation for the conduct was available At that stage, it was not clear whether a criminal investigation would proceed
A version of events was then compelled from the officer as part of a misconduct investigation by the powers available under the Police Internal Investigation Section (IIS).
It was only after compelled versions had been obtained from the police officer and several witnesses that the misconduct investigation was stopped, and a criminal investigation commenced
The compelled version from the police officer did not make up part of the criminal file and the prosecutors weren’t aware of it Despite that, the judicial officer made an order permanently staying the criminal prosecution The judicial officer referred to a key passage from the High Court’s consideration of this topic in X7 v Australian Crime Commission [2013] HCA 29:
“Even if the answers given at a compulsory examination are kept secret, and therefore cannot be used directly or indirectly by those responsible for investigating and prosecuting the matters charged, the requirement to give answers, after being charged, would fundamentally alter the accusatorial judicial process that begins with the laying of a charge and culminates in the accusatorial (and adversarial) trial in the courtroom .
Some cops think that an insightful answer to an investigator’s question will be the silver bullet that makes an entire investigation go away. This is almost never the case.
Daniel Weekley Senior Associate Tindall Gask Bentley Lawyers
A World of Curiosities
Louise Penny Hodder & Stoughton, $32 .99It’s spring and Three Pines is re-emerging after the harsh winter As the villagers prepare for a special celebration, Armand Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir find themselves increasingly worried
A young man and woman have reappeared in the Surete du Quebec investigators’ lives after many years. The two were young children when their troubled mother was murdered, leaving them damaged, shattered. Now they’ve arrived in the village of Three Pines
Gamache and Beauvoir’s memories of that tragic case, the one that first brought them together, come rushing back
As Chief Inspector Gamache works to uncover answers, his alarm grows when a 160-year-old letter, written by a long-dead stonemason, is discovered
In it, the man describes his terror when bricking up an attic room somewhere in the village When the room is found, the villagers decide to open it up.
As the bricks are removed, Gamache, Beauvoir and the villagers discover a world of curiosities. But the head of homicide soon realizes that there’s more in that room than meets the eye
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 movies (courtesy of Wallis Cinemas), send your name, location, phone number and dispatch code, along with the book and/or movie of your choice, to giveaways@pj.asn.au
Ghosts of the Orphanage
Christine Kenneally Hachette Australia, $34 99
Terrible things, abuse, both physical and psychological, and even deaths have happened in orphanages all over the world for many years
The survivors have been telling what happened to them for a long time, but authorities have too often been unwilling to accept their stories
And a victim’s options for recourse have been limited by the years it has taken many survivors to process their trauma, tell their stories, and pursue legal action.
Christine Kenneally focuses on St Joseph’s, a Catholic orphanage in Vermont She has fought to expose the truth and hold many Catholic priests and nuns to account And it is working
As these stories have come to light, the laws in Vermont have been forced to change, including the statute of limitations on prosecuting them
The Resemblance
Lauren Nossett Macmillan Australia, $34 99
On a November morning at the University of Georgia, a fraternity brother steps into a busy crosswalk and is struck dead by an oncoming car More than a dozen witnesses all agree on two things: the driver looked identical to the victim, and he was smiling
Detective Marlitt Kaplan is first on the scene.
A local and the daughter of a professor at the university, she knows all its shameful history.
But, as she investigates this hit-run, she will uncover more chilling secrets in the sprawling, interconnected systems of fraternities and sororities that empower the university’s most elite students
The line between Kaplan’s police work and her own past begins to blur as she seeks to bring justice to an institution which took something precious from her many years ago
When threats against her escalate, Kaplan must question whether the corruption in her hometown has run off campus and into the police force, and how far these brotherhoods will go to protect their own.
Red Winter
Marc Cameron Sphere, $32 .99
1985: A top secret F117 aircraft crashes into the Nevada desert. The Nighthawk is the most advanced fighting machine in the world and the Soviets will do anything to get their hands on its secrets
In East Berlin, a mysterious figure contacts the CIA with an incredible offer – invaluable details of his government’s espionage plans in return for asylum
It’s an offer the CIA can’t pass up – if it’s genuine The risks are too great to stumble blindly into a deal.
With the East German secret police closing in, someone will have to go behind the Berlin Wall to investigate the potential defector It’s a job Deputy Directory James Greer can only trust to one man – Jack Ryan
Ryan is a former marine and a brilliant CIA analyst who’s been the architect of some of the CIA’s biggest coups but this time he’s in enemy territory with a professional assassin on his tail
The Running Club
Ali Lowe Hodder & Stoughton, $32 .99Everyone pays a premium to live in this town. But someone’s paid with his or her life.
The rules of the running club are the same as they have always been: keep your breath steady, keep your mind sharp, record your laps Only now there’s a new rule: don’t get killed
The wealthy community of Esperance is picture-perfect Big houses, stunning views, beautiful people A brand-new running track for the local club to jog around in the evenings
From the outside, it looks like paradise But the women of the town know the truth: you can hide anything – from wrinkles to secrets from your past – if you have enough money.
You could even hide a murder.
Encore in Death
JD Robb Piatkus, $32 99
It is a glittering event full of A-listers and hosted by Hollywood celebrity couple Eliza Lane and Brant Fitzhugh
And now, Eve Dallas has made her entrance – but not as a guest. After raising a toast, Fitzhugh fell to the floor and died, with symptoms pointing to cyanide. The police have crashed the party.
From all accounts, Fitzhugh wasn’t the kind of star who made enemies Everyone loved him – even his ex-wife
And since the champagne cocktail that killed him was intended for Eliza, it’s possible she was the real target, with a recently fired assistant, a bitter rival, and an obsessed fan in the picture
With so many attendees, staff and servers, Dallas has her work cut out determining who committed murder in the middle of the crowd
She dreads the media circus surrounding the case. All she wants is to figure out who’s truly innocent, and who’s only acting that way.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
June 22
In a globetrotting adventure set in the 1990s, the Maximals, Predacons and Terrorcons join the battle between the Autobots and Decepticons on Earth
Noah, a sharp young guy from Brooklyn, and Elena, an ambitious, talented artifact researcher, are swept up in the conflict as Optimus Prime and the Autobots face a terrifying new nemesis named Scourge who is bent on their destruction
Cast: Peter Cullen (Optimus Prime, voice), Anthony Ramos (Noah), Michelle Yeoh (Airazor, voice), Ron Perlman (Optimus Primal, voice) Peter Dinklage (Scourge, voice)
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
June 28
Legendary hero Indiana Jones returns in the fifth instalment of this swashbuckling film series.
Finding himself in a new era, approaching retirement, Indy wrestles with fitting into a world that seems to have outgrown him
But as the tentacles of an all-too-familiar evil return in the form of an old rival, Indy must don his hat and pick up his whip once more
He has to make sure that an ancient and powerful artifact doesn't fall into the wrong hands
Cast: Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones), Mads Mikkelsen (Jürgen Voller), Antonio Banderas (Renaldo), Toby Jones (Basil Shaw), John Rhys-Davies (Sallah).
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
June 1
After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence
However, when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders He must soon redefine what it means to be a hero so he can save the people he loves most.
Cast: Halle Steinfeld (Gwen Stacy, voice), Jake Johnson (Peter B Parker, voice), Issa Rae (Jessica Drew, voice), Oscar Isaac (Miguel O’Hara, voice).
The Flash
June 15
Worlds collide when the Flash uses his superpowers to travel back in time to change the events of the past
However, when his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, he becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned, threatening annihilation
With no other superheroes to turn to, the Flash looks to coax a very different Batman out of retirement and rescue an imprisoned Kryptonian – albeit not the one he’s looking for
Cast: Ezra Miller (Barry Allen, The Flash), Michael Keaton (Batman, Bruce Wayne), Ben Affleck (Batman, Bruce Wayne) Sasha Calle (Supergirl).
POLICE WINE CLUB ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP $30 single, $50 double
Contact the Police Association for more information on (08) 8212 3055 or kimyork@pasa.asn.au
MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS
Australian Wine Showcase Magazine digital subscription (valued at $35)
PLUS
* Free entry to all tasting events at the Precinct Café and selected venues across Adelaide (approx. four per year, valued at $100pp)
* Discounted entry to tastings for guests of members
* Free entry into annual members wine raffle with a the chance to win a judging masterclass for two, hosted by Wines of Adelaide (prize value approx. $300)
* Direct access to Winemakers
* Discounts on quality wines
* Free delivery to the Precinct Café
* MTA travel vouchers (value $100 per booking / travel conditions apply)
George’s Folly Wines
2021 “Off with the Fairies” Roussanne
Beautiful, delicate aromatics of peach blossom and honeysuckle give little hint to the textural wine that follows.
On the front palate is a tiny suggestion of honeysuckle sweetness balanced with some chamomile tea, lemon, fresh apricots and just noticeable ripe brioche. On the back palate are lovely pear and marzipan flavours
While textural, viscous and almost “oily”, this Roussanne is completed with beautifully balanced, zippy acidity
Often thought of as the “red wine lovers’ white”, this wine complements spicy foods perfectly (Thai, Vietnamese or Middle Eastern-style mezze), but is versatile enough to be enjoyed with seafood too
2022 “Balancing Act” Montepulciano Rosé
A very appealing, vibrant, salmon-coloured rosé developed from fewer than eight hours on skins. Beautiful fresh exotic fruit aromas (think guava and passionfruit) are complemented with small hints of musk, talc and graphite minerality
A voluptuous barrel-ferment-derived texture carries across the palate, but is reined in at the finish by crisp, natural acidity
Strawberry fruit notes are supported by the introduction of rose water and Turkish delight with almost imperceptible toasty, nutty barrel elements
This rosé is complex and lively despite being surprisingly light, savoury and dry.
2021 “Unguarded Moment” Nero d’Avola
This Sicilian grape enjoys the hot, dry climate for which Currency Creek is renowned, for optimal growth and flavour
This interpretation of Nero d’Avola has resulted in a lovely medium-bodied red wine
Aromatics of blueberries, violets and blackberries, some perfumed quince and rhubarb and light savoury tannins have resulted in a wine with soft spicy elements
It’s smooth with an appealing white pepper and soft leather finish.
The acidity of the wine is the perfect equalizer for rich, saucy foods such as lamb shanks or osso buco.
Graduates’ Dinner: Course 56/2022
Graduation: Course 56/2022
Graduates’ Dinner: Course 58/2022
Graduation: Course 58/2022
The Last Shift
For the full version of The Last Shift, go to PASAweb at www.pasa.asn.au
Ashlee Bridge
David Chamberlain
Cameron Devey
Jayne Keane
Jim McCluskey
Rick O’Dea
Ian Skewes
Tim Tollenaar
John Tulloch
Trudy Watkins
Trudy-Ann Wertheim
Sergeant David Chamberlain
Eastern District
40 years’ service Last Day: 13 01 23
Comments…
“I have met some extraordinary people along the way. People I would literally die for – well risk dying for.
“I have seen the best and worst that people can be and life can show us.
“The street is still the last frontier It can kill you if you aren’t careful
“Thankfully, my injuries have been minimal but that has often been luck more than skill
“I have had a wonderful group of friends who have supported me on the way Friends I might not see often but are still dear to me
“From the academy, through my various postings, to those I met elsewhere: thank you, all.
“In 1989 I was selected as one of the original eight members of the National Crime Authority Surveillance Unit
“In 2000, I was selected for secondment to the AFP and then the UN for peacekeeping duties in East Timor
“In 2004, I was promoted to sergeant in the CBD where I remained for the rest of my career, working with amazing people of all ages
“These officers inspired me with their confidence, honesty, integrity, bravery, character, and devotion to an organization and community that largely takes them for granted.
“Many are young people They are amazing and a pleasure to be with.
“SAPOL has become an organization so politically correct it is stifling Its pettiness over so many internal things sucks the life out of an already overworked force
“The current DPM model has failed but the commissioner won’t admit that he was wrong to support it Senior officers who are critical of it get sidelined so few speak out
“So here I am a retiree. I have a perfect wife and two great children who have always been there for me. Their love for me is enormous and makes me proud That’s what has got me through these 40-plus years
“So, dear friends, thank you for being part of my journey so far and thank you all for your support over the years
“I cannot go without mentioning the great support I have had from the Police Association I always knew it was there to support us and in the last couple of years of my career I needed it for me specifically.
“It was and still is an immeasurable asset and a fine group of the best people I will always be in debt to them for their assistance ”
Senior Constable 1C Ian Skewes
Police Escort Section
25 years’ service Last Day: 26 02 23
Comments…
“I recall my first night out of the academy and arriving for my first night shift on my new team at Elizabeth. I heard team members say:
‘We hope he lives through the night at his age.’ Probably not acceptable to the woke community now, but very funny back then.
“I thank the association for its assistance over the years and for achieving some great outcomes for members in that time It needs to continue fighting for fairness and decency in the areas of the PDT, and also the punitive administration orders that are unfortunately handed out like lollies to kids
“The mental health of members can also no longer be ignored. Vigorous, proactive measures, rather than tokenism, must be undertaken to prevent further tragedies, where members either take their own lives or end up in psychiatric facilities as a result of not being believed and/or supported
“Police officers are people too, who make mistakes, but don’t need to be treated in a manner that suggests they are guilty until proven innocent Fairness and equity goes hand in hand with accountability.
“Overall, I did enjoy my time in the job and worked a wide variety of postings
“My final posting did provide me with the greatest pleasure in my 25 years, outside of being awarded Police Officer of the Year in 2010
“Police Escort Section was a fantastic place to work and an outstanding group of people with which to work I will certainly miss the camaraderie, the banter, as well as the ability to travel far and wide throughout the state. Thank you to all those in Escorts for the loyalty, friendships and laughs ”
DNA Management Section
39 years’ service Last Day: 10 02 23
Comments…
“I thank the Police Association for the great pay and conditions we experience as a result of its negotiations and hard work . Part-time employment was introduced a couple of years before I had children and was a godsend (though I missed out on paid maternity leave)
“Flexible working arrangements are also such a benefit to work-life balance, provided there is a balance and members don’t forget to consider the needs of their workplace too
“My almost 39 years in SAPOL has had its up and downs but I found my niche at DNA Management Unit where I have thoroughly enjoyed my last 17 years.
“I will miss the camaraderie we shared there and treasure the friendships I have made everywhere I have worked
“Previously I worked at Speed Detection Section, Region B1 and B2 patrols, Berri, ComCen, Licensing and Gaming, Crimestoppers and IIB
“Thank you to all the sworn and unsworn members I have worked with, especially members of Forensic Services Branch, for your support and dedication to the many facets of the job that police do.
“I am sorry to have left before the restructure of FSB was complete. But the process, nearing four years, has
taken too long and the uncertainty has drained my energy and enthusiasm as I approach 60.
“I met my husband, Darren, in my course (3/84) at the academy, we graduated together in 1985 and he wanted us to retire together, but the timing wasn’t right Breaking my ankle brought my plans forward and the relocation of Mounted has pushed his back
“With the news that resignations are outnumbering retirements, and that recruiting will be unable to fill the gap for five years, I feel for all SAPOL members, especially my serving family members, who are facing more overwork because of staff shortages.
“As much as we care about what we do, the stress and pressure from overwork is not worth the disruption to our personal lives
“Staying mentally and physically healthy is important so that you can enjoy the spoils of a long, deserved retirement, which I intend to do ”
Constable Jayne Keane DNA Management Section36 years’ service Last Day: 24.04 . 23
Comments…
“The years have certainly flown by since I walked into the academy in November 1986 I have worked with some amazing people during that time, forming lifelong friendships
“Thank you for the great memories, the laughs, the support and the hugs I wish everyone all the best for the future. ”
THE LAST SHIFT
Chief Inspector Cameron Devey
Community Engagement
24 years’ service Last Day: 03 03 23
Comments…
“As a now former member, I am thankful for the strong advocacy of the association in maintaining and strengthening conditions broadly for police officers in South Australia
“I wish the association well into the future and hope for its continued strong advocacy for my now former colleagues (at all ranks) towards ensuring the safest, fairest and best possible working conditions ”
Detective Brevet Sergeant Ashlee Bridge
Police Corrections
23 years’ service Last Day: 13 03 23
Comments…
“I joined SAPOL in order to make a better life for myself and I will be forever grateful for the security and opportunities SAPOL has afforded me
“As a 20-year-old, I packed my worldly positions into my Ford Festiva, drove through the academy gates and immediately felt as though I had found my tribe. From Course 26 to Team 1 Adelaide Patrols, I found the family I had always sought I found myself surrounded by hardworking, committed people who cared about me and had my back
“Fast forward 21 years and I have watched as morale has declined, work pressure increased and the sense of family and camaraderie has completely deteriorated
“I was lucky enough to join at a time when we prided ourselves on providing a service to the community and that culture stemmed from a workforce that cared for, and
respected, one another and the job But that is no longer the case
“As it stands now, workers are too shattered to do anything more than merely survive.
“I have been working at the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) for the past 18 months in their sexual boundaries team and assisting with training colleagues in forensic interviewing techniques, warrant executions and exhibit management
“I am finally in an environment that has reminded me that I am fun, likeable and valued and, after learning to laugh again, I could not bring myself to return to the SAPOL environment I left.
“I leave with some wonderful memories and lifelong friends and am now learning to live a life that is not centred around work
“To all those who helped me in my career, I thank you, and to those who have recently joined, I wish you good luck ”
“SAPOL gave me the opportunity to live and work in many locations around the state, with small country stations providing me some of the best experiences that I had.
“Community policing was very important to me, running Blue Light events and camps were good times.
“It has been an honour and a privilege to have served with so many incredible people over my career Thanks for the fantastic memories
“I wish the Police Association and all its members all the best ”
Sergeant Rick O’Dea OAM
Community Engagement Section
43 years’ service Last Day: 19 04 23
Comments…
“I thank the Police Association for supporting me and those I served with over many years
“Joining SAPOL as a 17-year-old was a steep learning curve but, thanks to the members of Course 70, it was an enjoyable experience which provided me with important life skills.
Organisational Reform Program 33 years’ service Last Day: 22 .03. 23
Comments…
“To all those wonderful people I’ve had the pleasure to work with over the years at Christies, Aldinga and Victor Harbor: thank you all for the great memories and for your support and friendship
“I particularly thank Steve Whetton, Natalie Bottroff and Kirsten Vale for their support over the last three years
“Special thanks to Adam and Deb Bough, Miles and Kayty Ferguson, Viv and Jim, Jon Fuller, Daron Haley, and Dan McLuskey who were all there to the very end in some form or another. And to Ian Forster, who was always good for a chat and a laugh when it was needed
“Last, but not least, my thanks and love to my wife, Tracy, and my two wonderful daughters, Beth and Em, who had to put up with so much over the years
“I leave with no regrets or bitterness and thoroughly enjoyed my time on the road.
“To those I leave behind, all the best to you and your families. Stay safe and I wish you all long and happy lives. ”
Sergeant Tim Tollenaar
SD District Teams
38 years’ service Last Day: 02 05 23
Comments…
“I especially thank Mark Carroll and Steve Whetton for their professionalism and skill over the last couple of decades Without those two leading the good fight, we would be a lot worse off
“Thirty-seven years on the road has brought its ups and downs and, no, I wouldn’t do it all over again.
“And I’m not writing a smarmy, feel-good separation letter just to make the bosses feel all warm and fuzzy about their ‘leadership’ either
“I was going to have a massive rant about the direction SAPOL is going (here’s a hint – it’s not forwards, and it’s not upwards) But it’s all been said No one is really listening and I just could not be bothered anymore
“Only those of us at the pointy end (Traffic, Response/DPT, front-line CIB) really know what it’s like out here, and I’m over trying to convince anyone in a position of authority how bad it actually is
“I was made up to sergeant almost 20 years ago but its only recently I have felt as overworked and ignored (on Response) or undervalued and ignored (on DPTs)
“I had more authority and respect as a sergeant in 2005 and therein lies one of the key issues: devaluing our front-line leaders
“So, I’m pulling the pin early and finding a new career, without the issues this one has.
“Thanks for everything and good luck in the future. ”
Senior Constable Jim McCluskey
Southern Exhibit Property
23 years’ service Last Day: 22 03 23
Comments…
“I thank the Police Association for the support and practical assistance it provided at the time of my accident in 2020
“To those who participated in my rescue: thank you
“Special thanks to Lisa and Anna at Injury Management Section and Josh Bailey from NB&A for their guidance and friendship through the tough times
“I think I still hold the record for being the oldest cadet to enter the academy and now, at 75-and-a-half must be the oldest person to leave SAPOL .
“There is a lot to be said for keeping fit. ”
Senior Constable Trudy-Ann Wertheim
Sturt Police Station
20 years’ service Last Day: 28.05. 23
Comments…
“I will be forever grateful to the job for the opportunities it provided me along the journey, especially as a single parent
“The friendships I made, especially my old team 5 mates from Grenfell St patrols (2005-2007) and my mates at Sturt PS (2007-2018).
“The immense pride to wear the uniform will be etched in my mind forever. Thank you for the memories, SAPOL, good and bad ”
From page 35
Members often inform the association of the working hours conducted, in family time, without remuneration. It is important for members to understand that these actions cause harm to their families and bring about unfair managerial expectations of members of the same rank or position
As per SAPOL Digital Strategy 2022-24 , SAPOL is providing personal-issue mobile phones to front-line members This, according to the employer, will conservatively deliver time-savings of 30 minutes per officer per shift owing to the access to a suite of South Australia Police applications.
There are health, safety and wellbeing benefits to members while on duty, particularly the ability to track a member’s location in the case of a call for assistance
As SAPOL owns the mobile telephone, there is a concern as to how data, tracking and/or personal information will be accessed or monitored
The association is concerned that the provision of personal-issue mobile phones will increase the accessibility to members by senior management There should be no expectation by the employer that members will access work e-mails while off duty or conduct unremunerated police functions.
There is no respite from workload intensification but there is clear interference with personal and family relationships
The association strongly recommends that members enforce the right to disconnect on a personal level and make the decision as to whether they use the mobile phone when off duty
The greatest risk to an employee is self-imposed stress, anxiety and hypervigilance which can only be alleviated by employees respecting their personal time and that of their families.
From page 45
No longer could the accused person decide the course which he or she should adopt at trial, in answer to the charge, according only to the strength of the prosecution’s case as revealed by the material provided by the prosecution before trial, or to the strength of the evidence led by the prosecution at the trial The accused person would have to decide the course to be followed in light of that material and in light of any self-incriminatory answers which he or she had been compelled to give at an examination conducted after the charge was laid That is, the accused person would have to decide what plea to enter, what evidence to challenge and what evidence to give or lead at trial according to what answers he or she had given at the examination. The accused person is thus prejudiced in his or her defence of the charge that has been laid by being required to answer questions about the subject matter of the pending charge ” This is a powerful passage expressed with crystal clarity The right to silence is not only about the version of events that is given, but it is also about the way in which people accused of criminal offences can conduct their defence . They should have a clean slate available to them and their defence should not be limited in any way by knowledge that other people might have gained from their compelled version, even if that compelled version is kept under lock and key
That clean slate is important because a prosecution case can change Witnesses can change their versions. Complainants can add details or vary the allegations. It is important, when the time comes to answer the allegations, that a defendant knows the full case against him or her and can meet it without having already locked in a version of events
This interstate decision reiterates just how important the exercise of the right to silence is for police officers
No section of the South Australian population is subject to compelled questioning as often as police officers are. That makes it especially important for police officers to exercise their right to silence, to obtain advice, and to answer questions only if they are compelled to do so, and even then, only when they are sure of the lawful basis upon which they have been compelled
Jobs you never forget
One afternoon shift in June 2017, I got dispatched to a traffic accident. Information was that a bus had hit a child who had sustained serious injuries . Immediately on arrival, I found that the child was my then sergeant's eight-yearold son My sergeant had gone to the football with his family They had all just alighted from the bus when the son, while crossing the road, was hit by another bus and suffered critical injuries My sergeant and his family were distraught That was very difficult to see while also trying to manage the job professionally Later, at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, my partner and I stayed with my sergeant and his family for some time, not knowing if their son would pull through. Thankfully, after some weeks in hospital, he made a full recovery
I responded to a serious car accident on the Port River Expressway in November 2022. The front passenger in one of the vehicles was deceased . I attended to the rear-seat passenger, who was also seriously injured and calling out his deceased girlfriend's name – and obviously getting no response I had to ensure he remained still and calm owing to his own serious injuries And, although I knew his partner was deceased, I had to reassure him we were doing all we could to help her I felt terrible for both him and the driver of the vehicle, who was the twin sister of the deceased. What made it worse was that they were just driving along, doing the right thing, when they were rearended by a speeding motorist and pushed into the path of an oncoming truck
BREVET SERGEANT MIKE NEWELL
(Western District Teams Parks)
As a cadet on out-phase in 2009, I was doing a CIB placement for the day. In a murder-suicide the previous night, a man had taken his life and the life of his young son He had also attempted to take the lives of his partner and baby. Fortunately, they survived . I sat in on a briefing which showed Taser footage of the first patrol on the scene as they entered the house and searched each room I also listened to a recorded phone call the man had made to a mental-health assistance line and it was quite chilling I assisted CIB with searching the house and I wondered how bad the man’s mental health must’ve been for him to do what he’d done I felt terrible for the young boy while searching his bedroom where he’d lost his life the previous night .
“… although I knew his partner was deceased, I had to reassure him we were doing all we could to help her.”