Dramatic rise in complaints against police

By Alex Cooper

MELBOURNE — Complaints about the behaviour of members of Victoria Police almost doubled in the last financial year according to a report in the November 2 Age. In the year ending June 30, 1992, there were 4525 complaints against 2640 police officers, compared with 2701 complaints in 1990-91.

Some 91% of complaints were dismissed by the Police Internal Investigations Department.

Despite this, 58 police officers were suspended from duty, compared with 30 for the previous year. In 1990, 13 police officers were suspended for criminal or improper behaviour. This figure jumped to 51 in 1991. Charges against these officers included assault, theft, drug offences, conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and sexual offences.

The Police Service Board said that 59 officers faced a total of 122 charges. These were heard by the Chief Commissioner Kel Glare and the Police Discipline Board. However, 46 charges were not proceeded with because the individuals concerned had resigned to preserve their superannuation entitlements. Five officers were reduced in seniority.

Cases heard by the Police Discipline Board included drink driving offences, theft, failure to seek medical attention for a person in custody, indecent language, harassment of a member of the public by telephone, assault and misleading the director of public prosecutions.

Senior police have admitted that a serious "attitude" problem exists in the police force. They attribute this to the fact that half of the 10,000 police officers in Victoria are under 30.

The Victorian Council for Civil Liberties said that the present system, whereby police investigate themselves, is inadequate and called for an independent complaints commission.

From GLW issue 79