Focus on choosing the right people for a modern police service

Actions of any bad cop make it that much harder for all those good ones, writes Colin Riley

IT was with great sadness that I read Simon Bevilacqua’s article (“I was bullied by rotten cops”, Mercury, July 5).

Simon acknowledged that policing is a tough gig that can require a hero’s courage.

However, he outlined how, a number of decades ago when he was 19, in the Launceston suburb of Invermay, he was stopped in the evening on his bicycle and was threatened, abused, humiliated and harassed by police. It’s always difficult to comment when someone describes a single bad experience, especially one from so long ago. The reason for my sadness is that no decent police officer wants to hear a story like this. Stories across the world highlight that the actions of any bad cop make it that much harder for all of the good cops out there wanting to help society.

It is not the Police Association’s intent to be critical of Simon’s story.

This would be inconsistent with our members’ ethos of accountability, transparency, professionalism, resilience and desire for continual improvement. A more beneficial approach is to explain the differences today.

The vast majority of our more than 1300 members are good, honest officers operating in threatening and difficult situations on a daily basis.

There is the constant threat of an armed offender who is determined to cause mass casualties, Port Arthur being the most tragic example.

On average, four police are assaulted weekly in Tasmania. Currently, 95 officers of 1325 are on workers’ compensation, with 42 suffering long-term mental health illnesses.

We are not so naive as to believe every officer behaves exactly the right way in every contact with the public, but the vast majority do.

That’s one of the reasons Tasmania Police performs so well in comparison with other jurisdictions. Our members enjoy high levels of trust and confidence, without which we could not do our job and keep the public safe. Tasmania Police encourages people to report bad experiences with confidence they will be properly investigated should that be warranted.

Our interactions today with Tasmanians are constantly subject to recording on smartphones and CCTV.

External review mechanisms include the Integrity Commission Tasmania, which reviews investigations done by police into complaints.

Policing techniques, styles and attitudes are under continual review, with the presumption police are normal people with flaws and failings, just like everyone else.

The past few decades have seen an enormous amount of unique measures that make our members part of the most transparent and accountable occupation in the state, and in comparison to other jurisdictions.

They include, from 16 years ago, Job Suitability Testing or psychological diagnostics for each police applicant.

The eight-month recruit training program is constantly evolving to ensure that, as society changes, we change.

Each officer who graduates from the police academy represents 20 applicants.

The focus is on growing the right people to prevent these types of incidents, rather than relying on people making complaints and providing a strong investigative response.

About 12 years ago, Tasmania Police introduced tertiary study units. Five years ago saw the finalisation of this professionalisation process, with the promotion development program aligned

with a University of Tasmania undergraduate degree. When recruits graduate, they are awarded an Associate Degree.

When they complete firstclass constable, senior constable and sergeants’ programs, they are awarded a Bachelor of Social Science.

Specialist qualifications align with postgraduate qualifications from UTAS, including Honours in Public Sector Management and Leadership with the inspector program, Honours in Investigative Practice with the detective program, and Honours in Prosecutorial Practice with the prosecutor program. This partnership between police and university quality controls programs to ensure they are contemporary.

It is unique in Australia. About 70 per cent of members hold tertiary qualifications, by far the highest in Australia.

But our members are human. They have flaws, make errors and, occasionally, make poor choices. There are stringent processes to identify any problem behaviours early, and address them before they cause issues. Four years ago, Tasmania Police introduced a fully confidential electronic reporting system so officers could report to Professional Standards officers who took inappropriate actions. The consequences are far-reaching and can be life-changing, which is why those who aren’t suited to the job tend to leave early. In these rare cases, there is encouragement through retraining, including undergraduate qualifications, to find more suitable employment elsewhere.

Our first responders now wear cameras to record interactions with the public.

Tasmania Police leads the nation in gender mix, with a third being female. This technology advancement and rebalancing brings greater diversity and broader considerations into officer decision-making. Simon’s article reminds us that, as police, we are judged by the actions of every officer in every public contact, even those from decades ago. It is human nature to remember bad experiences more than good ones. However, the vast majority of our contacts with the public are positive ones. Tasmania Police needs the full support of the community we serve. We must be committed to continual review and positive change in recruitment, training and professional development.

While it is important not to forget stories from the past, we should also highlight how far we have come.

Inspector Colin Riley is president of the Police Association of Tasmania.