To the chagrin of some deposed West Australian government ministers a Royal Commission investigation into police corruption is to begin in March 2002. Current opposition leader Colin Barnett (Liberal -ha ha) says that the police should be given more power instead of holding a Royal Commission. He added that the Investigation will be a waste of money...he could be right about this. No doubt a few miscreants will be thrown to the lions but it is likely alas that the well connected Mr Bigs will escape. Still the lawyers will do well out of it-they always do. Hands will be rubbing and shaking all over town.
Premier Geoff Gallop (Rhodes Scholar and buddy of UK prime minister, Tony Blair) has appointed 70-year-old retired Supreme Court judge, Geoffrey Kennedy QC (also a Rhodes Scholar) to head up the inquiry. (1)
The investigation, which has been given an initial $15 million budget will look at any irregularities that have occured since January 1st 1985 (numerologically 11-13, 11-4, 6 and 7 - a peculiar date to start something that aims to reveal truth). Some very prickly cases will be excluded by this start date.
The Investigation has been ordered to report its findings on the 6th anniversary of Diana's ritual murder, 31st August 2003 (a 44 day). I will be extremely surprised if there are no sudden deaths, accidents and disappearances involving some of the players before this due date.
In 1993 a Legislative Council committee began a 3 year investigation into West Australian police corruption and had serious concerns regarding the integrity of a number of areas within the police force. A Royal commission was called for then, but the Bell-Tower building Liberal government turned a blind all-seeing-eye.
A couple of years ago I was told by a retired Detective that when he was in the job the West Australian police force used to rival the New South Wales force as the most corrupt in Australia. (Though he thought that this state of affairs might have improved, with both forces.) He claimed to have worked undercover in police operations against organised crime in Western Australia and had run up against poor co-operation and obstruction on occasions.
He said to me, "Do you know who I think are the worst criminals of all...bent cops. I have been fortunate to have not known many but on one occasion I had to dob in a partner. A lot of the others didn't like it, but they knew better than to say anything to me. You have to trust the blokes you work with. If they are on the make who's to say that one day, when you are in a situation they might not look the other way?
You have to have trust, and the public deserve it, expect it... they rely on us."
(1) Geoff Gallop is following Blair's outrageous denial of freedom example whereby the public has no rights to privacy. No rights to silence, imprisonment without cause, curtailment of free speech and police searches of private dwellings without search warrants.
I understand from a correspondent that Judge Kennedy is the father of Dr Elizabeth Kennedy, who was said to have suicided a couple of years ago.
