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| NEWS > 01 November 2007 |
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Victoria Police have hired pri
VICTORIA'S highly secretive police watchdog has hired private investigators to dig into the affairs of its own employees.
The Office of Police Integrity engaged the firm Julie Baker-Smith and Associates to investigate John Kapetanovski, a highly respected former Victoria Police detective.
The OPI sacked Mr Kapetanovski last year and he has been fighting his dismissal in the Australian Industrial Relations Commission, now Fair Work Australia.
It's believed Mr Kapetanovski worked in the OPI's integrity testing area.
The OPI told the commission it had hired ... Read more
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 Article sourced from
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The Age - Melbourne,Victoria,A
01 November 2007
This article appeared in the above title/site.
To view it in its entirity click this link.
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Police discipline shift urged
VICTORIA'S police watchdog has called for an overhaul of the way the force disciplines or sacks its members, saying the system is "slow, broken and convoluted" and advantages bent police.
The move by the Office of Police Integrity to deal with long-held concerns about the disciplinary system comes after repeated claims by the State Government that the anti-corruption system is adequate.
In February, The Age revealed claims from senior police that the system was failing and that the State Government had failed to fix it.
After the OPI released its report into the disciplinary system yesterday, Police Minister Bob Cameron acknowledged that the system was antiquated and said new laws would be introduced next year to enable an overhaul.
"At the moment the police discipline system is slow, archaic, bureaucratic and militaristic. It's extremely old-fashioned and all of the stakeholders agree that it is antiquated," Mr Cameron said.
The OPI has recommended that police involved in minor misconduct avoid punitive measures such as demotion, transfer or fines, and instead face remedial action, such as retraining or mentoring.
But the watchdog says police engaged in serious misconduct must be sacked without delay if they cannot "show cause". Police will have a new avenue of appeal to the Public Sector Standards Commissioner.
The OPI's chief lawyer, Ian Killey, said the new system was desperately needed and reflected changes already adopted in other forces.
"The emphasis of the (new) system is remedial. People who have done serious offences, they will be able to be removed from the force promptly. But for those who haven't, they will be assisted," Mr Killey said.
In welcoming the OPI's report, Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon said the problems it exposed had been apparent for years.
"I've certainly been aware of it, we've made representations on it, we've had discussions on reforming the police regulation act for the last five years," said Ms Nixon, whose attempts to sack officers have been blocked by appeals.
Police Association boss Paul Mullett said the union recognised the need for an overhaul, but some of the OPI's recommendations ignored basic legal rights or relied on too low a burden of proof.
Mr Mullett said the "show cause" provisions, in which an officer must prove their innocence, denied police natural justice.
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