NEWS > 03 September 2008

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The Age - Melbourne,Victoria,A
03 September 2008

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Office of Police Integrity, Vi

Internal sacking, suspension s

VICTORIA'S powerful police corruption watchdog is facing its own integrity problems, with one officer sacked and another suspended after alleged misconduct.

An Office of Police Integrity investigator recently sacked for abandoning his workplace has alleged he was forced to sign false statutory declarations at the OPI to cover up dubious expense claims �� acts which potentially involve offences of perjury and obtaining financial advantage by deception.

The sacking and suspension come after concerns were raised internally at the OPI by a small number of staff about the handling of some cases and the oversight and management of staff.

The sacked OPI investigator told a private company hired by the OPI to investigate the allegations, Julie Baker-Smith and Associates, that he signed false statutory declarations to account for OPI expenses spent on meals and entertainment. He has alleged he did so after pressure from his boss at the OPI's integrity testing unit, who spent some of the money.

The investigator has also alleged that he was directed to falsely declare hundreds of dollars spent by his boss on poker machines as expenses for an OPI operation, code-named Uranium. His boss is suspended on pay and is understood to have rejected the claims.

In a statement, the OPI said the allegations were part of an "independent workplace investigation" that would be reviewed by State Ombudsman George Brouwer. Mr Brouwer is the former head of the OPI, and the alleged misconduct occurred during his time there.

The revelations are likely to spark debate about whether the oversight of the OPI is appropriate. The OPI said it had reviewed policies and procedures and stressed that internal auditing had identified the alleged misuse of expenses, which is believed to involve a few thousand dollars.

The OPI's director, Michael Strong, said he had confidence in the integrity of his staff and that every workplace occasionally confronted "workplace issues".

"When those issues involve any allegations of misconduct, it is important those allegations are independently investigated and the investigation is oversighted," Mr Strong said.

The Age can also reveal that an OPI officer quit in June and told Mr Strong last month of his concerns about the management of staff and some cases.

A small number of other staff have left the agency, and it is understood some hold concerns about its running. More than 18 months ago, an OPI investigator left the agency after being accused of lying about their house being broken into and attending a funeral in order to take a day off work. Several well-placed sources critical of the OPI conceded that its assistant director, Graham Ashton, and other senior staff were experienced and respected and had delivered some strong results. But they said some poor recruiting and oversight had caused problems.

One of the OPI cases that has caused concern involved long-serving Shepparton officer Denis Grimes. Senior Sergeant Grimes was the subject of an OPI integrity test in mid-2007 that involved the now-sacked OPI officer handing him lost property items. After several months had passed and the property was due to be destroyed, Senior Sergeant Grimes took it home.

Concerns about the case within the OPI have included:

��A disagreement between OPI staff about whether the Office of Public Prosecutions should be notified that the integrity testing unit was under a cloud.

��A disagreement between the now-sacked officer and a senior OPI member about what information should be put into an affidavit that was used to get a search warrant A well-placed source said the since sacked officer refused to sign the search warrant affidavit because he could not verify information in it.

The OPP recently advised that Senior Sergeant Grimes, who has been suspended, should not face criminal charges. He will instead face a disciplinary hearing.

Senior Sergeant Grimes told The Age his case had been poorly handled and questioned the validity of the search warrant. "They had to tell lies to get the search warrant. Any copper worth his salt would know that."

Sources say a senior OPI investigator also warned against prosecuting another police officer, Colac sergeant Carl Bolton, for allegedly assaulting a drunk man in a police station. The case against Sergeant Bolton was dismissed by magistrate Maurice Gurvich in May. The Police Association singled out the Bolton case before a state parliamentary committee in June because of discrepancies with the evidence of an OPI officer.

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Article sourced from

The Age - Melbourne,Victoria,A03 September 2008

Internal sacking, suspension s

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The Age - Melbourne,Victoria,A
03 September 2008