Wade Burns Releases Cringe Video, Union Delegates Demand His Expulsion

Wade Burns, the new Police Union president who indecently assaulted a female colleague at a SAPOL function in 2017, has released a propaganda video attempting to smooth over the controversy surrounding the incident.

In the video, a self-pitying Burns claimed the incident had been weaponised by “fanatical individuals” who were trying to undermine his campaign for president.

Ironic choice of words coming from a perpetrator who fanatically groped at an unwilling female colleague. Such is Burns’ sense of invincibility and self-entitlement (father Gary was SAPOL police commissioner until 2015), he perpetrated the assault in full view of other attendees at the function.

In the video, Burns claims “my life has always been about doing the best I can”. We struggle to see how indecently assaulting a colleague at a public event is being the best version of yourself.

Key snippets from Burns’ video are shown above.

Burns’ arrogance and lack of self-awareness is astounding. At no point has he owned the offence or expressed any remorse whatsoever. Instead, he claims it’s all a big conspiracy by his evil critics to prevent him from achieving the career glory he thinks he deserves.

What a load of nonsense.

The reality is that, for all his whining, Burns has had a dream run. An entirely undeserved one.

A criminal investigation into the assault was commenced in 2017, but eventually abandoned because the victim did not want to prosecute. This is hardly an acquittal – many sexual assault victims feel overwhelmed and intimidated when it comes to pursuing charges against powerful and well-connected attackers.

While no criminal charges materialized, he pleaded guilty to an “agreed set of facts” at an internal SAPOL hearing and was demoted two ranks.

Despite the guilty plea, Burns later successfully applied to be restored to rank of inspector.

Despite all his big talk about openness and transparency, Burns has repeatedly refused to come clean on the matter and explain what that “agreed set of facts” was.

SAPOL has also refused to release its documentation on the matter.

In fact Burns and SAPOL were able to keep the matter hidden from public knowledge until last month, when independent MP Frank Pangallo used parliamentary privilege to out Burns.

Burns, who has more front than Myers, audaciously claimed in his video that those who publicized the previously-suppressed assault incident were attempting “to overturn the outcome of a democratic election”.

The assault was exposed 12 days into the police union election, meaning thousands of votes had been cast by people who had no idea that Burns had been found guilty of indecent assault and demoted two ranks as a result.

Not exactly what one would deem a fair, transparent and “democratic” election.

The end result is that the South Australia Police Union now has an unrepentant, self-absorbed sex offender as its president.

If we’re wrong on that, we welcome Burns and SAPOL to come clean and engage in full disclosure on the matter – just like Pangallo and the media have been asking them to do for the last three weeks.

If they release the full documentation and it exculpates Burns, we’ll apologise unreservedly. In fact, we’ll go one step further – we’ll shout Burns to a large tray of Krispy Kreme donuts. He can even pick the flavours.

You’d like that, wouldn’t you Wade?

Until that happens, we will consider Burns an entirely inappropriate choice, not only to head a police union, but to be a police officer.

The indecent assault, one must remember, was not committed by some drunken young dickhead in a nightclub. Wade was a senior police officer, meaning he should know better than anyone that “forcefully” groping at people who clearly don’t want you touching them is ASSAULT and is NOT OK.

Any cop too stupid to understand this simply has no place on the force.

Other Cops Call For Burns to be Dismissed

If Burns thought his cringeworthy propaganda video would smooth things over, he was mistaken. Last week, a group of police union delegates demanded Burns and two other officials be stripped of their positions.

They said a special meeting should be held to allow members a say on the crisis engulfing the association.

In the latest escalation of tensions, the six delegates lodged a formal complaint with union secretary Bernadette Zimmermann after Burns was elected police union president by a mere 49 votes ahead of his nearest rival.

The letter – forwarded to Police Commissioner Grant Stevens, Police Minister Dan Cregan and MLC Frank Pangallo – says Burns’ failure to declare his demotion over indecent assault allegations was grounds for his removal.

“(Mr Burns) failed to act with honesty and integrity, failed to safeguard the interests of the membership and caused irreparable damage to PASA’s reputation,” the complaint alleges.

They also said the committee had failed to safeguard members’ interests because it did not have a proper candidate vetting process, and did not address serious concerns about Burns’ suitability for office.

The letter alleged that two PASA committee members, Craig Terlikowski and Anthony Coad, had “actively campaigned” for Burns in emails they sent to members and should for that reason be removed from their positions.

Terlikowski declined to comment to The Advertiser. Coad was contacted for comment but no response received.

As well as election-related matters, the delegates demanded immediate removal of secrecy orders and disclosure of the issues and costs involved with a District Court case brought by former deputy president Samantha Strange.

The case is against Ms Zimmermann, former president Mark Carroll and the Police Association of SA that Burns formerly led before claiming the head union position – but details have not been made public due to an going secrecy order made at the request of Carroll.

The delegates requested a detailed cost analysis of expenditure associated with the resignation of Strange and three other former PASA staff, who lodged claims in the Fair Work Commission but later withdrew.

They also demanded access to the union’s financial records within the next seven days, which they said was a constitutional right that has previously been refused.

The letter identified several possible grounds for a vote of no confidence in the committee, and requested that a special meeting be called.

Once the meeting has been called, a quorum of one tenth of members must turn out in order for it to proceed and the committee is bound by the motions passed.

As usual, Burns, Zimmermann and PASA did not respond to a request for comment by The Advertiser.

Sources

Wade Burns breaks silence after PASA presidential election. The Advertiser.

New police union president Wade Burns dismisses allegations of assault as ‘an internal workplace matter dealt with many years ago’ in new video message. The Advertiser.

Police Association SA union delegates demand new president Wade Burns be stripped of position. The Advertiser.