Lock Up Cops Who Refuse to Cooperate & Testify Against Fellow Officers

Criminal investigations into the conduct of SA Police officers have been hindered by fellow officers refusing to co-operate with the state’s anti-corruption commission, a new report reveals.

Some members of the force are more interested in “protecting their fellow officers than upholding and enforcing the law,” outgoing Independent Commissioner Against Corruption Ann Vanstone has revealed in a report tabled in state parliament on Tuesday.

She recommended the state government give ICAC the power to direct a public officer, who is a potential witness in an investigation, to provide an affidavit to commission investigators, with any refusal subject to penalty.

The document laid bare a culture among some officers of refusing to provide witness statements, via affidavits, to ICAC investigators inquiring into allegations against other SAPOL members.

She highlighted one investigation, conducted by the former ICAC, in which two police officers had allegedly assaulted a member of the public during and after an arrest.

“In that investigation, several SAPOL officers who were potential witnesses to the conduct, or the surrounding circumstances, refused to provide affidavits to commission investigators,” Ms Vanstone wrote.

“This meant investigators were unable to consider the entirety of the circumstances when deciding whether or not to recommend a referral for prosecution.”

We have information that one of those guilty officers is a nasty thug who fancies himself as something of a socialite, and was promoted by SAPOL in the press as a poster-boy recruit. After being charged with the violent assault of a handcuffed and compliant car thief, his identity was suppressed by a magistrate, who told the media to clear the courtroom at his Port Adelaide court appearance. No explanation has ever been provided as to why this thug should enjoy the protection of anonymity.

His gutless co-workers refused to testify against him.

Ms Vanstone said this was one of multiple instances of officers refusing to provide affidavits in relation to investigations against colleagues.

She also noted that on some occasions when officers had provided affidavits about incidents involving colleagues, they expressly stated they had done so under duress, which “does not display the impartiality required” by police.

“The overriding impression these refusals and indications of duress leave is that some SAPOL officers are more interested in protecting their fellow officers than upholding and enforcing the law,” Ms Vanstone said.

“If allowed to continue, this practice could be insidious.”

Ms Vanstone said it could also “lead to the erosion of confidence and trust in SAPOL in the community”.

“If this were just about camaraderie, it would be commendable,” she said.

“Unfortunately, it appears to have developed into a code of ignoring poor conduct by other officers, including criminal and corrupt conduct, in breach of a duty to uphold and enforce the law.

“Imagine a member of the community alleging that a SAPOL officer has committed an offence against them, only to find out that other SAPOL officers present at the incident have refused to assist in any investigation, those officers being the very persons the community expects to uphold and enforce the law.”

Ms Vanstone said the community “quite rightly expects and deserves much better”.

Attorney-General Kyam Maher said Ms Vanstone’s recommendation would be referred to the chief executive of the Attorney-General’s Department and to SAPOL commissioner Grant Stevens “to consider the recommendation and provide advice to the state government”.

Considering Grant Stevens is a coward who praises serial thugs like Senior Constable Benjamin Higgins when he is caught on camera coward-punching handcuffed individuals, this does not inspire any confidence.

An SA Police spokesperson said SAPOL had considered the report and “does not wish to provide any comment”.

We have a suggestion which we believe will prove to be highly effective: Immediately imprison cops who refuse to cooperate with criminal or ICAC investigations.

SAPOL cops have the audacity to drive around in cars plastered with “Keeping SA Safe” slogans, when in reality they behave like gang members.

Taxpayers pay for their salaries, in the mistaken belief that cops are there to protect them. If, instead of protecting the public, cops choose to act like gang members who abide by a mafia-like code of Omerta, then fine – treat them like the criminals they are.

Lock them up, and keep them locked up until they realize the error of their ways and agree to truthfully cooperate with investigations and to testify against officers accused of wrongdoing. If their testimony evinces signs of evasion or dishonesty, throw them back in the can until they change their tune.

If the cops can arrest and charge 13 year-old autistic kids with the social function of 3 year olds on nonsensical ‘extremist material’ charges, we can sure as hell lock up grown adults who take an oath to protect the public but instead choose to act like criminal gang members.

As history has amply demonstrated, the vast majority of Australian cops fall into two categories:

1. Assholes
2. Cowards

The assholes are the bent cops, the thugs, the bullies, the sex predators and the traffic cop revenue-raisers. The cowards are all the other officers who observe or are aware of their behavior, but do nothing about it.

These cowards are quick to swagger around like macho men and women among an unarmed public, but when it comes to standing up to their rotten peers, they quickly become scared little piss-ants.

It doesn’t have to be this way. In some parts of the world, cops occasionally show some balls and quickly act against their own when necessary.

When a South Carolina cop by the name of Darren Lance Dukes violently assaulted a 58 year old disabled man and lied about the incident, other officers called to the scene immediately became suspicious of his story. The victim, instead of being maliciously charged with assaulting police as would happen in hopelessly corrupt Australia, was released without charge at the scene. After body cam footage of the event was viewed, Dukes was fired and charged with first degree assault within days of the incident (see video below).

This is the complete opposite of what would happen in Australia, where police assaults are quietly ignored. If they can’t be ignored and have to be brought to trial, corrupt Australian magistrates and judges make sure that most cops caught on camera committing vicious assaults are acquitted.

When serial thug Benjamin Higgins coward-punched a handcuffed man then lied about what happened, he did not get booted from the force. Instead, Gutless Grant praised him, warning “people are going to get hurt if they try to assault a police officer,” even though the footage clearly shows the victim NOT assaulting Higgins or the other officers. The truth is that Higgins is a violent thug with a history of coward attacks on handcuffed victims.

In evil South Australia, an ex-military thug like Bradley Moyle can be caught on camera punching a 20 year old girl in the face, and get away scot-free.

A bikie wannabe like Aiden Allt, who tries to intimidate us when we discuss his disgraceful behaviour, can get caught on camera repeatedly punching an unarmed, restrained man in the face, and a bent magistrate like Roderick Jensen will concoct absolutely bullshit excuses so he can walk free.

Below is a video in which a New Jersey cop shows the kind of balls you’ll never see among Australian cops – he slams his police chief onto a car bonnet for being drunk and acting like a pain in the ass while they are conducting a DWI stop. The alcoholic police chief orders the other cops to arrest him, but they refuse.

If only Australian cops had even a fraction of the fortitude and honesty displayed by these cops.

Source

Police hindering criminal inquiries into fellow cops, ICAC reveals. The Advertiser.