Hey de ho, Philip S,

Regarding the "excessive" use of capitals.....

One of these posts is not like the other:

http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=15013&page=0#259233

http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=14974&page=0#258289

o sung wu Paul1405 - There is a LOT I'd like to say on the subject of the blue-uniformed set however much of it may be better said in a more private forum. Subjects like this are inherently difficult to address without appearing intent on personal attack on a fellow poster, however it should be noted that private citizens not being ex police also have their story. My personal knowledge of the workings of the constabulary is exclusively Queensland based, other states may well be a different kettle of fish entirely. The Fitzgerald Inquiry clearly identified a number of major issues here, none of which have been fully addressed, ergo corruption, the QPS & the court system are (still) synonomous. Thats not to say all individuals are bent, but rather the ethos of the entity as a whole is not what it should be.

Philosophically I have deeply seated suspicion of ANY authority (power corrupts & positions of power are irresistible to the corruptible'). That said, I've known some really decent people who wore blue uniforms although it must be said that for various (albeit disturbingly similar) reasons, none of them are in the business these days. I have no doubt there is much unsaid in the comment by o sung wu 'Perhaps these individuals should wear 'blue' for a while and then maybe they may seek to alter or modify their distorted position of policing per se'. Likewise the contribution from Paul1405 'A problem my party in NSW has is police investigating police' identifies a matter guaranteed to degrade public attitude toward for police in general. That said, individual police didn't create the policy.

continued
Probably a more telling example is operation of flash for cash units (where operated by police). By and large, operational police toe the official gubmunt line by supporting the 'road safety' blurb, however there have been several noteworthy cases when a pay rise was in question and the line changed to 'we'll stop servicing the things, thereby depriving the gubmunt of revenue until our demands are met'. Hmmm, now which is it exactly ??

Clearly the police services in all states are being intentionally MIS-used by politicians with ulterior motives. A good start on the way to restoring public confidence would be to switch traffic & flash for cash operations to an unrelated entity, and to abolish utterly moronic 'Caesar investigating Caesar' provisions. Another (perhaps trickier to address) initiative would be to ensure union spokespersons don't have gravel-rashed knuckles (a la that neanderthal throwback Leevers in Queensland). Turkeys like him absolutely guarantee the average cop is seen as a brutal power-mad thug. That said, union members must be out of their trees if they don't realize the detrimental effect on their image from allowing such a person to represent them. Note that whilst these are primarily political rather than policing issues per se, the consequence is dramatically reduced public confidence in operational police.

Good evening to you PRAXIDICE...

I don't know what happened here, but there's 'gremlins' in this computer of mine ? I just finished giving those 'wheezing weak' types like PAUL1403 and his cohorts a 'serve' and I've lost the lot ! I entered the right command and the word 'error' appeared ? Tried all the usual remedies but to no avail ?

You know PRAXIDICE, giving coppers a real kickin', is like hitting a chained up dog. It's so hard to defend instances of public concern, with throw away lines, 'Chinese whispers', and the old chestnut, 'hearsay'.

I must admit I've not had a lot to do with the Qld. coppers, just co-operation on a few jobs. I will admit they've experienced many difficulties over the years, (particularly Palm Island) being involuntary 'bouncers' for various governments in Brisbane. That said, the Qld blokes I've had occasion to work with, have been exemplary, both professionally and personally.

You know PRAXIDICE, I'd really like to put some of our harshest critics into 'blue' for six months, and see how their perception and their 'intellect' works for them ? Further, we're always being reviled for using excessive force. OK, then show us all how it should be done ? When a copper regrettable kills someone. Cries are heard, why didn't the police shoot him in the leg, the arm ?

I'm a veteran before I joined the job, and I've been involved in both ambushes and contacts. Mostly, you have mere seconds to respond, and soldiers ARE psychologically prepared for such events. On the other hand, police are NOT physically or emotionally prepared to discharge their F/A's. Moreover they too, have only a split second in which to decide whether to discharge their F/A., together with all the legal implications that are incumbent upon police ? It so easy to condemn them, it really is.

There are BAD coppers, just as there're bad people in any occupation you'd care to name ? I guess there's no accounting for human nature, with all it's imperfections and foibles ?

And a good evening to you o sung wu

I did a stint in IT several lifetimes back and often told men they really should have got a male computer bacause the female of the species is naturally inclined to be a bit funny in the head (obviously I told females the opposite) :) :) :) Best suggestion is to drop the Microcrap habit. Any of the myriad Unix / Linux variants are user-friendly these days, virtually immune to virii and the like, and best of all, they are FREE. Even Apple is a step up on Microcrap, since its been based on FreeBSD unix for the past dozen odd years.

Queensland is a funny place in many ways, not least of which is the political circus. You'd undoubtedly have heard at least something about the Fitzgerald Inquiry which was supposedly intended to clean up the QPS. It resulted in a few police including the then commissioner (a knight no less !!), a few politicians & the odd civilian doing time, creation of a severely nobbled crime & misconduct commission (subsequently further watered down by 'interesting' politicians) and precious little else. Since those days, the activity has been somewhat more discreet but if anything, more extensive than pre Fitzgerald. Probably the most reliable indicator is the significant number of ex-QPS whistleblowers who have elected to tip the bucket on their erstwhile colleagues. Even more disturbing are instances of threatened or actual repercussions including people 'disappearing'. Due to the incestuous relationship between both sides of the gubmunt & the media, only a severely sanitized version (if any) gets released.

to be continued

G'day there PRAXIDICE...

You've no doubt gathered by now, I'm very much your uneducated, archetypal and ineradicable old copper. And amongst our own, when asked why we 'tore the blanket', 'pulled the pin' and retired/resigned, or were dismissed, we generally preface our response, with something to the effect we 'survived' 20, 30 or 40 years service.

That particular vocation, if you generate too many enemies from within, ipso facto does tend never to leave you alone ? Whether you move across the street, interstate, or overseas, if they have reason, they'll know. My understanding of the machinations of the QPF during those turbulent times, if they had you in their cross hairs, you'd know about it ? That's why the likes of PAUL1405 wouldn't have the slightest idea of the real culture of that industry ?

Whereas you do seem to have a basic appreciation of the many difficulties confronting those within, and those who ostensibly have charge of the oversight of the organisation, eg police minister amongst others !

Go quietly there ol' fella, and thank you for a balanced view.