Good evening to you PAUL1405...

Yes indeed Paul the Police Association, no doubt through their industrial muscle, have managed to secure benefits and pay increases for members over the years. And a little known fact that police cannot go on strike. To do so would render all those who did so, eligible for a trip out to Long Bay, as we're sworn-in, and as a consequence we forfeit the right to go on strike. That doesn't preclude us from 'work to rule' as it were, of undertaking other non-life threatening industrial action.

Mainly that which covers a multitude of admin. duties. Such as fines, returns, and other paper shuffling duties, the Police Department is famously renowned for. Though in my experience there were some threats but little ever come from it, and industrial peace was, forevermore preserved in perpetuity?

Hi o sung wu,

As a history buff, I find the story of the NSW Police Force most interesting. Now being one of the largest of its kind, and one of the most respected and well trained police forces in the world. That was not always the case. Ned Kelly, probably had reasonable grounds, based on injustice, to hate the police of the time.
Although Governor Phillip set up a 'Night Watch' in 1789, a regimented police force as we would recognize it did not come about in NSW until around the 1850's/60's, the gold rush era.
The job of policeman in those days was not a respected occupation, both by the criminal class, and by the general population. Poorly train and badly paid, many "coppers" were no better than the criminals they were supposed to police, some were just above the criminal class themselves, and often part of it. The force has come a long way since those dark old days, not always a smooth ride, there has been plenty of ups and downs along the way. Today the men and women of the NSW Police Force can rightly be proud of their position in society. Much of that is down to their own efforts, and not just down to the work of politicians etc.

http://www.police.nsw.gov.au/about_us/history

Hi there PAUL1405...

Ah, they're not a bad mob of gals 'n blokes, compared with other similar sized Forces. I heard somewhere NSW is supposed to be the 5th largest Force in the Western world, the truth of which I really can't authenticate? And we've had our ups and downs, and I suppose the job is what you make of it. All I can say, it's been pretty good to me, pension and career wise I must confess and I've most certainly learned lots of interesting skills and other more peculiar stuff, not usually available to ordinary members of the general public. I guess in hindsight my biggest regret, was not staying in the Military after my initial six years engagement. As I was duly informed shortly before my discharge took effect, that I had a reasonably good career stream, ahead of me, had I decided to re-engage? Still being a copper was OK I guess?

o sung wu

I bet that the Police union isn't nearly as corrupt as the CFMEU and doesn't beat up or threaten people, and doesn't extort money from their employer.

Paul,

I assume that you are happy with the CFMEU threatening vendors with smashing their machines, with creating phoney "safety issues" to shut the site, etc as long as the greens get their 30 pieces of silver.

Hi o sung wu,

I think the NSW force ranks up there with London and the NYPD for size. Correct me if I am wrong, but I think one of the big issues for police personally in the past was pensions, which you mentioned. In the dark old days, like all workers, a copper injured on the job was simply cast aside and forgotten, or his widow and children left to fend for themselves. I believe the police were actually at the forefront of demanding a better deal for those incapacitated and unable to provide for themselves and family. It gets up my nose when from time to time the excellent after work benefits police receive today are questioned, and they are very good, by people who don't know the history. You would find those benefits are very much down to the past work of the Police Association.

Just on pensions, and I have read Jack Lang's account of the history of the 'Widows Pension' in NSW. It was Lang who introduced a universal Widows Pension in NSW at 5 shillings (50 cents) a week in the 1930's, along with child endowment, paid directly to the mother, a totally new concept. Previously pensions were only available to a few men, white collar public servants and some "staff" people in private enterprise. Police rank and file, although public servants were considered blue collar, as were for example those below the rank of Station Master on NSW trains.
The conservative opposition in NSW vehemently opposed the payment of the Widows Pension on several grounds. One, it was unaffordable for the state, two it was immoral, a payment to a woman directly would make her a kept woman, shameful, and also they argued women could not manage and value money. Interesting.