police journal february 2013

February 2013

Forced to shoot!

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Features

10 Forced to shoot The lives of three police officers looked as if they might never return to normal after a suburban Adelaide shootout.

Contents

February 2013 Police Journal

5

18 Letting goMost police dogs die in the arms of their pained handlers, who somehow have to find a way to endure the devastating losses.

24 Thoroughly impressed with policeRadio presenter and Advertiser opinion writer Ali Clarke (formerly Carle) is sticking up for cops in places and on issues bound to get attention.

reGuLars

06 PoliCe AssoCiATion08 PResiDenT27 oPinion28 leTTeRs29 Q&A30 inDUsTRiAl33 HeAlTH34 MoToRing37 BAnking39 legAl40 Books42 DVDs43 CineMA45 Wine48 THe lAsT sHifT50 PoliCe sCene54 HeRoes

COVER: Detective Brevet sgt

Alex grimaldi and Detective sC1C

Rob lengyelPhotography by

steve McCawley

Features

10 18 24

Police PO

LICE ASSOCIAT IO N

OF

S OU T H AUS T RAL I A

Journallevel 2, 27 Carrington st,

Adelaide sA 5000T (08) 8212 3055 F (08) 8212 2002

W journal.pasa.asn.au

Andy Dunneditor(08) 8212 3055

Publisher: Police Association of south Australia (08) 8212 3055 Artwork: sam kleidon 0417 839 300 Advertising: Police Association of south Australia (08) 8212 3055 Printing: lane Print group (08) 8179 9900

The Police Journal is published by the Police Association of south Australia, 27 Carrington st, Adelaide, sA 5000, (ABn 73 802 822 770). Contents of the Police Journal are subject to copyright. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the Police Association of south Australia is prohibited. opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the editor. The Police Association accepts no responsibility for statements made by advertisers. editorial contributions should be sent to the associate editor ([email protected]).

Brett WilliamsAssociate editor(08) 8212 3055

Dr Rod PearceHealth Writer

Jim BarnettMotoring Reviewer


6

Allan CannonViCe-PResiDenT

Bernadette ZimmermannDePUTy PResiDenT

Jim TappinJulie foley

Chris Walkley

deLeGates

METRO NORTh BRANChPort Adelaide .................Mitch Manning (chair)elizabeth ..........................glenn PinkHenley Beach ..................Matthew kluzekHolden Hill .......................Peter kittogawler .............................David savagegolden grove .................simon nappaParks ................................sonia giacomellisalisbury ..........................Taryn Trevelionnorthern Prosecution ....Tim Pfeiffer

COuNTRy NORTh BRANChPort Lincoln ....................Lloyd Parker (chair)

Ceduna ............................scott PriceCoober Pedy...................Jeff Pagekadina ..............................Ric schildnuriootpa ........................Michael CaseyPeterborough ..................Andrew DredgePort Augusta ...................Peter HorePort Pirie ..........................gavin Mildrum

CRiME COMMAND BRANChElizabeth.........................Kym Wilson (chair)Adelaide ..........................Dac ThomasDoCiB .............................Jamie Dolanfraud ................................Rhett Vormelker

Holden Hill .......................narelle smith

south Coast ....................Allan Dalgleish

sturt .................................Brad scott

METRO SOuTh BRANChSouthern Traffic ............Peter Schulze (chair)

netley ..............................Mark Williams

norwood .........................Ralph Rogerson

south Coast ....................Peter Clifton

south Coast ....................Russell stone

sturt .................................Michael Quinton

southern Prosecution ....Andrew Heffernan

committee

Mark CarrollPResiDenT0417 876 732

Andy DunnseCReTARy0418 851 261

Daryl Mundy

David Reynolds

Trevor Milne

Police Association of South Australia

POLICE

ASSOCIAT IO N

O F S OUTH AUSTRAL

I A

ContaCt DetailsLevel 2, 27 Carrington St, Adelaide SA 5000

P: (08) 8212 3055 (all hours) F: (08) 8212 2002

Membership enquiries: (08) 8112 7988


7

MEDiA AND COMMuNiCATiONS

David Russell

POLiCE JOuRNAL Associate editor

Brett Williams

ExECuTiVE SECRETARiES Anne Hehner, Anita Hamilton, sarah stephens

COuNTRy SOuTh BRANChMount Gambier .............Andy McClean (chair)Adelaide Hills ..................Joe McDonaldBerri ..................................John gardnerMillicent ...........................nick PattersonMurray Bridge .................kym CocksRenmark ...........................Dan schatto

OPERATiONS SuPPORT BRANChDog Ops .........................Bryan Whitehorn (chair)Police Academy ..............francis TonerPolice Band .....................neil ConaghtyComcen ...........................Athalie edman

firearms ...........................Jon kemplay-HillMounted ..........................Paul MarstonsTAR ops ........................Daniel garlikTraffic ...............................David kuchenmeisterTransit ..............................Julian snowden

WOMENS BRANChJodie Cole (chair) ..........(no delegates)

ATSi BRANChRobert Agius (chair) .....(no delegates)

OFFiCERS BRANChAlex Zimmermann

rePreseNtatiVes

CoHsWAC .....................Darren Cornellsuperannuation ..............Bernadette Zimmermann..........................................Jim TappinHousing ...........................Tom schefflerleave Bank ......................Tom schefflerlegacy .............................Allan Cannon

FiNANCE Wendy kellett

staFF

iNDuSTRiAL Assistant secretaries Tom scheffler, Darren Cornell

RECEPTiON shelley furbow

POLiCE CLuB MANAGER stephanie MorrisonMichael kent

ThE killing of 18-year-old Lewis McPherson on a Warradale street last New year’s Eve has served to highlight, again, the fragility of human life in the face of alleged criminality.

Two of our members, snr sgt first Class Brett girardi and Const Tim kassebaum arrested Mr McPherson’s alleged killer, a 17-year-old boy who cannot be named.

They displayed great courage, as did Probationary Const nathan Ross, who had spotted and pursued the allegedly armed boy on foot.

other members – sC1C Ben Dujmovic, Const Holly Barber, sC1C Chris McDonald, snr Const Matt smith, Const Daryl Holland and Probationary Const liam Hellaby – gave critical input throughout the incident as well.

for the families of both Mr McPherson and the alleged shooter, the outcome of the incident could not have proved more tragic.

no doubt the members of those families, and the rest of the community, will come to a greater understanding of the incident as and when a trial takes place.

But, if there is one thing the tragedy has brought to light, it is the nature of the police occupation and the clearly innate instincts of all the officers involved in the pursuit and arrest of the suspect.

our members showed, again, that they were prepared to, and did, willingly place themselves in danger for their community. They displayed the admirable qualities for which those who serve as professional police are renowned.

These qualities separate police officers from the practitioners of nearly every other occupation. And too often, the exceptional acts of front-line police – acts on behalf of, and to protect, communities – go without much-deserved acclaim.

Police excel on the front line

PresideNtMark Carroll


8

committee members and, later, full-time officials. from that history, i know that the loss of his experience, loyalty, tenacity and humour will create a distinct void.

Andy has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with past and present committee members for six enterprise agreements over 16 years.

To exist in the cut-and-thrust world of police industrial relations unionists require solidarity, purpose and commitment, as well as a finely measured approach. Andy has shown those qualities in spades.

He is highly regarded by his police union peers right around Australia, and the Police Association will feel the loss of his experience.

The committee of management wishes Andy and his partner, Deb, a long and fulfilling retirement, and the Police Journal will profile Andy’s career in its next issue (April).

NEW-LOOK JOuRNAL you will notice that the Police

Journal has undergone what is likely its most significant redesign of the last 20-odd years. in an address to the Police Association annual conference last year, associate editor Brett Williams foreshadowed the changes he expected to implement in this (february) issue.

The journal’s look is now clean, fresh and uncluttered, incorporating plenty of white space and a strong red as its dominant colour. Broad columns of justified text and dynamic images, by award-winning photographer steve McCawley, constitute the feature pages.

Brett has dropped some regular sections and revitalized others, such as the back page which used to be lasting Memories and, later, impossible? it is now called Heroes and has one member per issue list eight people he or she most admires.

The other significant change to the journal lies in its dimensions – it is now 25mm wider, which adds 50mm to the width of its double-page spreads. This larger size creates much greater scope for more creative layouts.

Accomplished graphic designer sam kleidon, who has undertaken a range of design jobs for the Police Association, took on the journal redesign last year, and i congratulate her on her work.

i also acknowledge Brett Williams for his ongoing dedication and commitment to ensuring that our publication continues to set the standard.

STRAiGhT TALK WiTh NEW MiNiSTER south Australia has a new police minister owing to

a cabinet reshuffle Premier Jay Weatherill undertook last month. Member for napier Michael o’Brien, who also presides over the finance, correctional services, emergency services and road safety portfolios, has replaced outgoing police minister Jennifer Rankine.

in a recent meeting with Mr o’Brien, Police Association secretary Andy Dunn and i outlined key issues of concern to association members, particularly the cuts to the police budget and the lack of recruiting above attrition this financial year.

Policing needs a strong voice in executive council to ensure that the full impact of government decisions to reduce budgets or recruiting targets are fully understood. The committee of management looks forward to a robust and frank relationship with Minister o’Brien.

COMMENT WELCOME ON NEW uNiFORM More front-line officers in the new police uniform

are a welcome sight. The Police Association was instrumental in highlighting the need for improved attire and secured a review of the general-duties uniform in 2008.

The association made a submission to the sAPol uniform committee in 2009. it included a series of recommendations which focussed on the provision of a fully functional operational uniform and provided a range of options for the carriage of personal equipment.

Also encouraging is the sight of members undertaking trials of load-bearing vests and body-worn video cameras.

Clearly, the provision of uniform and safety equipment has to involve all members and be a process of continuous improvement.

The association always welcomes, and documents, your views and/or concerns. should you have feedback to offer during the implementation phase of the new-style uniform, i would encourage you to provide it to association industrial staff.

LONG-TiME SECRETARy STANDS DOWN long-time Police Association secretary Andy

Dunn announced in January that he would not renominate for office in the association elections this month. He indicated that he would step down and retire after the election of a new secretary in March.

His retirement brings an end to remarkable careers in police unionism and policing over 39 years.

i have worked in particularly close quarters with Andy for nearly 20 years, in our capacities as

And too often, the exceptional acts of front-line police – acts on behalf of, and to protect, communities – go without much-deserved acclaim.


9


10

Forced to shoot!


11

Forced to shoot!

A gunman had fired a bullet at one detective and aimed his rifle at another. Both officers had to respond, but they and a third colleague would spend years reliving the drama.

By Brett Williams


12

shrieked from outside the Kings Ave, Burnside house. He had just looked through a front window and spotted the sawn-off rifle on a bed. And he knew his two unknowing colleagues might be just about to enter the room directly in his sight.

The risk in that was enormous because also in the room was a gunman, edward Wilson, who had already fired the weapon in an earlier clash over drugs. grimaldi had clearly seen him through the window, just a second before he spotted the rifle.

Wilson, a known criminal, had seemed to be trying to manoeuvre the window to escape the house. He had refused a call from grimaldi to come out through the front door. instead, he stepped back from the window, leaving the rifle visible from outside.

Then, as grimaldi shouted out his “gun” warning, Detective Rob lengyel was already opening the door to the danger zone. He took half a pace inside the room and, on the other side of the bed, saw Wilson, now armed with the rifle and pointing it at him.

Above left: The view from outside the house into the bedroom and, right, the view Wilson had from inside the bedroom looking out as the police arrived

lengyel looked the 29-year-old drug-user and jailbird in the eye, dropped his work folder and started to step backward. Within his first pace or two, he had drawn his revolver, aimed it at Wilson, and repeatedly shouted: “Police! Put your gun down!”

But Wilson, who had stepped around the bed, simply kept moving toward lengyel at a “normal walking pace”. extraordinarily, neither of them showed panic; and Wilson said nothing as he kept stepping toward lengyel, who backed out of the room and into the hallway.

This excruciating contest of wills continued, as the backward-walking lengyel neared the partially open front door. But Wilson, holding the rifle at waist level, turned out of the bedroom doorway as well, to his left – and suddenly fired a shot at lengyel.

“We were face-to-face and, at that time, about three metres apart,” lengyel recalls. “There was a moment of surprise, and my first reaction was:

‘i must’ve been shot! He couldn’t miss from there.’ But i didn’t feel anything. i didn’t feel any pain.

“When he fired his shot, coming out of the door, his body was in that left-hand swinging motion. That’s why (i think) he missed me. Had he given it half a second more, his firearm would have been lined up with me and he would’ve hit me.”

lengyel had, by now, just about run out of space in which to retreat. He stepped back another pace or two, right up to the front door. But he could not turn to open it fully and flee, as that would mean breaking critical eye contact with Wilson.

“…my first reaction was:

‘i must’ve been shot! He couldn’t miss

from there.’ But i didn’t

feel anything.”

“ThERE’S a gun!” Detective Alex Grimaldi


13

Above left: The closed front door with the bullet hole just to the right of the handle; left: Wilson is taken into hospital by paramedics (image 10 news); above: the front door from inside the hallway with string indicating the bullet’s trajectory

“i didn’t have my weapon drawn until i saw the threat of him pointing his firearm at me. And, at that stage, i didn’t know if Rob had been hit or whether he had fallen. nor did i know that Rob had fired his revolver.”

With his radio and folder still in his left hand, grimaldi fired a round with his right – and it came almost simultaneously with lengyel’s shot. He would later describe his action as a “one-handed, instinctive shoot”.

But, just as he fired, Wilson pushed the front door shut. The bullet went straight through the door’s frosted glass panel and hit Wilson in the right upper arm.

He then turned, dropped the rifle, took a pace or two back along the hallway and collapsed on the floor clutching his chest. He fell less than a metre from lengyel, who had kept his eyes fixed on the shooter throughout the ordeal.

grimaldi, too, saw Wilson’s collapsing silhouette through the door’s frosted glass. He and Jenson then charged toward the door intending to kick it open to gain entry.

so lengyel wound up trapped between the back of the open door and the hall side of the bedroom wall, as Wilson still kept advancing. And, to his other colleague, Cal Jenson (not his real name), he was now completely out of view.

says lengyel: “going through my head was: ‘i’ve been shot at and i’ve got nowhere else to go! i have to shoot back!’ ”

And he was right. With Wilson still refusing to yield, lengyel was under the most serious threat of his life – and completely out of options. He got down on bended knee and, when Wilson had come to within just a little more than a metre of him, lengyel fired.

“i discharged my firearm in an upward angle,” he says, “and i knew i hit him straight away. i could see the ‘puff’ in his shirt (as the bullet hit), right in his chest.”

But the shot did not immediately disable Wilson. He took yet another pace forward, toward the front door, which he grabbed with his left hand as he kept the rifle grasped in his right and pointing forward.

now under threat was grimaldi, who was only about five metres away in the front yard. He had heard the shot Wilson had fired and momentarily seen lengyel crouching in the hallway.

“This bloke’s standing in the front doorway and he’s got a firearm levelled at me!” grimaldi says. “He just looked at me, and i honestly believed that he was about to fire at me. i had no doubt he was going to fire.

“This bloke’s standing in the front doorway and he’s got a firearm levelled at me!”

“And i remember my legs were like jelly,” grimaldi says. “The adrenaline was still pumping.

“Then, all of a sudden, the door’s opened up and it was Rob. And, when i saw that it was him, there was just this wave of relief that he was okay.

“Then we went inside the house, and Wilson was slumped on the floor to the side of the hall.”

Jenson secured the rifle, alerted police communications and requested an ambulance as grimaldi and lengyel rushed to apply first aid to the still conscious Wilson. They manoeuvred him into the coma position but that caused him to struggle to breath.

Then, as he resisted and abused them, the two detectives – unfazed by the words “cops suck” tattooed on the backs of his fingers – helped him up into a sitting position. “He could breathe a lot better in that position,” lengyel says. “We were trying to help him live.”

exacerbating the crisis was leah synnerdahl, a Wilson cohort who had taken refuge in the bathroom during the shooting. “she was in there screaming,” grimaldi recalls, “so we had to take her out and take control of her, and we’re trying to give first aid to Wilson.”

Bleeding from Wilson’s chest wound appeared to be minimal, and grimaldi thought the gunman unlikely to die. lengyel, on the other, initially believed he would be lucky to survive, but soon changed his mind.

“When he was still conscious, talking, abusive and aggressive,” lengyel says, “i thought: ‘okay, my shot didn’t penetrate too much at all. no worries. He’s obviously okay.’ ”

Paramedics soon arrived and tended to Wilson for around five minutes before rushing him to the Royal Adelaide Hospital.

And, by now, 7 kings Ave, Burnside, which was now a crime scene, was filling up with patrols, investigators and police bosses, including an assistant commissioner.

Quickly on the scene as well, for grimaldi, lengyel and Jenson, were Police Association assistant secretary Tom scheffler and lawyer Morry Bailes.

A man they did not know – but who turned out to be synnerdahl’s brother – opened the main door.

“We first spoke through the screen door,” lengyel says. “He then opened the screen door for me and i was at the doorstep when i asked if leah had lived there.

“He motioned backwards and pointed as if he was saying: ‘she’s just in there,’ pointing to the first door on the right.

“He moved to the side, like he was inviting me in so i stepped into the actual hallway. i was basically one step inside the door.”

The brother knocked on the door he had pointed at and called to his sister, telling her the police were there.

lengyel himself then knocked on the door, as he too called out to synnerdahl. finally, she emerged from the room, immediately closing the door behind her. Then came an ill-considered tirade.

“straight away she was abusive,” lengyel says, “questioning what i was doing there in the house. she yelled: ‘f--- off copper! you’ve got no right to be here! get out!’

“i explained to her that i was investigating a shooting incident where Wilson had been implicated, and so i did have a right to be there. i said i needed to know his whereabouts.

“she was not co-operating at all and was quite aggressive, just trying to force her presence, force me back towards the door. she was abusive the whole time, screaming at me.”

The dishevelled synnerdahl claimed to know nothing of the shooting. she insisted that she had spent the entire morning asleep.

But all her aggression, as well as her prompt closing of the bedroom door and avoidance of the question of Wilson’s whereabouts, worked against her. synnerdahl’s actions simply gave lengyel a stronger sense that she was hiding something.

that he was desperate not to implicate himself in drug-dealing and Jenson thought him affected by cannabis.

nonetheless, the officers took yale up on an offer he had made to show them where synnerdahl lived. in an unmarked police car, all four were soon driving through the backstreets of Burnside, where yale proved infuriating.

His uncertainty of synnerdahl’s address became obvious as he picked out house after house and changed his mind after almost every choice. His last selection was 7 kings Ave, although he was still not certain he had picked the right place.

With this dubious input to their investigation, the officers headed back to Holden Hill police station with yale. He provided a statement as they ran an exhaustive range of checks on residential addresses, including those yale had picked, and synnerdahl.

But all these computer-based enquiries proved fruitless. no link between synnerdahl and any Burnside address ever showed up in the checks. indeed, no woman of her name showed up at all.

“no one knew anything about this girl called leah,” grimaldi says. “so we just made a decision to go out there (to the addresses yale had nominated).”

in this way the officers could eliminate each address from their investigation. And, given the yale

input, not one of the three cops ever expected these door-knock enquiries to result in any information – or the discovery of the shooter.

They arrived at 7 kings Ave, Burnside around 11am. grimaldi walked down the driveway toward a carport as lengyel and Jenson headed over to the front door and knocked on it.

hOW iT ALL STARTED They would all come to learn that the chain

of events leading to the shootout had begun the previous day, november 12, 2005. Wilson and synnerdahl, who had met through the illicit drug scene, had gone to the gilberton home of Alan yale.

synnerdahl wanted to acquire drugs from him; and police knew yale extremely well. How the visit played out that day never became completely clear but, early the next morning, Wilson and synnerdahl drove back to yale’s place in a stolen nissan silvia.

An argument erupted outside between yale and Wilson, who got out of the car brandishing the sawn-off rifle. He used it to threaten yale, who fled to his bedroom in which he barricaded himself.

Wilson tried but failed to kick down the bedroom door and so fired a shot through it. Clearly on a rampage, he stole cash, car keys and ecstasy tablets from yale, and a mobile phone from one of two other people outside yale’s Mellor Ct home.

Wilson and synnerdahl then fled in the stolen silvia, as yale called police on the triple-zero line. grimaldi, lengyel and Jenson, all from Holden Hill CiB, were among the officers who responded.

Their chief source of information was yale but he seemed unable, or unwilling, to give a consistent account of what had happened. lengyel suspected

“she was not co-operating at all and was quite aggressive, just trying to force her presence, force me back towards the door.”

Below left: The front window through which grimaldi first saw Wilson and the driveway to the right; below: the driveway and carport covered by the green shade cloth


15

With the incident over and the scene now teeming with police, lengyel and grimaldi had to give up their guns for subsequent ballistic tests.

Then, required, as they were, to stay out of the crime scene, all three officers sat on a fence across the road and tried to record some notes.

“We could hardly write,” grimaldi explains. “i think i wrote about five lines and i could hardly read my scribble.

“We were in shock, trying to process what had happened. We’d gone from just making enquiries to now being involved in a police shooting. And i don’t care how long you’ve been in the job, nothing prepares you for that.”

lengyel, too, found the procedure in the aftermath daunting. “it has to take place,” he says. “i have no problem with that. it’s just something that you’re not prepared for.

“i’d never seen so many bosses, so many inspectors, chief inspectors, superintendents, all gathered in one place before.”

lengyel, grimaldi and Jenson would eventually leave the scene but only to attend the offices of the Major Crime investigation section. There, in line with practice, detectives would have to interview them about the shooting.

“i didn’t realize how big an impact it had made,” lengyel says. “i’d never been involved in a police shooting before.”

lengyel asked synnerdahl for access to the room but she refused, so he pushed her aside and opened the door.

outside, on his way back from the carport, grimaldi had just stepped in front of the bedroom window, seen Wilson and the rifle, and shouted his

“gun” warning. lengyel heard it but was already half a pace inside the bedroom and face-to-face with Wilson.

And, by the time Jenson stepped back toward the door to warn lengyel of the movement he had seen, his imperilled colleague was backing out of the bedroom.

says grimaldi: “i remember rushing past (Cal) to get to the front door, and that’s when i heard the (first) gunshot.”

When grimaldi came to fire on Wilson, lengyel never heard the shot. so neither detective ever knew, until after the shooting, that the other had fired.

As the front-door exchange had begun, grimaldi had made his way to the carport, on the front of which hung green shade cloth. He pulled it aside, stepped in under the roof and found the stolen nissan silvia.

This critical discovery both gratified and alarmed him. He knew the presence of the car meant that the shooter could also be present, in the house – and still armed.

“That heightened my whole awareness,” he says. “What had started as just an initial enquiry had now gone up another level. i thought: ‘okay, the guys need to know the car’s here,’ so i went back to the door to tell them.”

And, when he got there, grimaldi saw lengyel talking to synnerdahl and so approached Jenson, who was also just inside the house. He told Jenson he had found the silvia and that he was going back to the carport to see if, anywhere inside the car, he could spot the rifle.

But, after another inspection of the silvia, grimaldi could see no sign of any firearm and so headed back to the front door to back up his colleagues. As grimaldi had looked for the rifle, Jenson had stepped out of the house and noticed movement at the bedroom window.

Meanwhile, lengyel had decided that he had to find out if Wilson was on the other side of that bedroom door. “i needed to know for my own safety and for everyone else’s,” he says. “if he was there, it wasn’t going to be a good situation.”

Above left: inside the bedroom where Wilson first threatened lengyel with the rifle; above: the rifle Wilson used in the shootout; left: the stolen nissan silvia; right: synnerdahl on the street behind the van in kings Ave after the shooting (image sunday Mail)

“We were in shock, trying to process what had happened. We’d gone from just making enquiries to now being involved in a police shooting.”


16

ThE PERSONAL iMPACT none of the officers knew that day that he would

come to suffer intense mental and emotional strain as a result of the shooting. And each was yet to face a commissioner’s inquiry and a coronial inquest, both of which would take years to conclude.

But the first emotional blow struck them in the early hours of the morning after the shooting. each received a phone call at home. it was then-Chief inspector yvette Clark, who told them that Wilson had died in hospital.

“i was in shock,” lengyel says. “i think i felt a kind of guilt but, justifying it in my head straight away, i thought: ‘i shouldn’t be guilty. i didn’t do this to him. He did it to himself.’ ”

grimaldi, too, responded with shock and misplaced guilt. in fact, after the phone call, he went completely silent, until his concerned wife asked:

“What’s wrong?” grimaldi said quietly: “He’s dead.”“she was dumbfounded (by the news),” he says.

“it just escalated the whole thing to another level.“And that was the

hardest thing. i carried that guilt for three or four months. Why, i don’t know. That was just the way my mind was processing it.

“it took a while for that (guilt) to come out, and i thought:

‘This is crap. Why am i feeling guilty for somebody who had all those choices but chose (to shoot it out)?’ it wasn’t us who chose that.”

Jenson thought of the news of Wilson’s death as the second emotional “shock wave” to knock him over. The shooting had been the first.

And more stress beset each officer as he fronted up to questioning in the Coroners Court in 2008 and during the commissioner’s inquiry.

“The more drawn out it was the more you were reliving it,” lengyel says. “At every stage, you had to retell the story. That’s stressful because you’re reliving the actual moment. every time i tell the story, i keep going back to, and i can still see, that puff of his (Wilson’s) shirt.

“every time i told the story, even up until the coroner’s inquest, it was like watching a movie play (in my head) in slow motion – every moment of it.”

Constant flashbacks – such as the movie type which plagued lengyel – moodiness and sleep deprivation were among other conditions all three officers suffered.

grimaldi, who ended up battling depression, found that few people understood how best to interact with him. He withdrew, became angry and, ultimately, mistreated those closest to him, including his friends.

“i put my family through a lot of crap just because i wasn’t dealing with it,” he explains. “i treated them terribly but got great support from my wife.” To his good fortune, the rest of his family and friends understood, too, and stuck by him.

lengyel, who came to think about his own mortality, found it easy to “blow up”, to lose patience. But he valued strong support which superintendent yvette Clark gave him and his colleagues.

“i had great support from my wife, too” he says, “and i thank her sincerely. it wasn’t fair on her. Through no fault of her own, she had a lot to endure.”

for Jenson, the shooting had come at the worst possible time, just two months after the birth of his first child, who had come to the world with an incurable illness. The diagnosis came when his son was just three weeks old, and it hit the young father pretty hard.

But, despite the closeness of the two dramatic events, Jenson seemed to cope well – until two years later. At that point, he started to suffer irritability and became “annoyed and bitter”.

“you know there’s something wrong when things just get tense,” he says. “Probably for a couple of months (after the two-year mark) little things became big things, and things just spiralled out of control.”

“every time i told the story, even up until the

coroner’s inquest, it was like watching a movie play

(in my head) in slow motion – every moment of it.”

The view into the hallway through the open front door


17

ThE iNQuEST in his findings, Coroner Mark Johns remarked: “i conclude

… that senior Constable (Jenson) and Detectives lengyel and grimaldi acted appropriately and fulfilled their duties exactly as they should have…

“Detectives lengyel and grimaldi were placed in the invidious position of having to discharge their firearms in what they quite reasonably regarded as a situation of self-defence.”

Johns’ findings brought the officers overwhelming relief but the inquest had taken three years to come about, and that left them wholly unimpressed with the coronial system. grimaldi felt worn down by the time lag, and Jenson insists that it made his life harder.

“it shouldn’t take that long,” he says of both the coronial inquest and commissioner’s inquiry.

And, even after the coroner announced his findings, Jenson continued his counselling sessions and never felt fully recovered until five years after the shooting.

As grimaldi and lengyel endured their post-shooting trauma, they got to thinking about walking away from their police careers.

“But i didn’t want it to beat me,” grimaldi says. “i’m still here because of the support of my mates as well. My friends in the job have been great, they’ve been supportive. And i got the support of my family.”

lengyel and his wife often talked about him leaving police work behind. He even got as far as making enquiries about openings in the private investigation and security fields.

“My wife would have been quite happy if i left the job,” he says. “But it’s a job i’ve always wanted to do, and still want to do.”

All three officers initially felt strong anger toward Wilson for threatening their lives and compelling two of them to shoot him. But that sentiment eventually transformed into indifference and remains so today.

in May last year, then-commissioner Mal Hyde presented the three officers with certificates of merit for their actions. But the presentation had taken six-and-a-half years to come about and took place behind closed doors rather than during a graduation ceremony.

lengyel found both the delay and the format “a bit insulting”. “i thought the ideal time would have been straight after the findings of the inquest (three-and-a-half years earlier),” he says.

As grimaldi explains it, the certificates were important because they were “the last thing we needed to put this (incident) to bed”.

And from the wording on his certificate, his two children got their truest perspective of the risks their father and his colleagues have to confront as police officers. They realized, and said:

“Dad could have been killed!”“so,” grimaldi says, “i walk out the door, go to work and

speak to my daughter or son on the phone, and they say: ‘Dad, just be careful.’ ”

Common to all three officers is their advice on how best to deal with the aftermath of a shooting or other serious police incident. it is simply to talk to people about what happened, to just “offload”, as lengyel describes it.

He also suggests that police officers should trust their training. “our instinctive reactions are only instinctive because we’ve been trained that way, that repetitive training,” he says.

“We’d all like more, but i know that the training we’d received to that point (when the shooting happened) is what saved my life.” PJ

in reality, Jenson had remained focussed on the plight of his son and was yet to deal with the emotional fallout of the shooting. And his now rancorous disposition began to affect his marriage.

“We nearly got divorced,” he says. “The relationship broke down; and it started breaking down over that period. We didn’t actually separate but there was a lot of sleeping on the couch and an occasional sleep at other people’s houses.

“There were a lot of arguments and she (my wife) was paying the price (for my involvement in the shooting).

“But she stood by me. she could see the cause of the problem and she pushed me to go and see someone. she said: ‘Maybe you should take up that psychological counselling you were offered from the start,’ which was good.”

of all the stress he had to deal with, Jenson found the toughest to be the fact that he had not fired back at Wilson.

“if you look at it logically it doesn’t make sense,” he says.

“it’s hard to explain, other than that i felt that they bore the brunt of the whole job, like they were carrying me. They’d been in the position that they had fired and, in doing that, they not only saved their own lives, they saved my life as well.”

Jenson endured his intense psychological struggle for 12 months. By then, three years had passed and he and his colleagues finally won formal vindication in the Coroners Court.

“My wife would have been quite happy if i left the job but it’s a job i’ve always wanted to do, and still want to do.”

Top: Alex grimaldi and, above, Rob lengyel


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SERGEANT Peter Crouch never expected the sublime Sunday he had spent with friends around his backyard barbecue to end with a gut-wrenching loss. But, soon after 9pm, he was rushing his beloved german shepherd, sultan, to an after-hours vet surgery.

The 10-year-old retired police dog had wound up with a severe case of bloat, a potentially fatal stomach condition. Crouch, 46, had found him suffering in the backyard in which the joy of that day had just played out.

“His stomach was completely massive and he was in agony,” Crouch remembers of that emotion-charged evening just three months ago.

But sultan had survived bloat once before, as a working three-year-old, so Crouch felt reasonably confident that his now struggling former partner would pull through again. if the big, adorable crook-catching hound were to die that night, he would break so many hearts.

And his death would hit Crouch the hardest. sultan was the endlessly loyal partner with whom he had responded to hundreds of jobs and tracked dozens of suspects. And at the end of every shift, the two workmates used to head home to the Crouch household.

There, the friendly, affection-seeking sultan, with his huge head and 43kg frame, lived as a cherished member of the family. He loved to go out on 6km runs with his master and play games with Crouch’s son, Wil, in the backyard.

But what he wanted most was what all working dogs crave: simply to get back to work, where he was always able to go until his 2011 retirement.

“you go through some pretty wild adventures together and that brings about this close bond,” Crouch says. “We (dog-handlers) see more of them (our dogs) than we do the wife and kids.”

one of those wild adventures took place in the early hours of a stormy morning outside a sports club in the western suburbs. Crouch and sultan charged toward five suspects, one of whom was loading goods into the back of a car just before all were about to flee.

As soon as the suspects saw the gargantuan dog and his handler closing in on them, three fled instantly. But, just as instantly and without a command, sultan chased one of them down and held him.

Meanwhile, Crouch somehow managed to restrain two others who had remained in the getaway car. And, at the same time, he could see sultan with the other suspect, who kept trying, fruitlessly, to escape the unbreakable grasp of the determined dog.

Letting go

Putting a sick, retired police dog to sleep is an agonizing task for any Dog Ops handler. Each regards it as losing a close friend and workmate.

By Brett Williams


19

This seemingly impossible situation lasted until the first back-up patrols arrived eight minutes later. once on the scene they took charge of the three suspects; and, 15 minutes later, Crouch deployed sultan to track the other two in pouring rain and strong wind.

sultan found the fourth suspect hiding in bushes in the front yard of a house, 500 metres away. And, within another 15 minutes, he had found the fifth malefactor also hiding in bushes, in a reserve near the sports club.

“sultan’s efforts brought about the arrest of five offenders and the recovery of more than $8,000 worth of property,” Crouch says proudly. “Without him, i would have been in all sorts of trouble that night.”

in another unforgettable incident, Crouch and sultan went looking for a missing three-year-old boy on an ice-cold night of around zero degrees in the southern suburbs.

With no clues as to where the boy might be, and after what seemed “an eternity”, sultan suddenly “towed” Crouch into a property, on which stood an empty house.

He led his master all the way to a porch at the back and on the opposite side of it and there was the child lying on a step, hypothermic and semi-conscious.

“sultan just went straight up to him, stopped, and started licking his face,” Crouch remembers. “He just

knew that that was the response that was required.“i still say that, if it wasn’t for sultan finding him,

that little boy wouldn’t have lasted the night, not in those conditions. And it was a case of ‘where do you start looking?’ it was a needle in a haystack.”

Throughout the six-and-a-half years of his working life – five with Crouch and one-and-a-half with snr Const scott Milich – sultan undertook 637 jobs and tracked 95 suspects. naturally, he became a big hit with front-line cops, and not just because he nabbed offenders for them.

Most connected with his affectionate personality. says Crouch: “you’d go to a job, walk up to a patrol car and ask where the offender was last seen.

“The next minute, sultan would be up on his hind legs in the window, scaring the hell out of the coppers. ‘it’s all right,’ i’d say, ‘he won’t bite you. He just wants a pat.’ That’s what he was like: just a friendly big lug who loved everyone except criminals.

“The day i met him, you could tell straight away that his personality was just so loving, and you couldn’t help but love him.”

But, now, sultan was desperately ill, his life on the line. At the vet surgery, he had jumped out of the car and run around the car park. He seemed to have come good, but a subsequent X-ray revealed his true condition.

“The vet showed me the X-ray and said: ‘look, it’s not good,’ ” Crouch recalls. “sultan’s stomach had twisted but also folded back on itself.”

The vet’s advice was that sultan was unlikely to survive an operation. That left Crouch to decide whether to end his treasured mate’s life – right there and then. He knew what was right and so made the agonizingly tough call to let sultan go to a peaceful end.

“i just had to make that call, as much as i felt like i was letting him down,” he says. “He was there for me all the time, every time i needed him; and, yet, at the time he needed me, i couldn’t (save) him.”

still, just before the end, Crouch would have 30 precious final minutes with sultan. so, too, would his son, Wil, who had gone along to the vet to support his father and the dog he had grown up with and loved.

inside the surgery, father and son lay on the floor with sultan as Crouch simply talked to him, reminiscing about all the great police work they had done together. neither he (Crouch) nor Wil could help but subtly shed tears as the minutes ticked by so quickly.

“i didn’t want him to be stressed but it was pretty hard work trying to stay strong,” Crouch explains. “He was wet because we’d had him under the hose during the day and he’d been having a great time.”

now former Dogs ops handler Peter Crouch with sultan


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DOG hANDLER Bryan Whitehorn knows that he, too, will have to summon extraordinary inner strength to end the life of his retired police dog, Bear. And he expects he will have to act within only days as a common spinal condition has now near paralysed the universally loved german shepherd.

The two came together to form a partnership in 2001, when the long-haired Bear was a two-year-old of more than 40kg. Muscular weight, to the tune of around six more kilograms, piled onto his frame as he got busy tracking suspects.

so, with his long, flowing hair, bulky frame and massive paws – which were big enough to fill a man’s hand – Bear was a striking-looking animal. His looks made him instantly identifiable to just about every operational police officer.

And his appearance once prompted someone to call him The flying Rug. “Because,” Whitehorn, 49, explains, “when he would run, all his hair would just bounce up and down and he just looked like a flying carpet. He just stood out in comparison to the other dogs.

“i always refer to him as a gentle giant because he would be absolutely meek and mild and didn’t show any aggression. But, as soon as there was any hint of aggression in front of him, or if i nudged him in the flank and said: ‘He’s a crook!’ he’d just (react).

“Then, when he was in his downtime, anybody could touch him, anybody could pat him. it was good. it was exactly what you wanted. you could switch him on and switch him off very easily.”

With Whitehorn as his only handler, Bear went on to serve the Dog ops Unit for six years and became one of its most successful canines. Deployed for 1,153 jobs, he caught 160 offenders and recovered $15,000 worth of stolen property.

And not every job represented just one apprehension: Bear caught multiple offenders 15 times, and his invaluable input helped front-line police clear up 492 offences.

Bear scored one of his biggest wins in the disused Woodville Holden plant just before its demolition in 2003. in fact, dismantling had already begun and a report had emerged of four suspects skulking about the property.

Bear, after Whitehorn let him go, found nothing in the grounds but then disappeared into a warehouse, from which someone had pulled metal sheets away to gain entry. Whitehorn followed his excited dog inside, where boxes and crates lay all around the place.

After Crouch left Dog ops to take up a position at fort largs in 2010, fellow handler scott Milich teamed up with sultan. That partnership lasted until May 2011 when sultan retired and went back to the Crouch family to live out his last 18 months.

on Christmas eve, Crouch drove up to his regular holiday spot on the River Murray in which both sultan and Zenna used to love to swim. He scattered their ashes in the water.

“To me, it’s a spiritual thing,” he says. “They can be together in the place they both loved, and spend eternity swimming.

“i’ve got their leads, plenty of photos and, of course, the memories. They never go away.”

But, finally, the time came to let sultan go. Crouch had to steel himself to call the vet, who entered the room ready to end the creature’s suffering. By now, sultan was sitting upright as the vet moved to inject him with the fatal solution.

“i held his head,” Crouch says, “and as he was rolling over to go to sleep, i was saying in his ear: ‘Where’s the crooks, mate? Where’s the crooks? good boy.’

“i made sure they were the last words he heard because that’s what he loved to hear.

“Then he took probably three or four breaths and that was it: he went away peacefully, but it was just horrendous.

“We sat there with him for about 15 minutes more, just stroking him and trying to compose ourselves before we left.”

Crouch had endured the same tragedy just seven years earlier when he had to let go his previous partner, drug dog Zenna, in exactly the same circumstances.

After her death, on which the Police Journal reported (Dog with the insatiable appetite – for work, August 2005), Crouch worked briefly with a replacement labrador.

And, then, to the Dog ops Unit, came 14-month-old sultan to begin his partnership with Crouch. over the next five years, the two formed an unbreakable bond as they went about tracking serious wrongdoers who aimed to avoid police and, ultimately, justice.

“Then he took probably three or four breaths and that was it: he went away peacefully, but it was just horrendous.”

Far left: Crouch and sultan as they appeared in the Police Journal in August, 2005; left: heading off to a job by helicopter; below: handler and partner on the banks of the River Torrens; below left: Crouch at his current post, the police academy

loose,” Whitehorn says. “We’d been searching for a couple of minutes and, suddenly, he lifted his head up and charged through all these bushes.

“i tried to run to keep up with him, and then he finds this crook hiding in the bushes. We worked out that, from the time we hit the ground to the time we found him, it was (only) 14 minutes.”

on a job just before he retired, Bear took off after a fleeing break-and-enter suspect through the grounds of the Westbourne Park Primary school. After the chase reached the middle of the school oval, the breaker stopped, turned and struck Bear with a tyre lever.

He connected with the dog’s shoulder a couple of times but gained himself no advantage. “it was just a really big mistake,” Whitehorn explains, “because it just made him (Bear) angry. Bear just knocked him flat on his back and just got onto him.”

As well as the great praise he got from Whitehorn for all his successes, the irresistible Bear found that

plenty of other cops loved him, too. on the odd visit up to the Communications Centre on night shifts, he knew to expect enthusiastic welcomes.

“i used to take him off the lead and he would just walk around,” Whitehorn recalls. “everyone would pat him; and he would just walk up and drop his head on someone’s lap. everyone would say hello to him and we’d go back to work.”

life was a joy for Bear, running around tracking offenders at work and living his off-duty hours at home

He pulled Bear back and called on anyone hiding anywhere to step out into view. no one responded so Whitehorn let Bear go again.

“i could see him launching himself and he actually grabbed this crook who was hiding behind a big wooden crate,” he remembers.

As Bear dragged the suspect backward across the floor, Whitehorn suddenly noticed another intruder hiding nearby behind a box and moved to take him in charge. But, just then, he spotted a third suspect on top of a scaffold.

Handler and dog managed to detain the three miscreants until uniformed patrols arrived and made arrests.

With the job seemingly done, Whitehorn walked out of the warehouse with Bear after reattaching his lead. “And, all of a sudden, he just pulls me sideways, probably 90 metres across this building,” he recalls.

Bear led his mate to a steel post with a ladder propped up against it in the dark. Whitehorn, who shone his torchlight upward as Bear started to bark at the ceiling, called on anyone hiding up there to come down.

After no response came, patrol officers began climbing the ladder. “And this guy yells: ‘it’s all right. i’ll come down,’ ” Whitehorn remembers. “it was the fourth crook. so that was one where Bear got four in one hit.”

Another job now memorable to Whitehorn came three years later, when a prisoner escaped from the Cadell Training Centre on the River Murray near Morgan.

Dropped off in scrub after a helicopter ride to the area, Whitehorn and Bear took up the search which patrols had begun 24 hours earlier. But thick, three-metre-high briar bushes made tracking with Bear on the lead impossible.

“We were just getting caught up so i cut him

“…if it wasn’t for him, i would’ve been really badly hurt, by guys with iron bars, knives, screwdrivers…”

with the Whitehorn family. With the then teenaged Whitehorn children he was particularly sociable, but he did get bored and always wanted to get back to work.

And he had a cheeky way of expressing his displeasure if, on days off, Whitehorn had for some reason not been able to take him for a walk.

“He would just dig a hole,” Whitehorn remembers. “not a mine shaft: it was just this paw-shaped hole in the back lawn, as if to say: ‘Well, stuff you. This is what you get for not taking me for a decent walk.’ ”

in April 2007, the time had come for Bear to retire. And Whitehorn never for a moment entertained the thought of his mate living out his last years with anyone but him. “Unlike a pet this is a partner,” he says, “a working partner.

“i trusted him to go into backyards and tell me before i even got in those backyards that there’s a crook there. Basically, he protected me.

“There’s been countless times when, if it wasn’t for him, i would’ve been really badly hurt, by guys with iron bars, knives, screwdrivers…

“As a handler, you’re nothing without the dog, and vice versa. it’s a bond. We’re with them (our dogs) 24 hours a day.”

Whitehorn took up a new partnership with german shepherd shadow; and retirement was never what Bear would have chosen. even now, whenever his master moves toward his police station wagon to head off to work, Bear turns up at the tailgate ready to go with him.

“That’s a bit sad sometimes,” Whitehorn says, “because you’ve just got to say: ‘no, off you go,’ and he sort of drops his head down and walks off.”

Top: Bear at home; left, far left and above: Whitehorn and Bear at work around the city and suburbs


21


22

in 2011, Bear started to suffer arthritis but underwent radical stem-cell treatment, which improved his condition. The more serious ailment, discus spondylitis, kicked in around mid-2012.

it results from infections in the vertebrae, and its effect is to leave dogs’ spinal cords under pressure or compressed. With his text-book case of the condition, Bear sometimes falls to the ground after his back end becomes wobbly.

“And he walks with a bit of a bend now and sort of carries one leg,” Whitehorn says. “it’s because his back end is basically not working.

“Unfortunately, that will be the death of him one day. He will go down and won’t be able to get up, and that’s when a decision’s got to be made (about letting him go).

“it’s absolutely horrible because, in his prime, he was a big, powerful, fast police dog, but also very affectionate and friendly. He’s still very affectionate and friendly. And to watch him deteriorate now is gut-wrenching.”

At times, Whitehorn looks at Bear and wonders about his pain, and whether the creature would actually prefer that his master end his suffering for him – there and then. in any case, he knows that, any day now, he might have to call a vet to his home to put Bear to sleep.

He also knows that that day will be a “gut-wrench” for his whole family. His plan is to set Bear up on his bed in the backyard and invite his son and daughter to spend

some last special moments with him.But, for the final 30 minutes before he

parts with Bear forever, he intends to be alone with him, just talking about all the police work they did together. And, then, he will hold him as the vet injects him with that fatal solution.

But, as a first for Whitehorn, will he have the emotional strength to see it through? “you have to,” he says. “This is your mate, who you’ve worked with side-by-side for a long time and trusted to do a job. it’s like having to put your mate down.

“i will grieve pretty hard initially and i can tell you right now, there’s a lot of other people who will as well.”

After Bear is gone, Whitehorn plans to scatter his ashes around the agility yard at the Dog ops Unit. “He used to love the agility yard,” he says. “He just loved running around and jumping through hoops.

“i will never forget him, more so because of his personality. When Bear and his contemporaries were around, he was the most successful of all of the dogs. He’s a really special animal.” PJ

Bryan Whitehorn had Bear put to sleep at home 21 days after speaking to the Police Journal for this story. He has since thanked colleagues and others for their interest in, and concern for, Bear during his last days.

“This is your mate, who you’ve worked with side-by-side for a long time and trusted to do a job. it’s like having to put your mate down.”

Bear, happy to be working, looks affectionately at Whitehorn

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COPS are impressive people, whose willingness to put their lives on the line for strangers sets them apart from others in society. That is the view of Adelaide radio personality Ali Clarke (formerly Carle), who reckons police are undervalued and quick to suffer the misjudgement of armchair observers.

it was obvious that she had emerged as a dyed-in-the-wool supporter of rank-and-file police last november. she had just given them a glowing endorsement in one of her weekly opinion pieces in The Advertiser (Ali Carle on Mondays, november 18).

Her observations of two front-line cops dealing with a nearby domestic disturbance

– to which she had called them – were the basis for her commentary.

The Triple M Hot Breakfast co-host had written: “i had to wake up the other half and tell him about how impressed i was with our boys and girls in blue.

“for $55,300 plus shift penalties, first-year constables will put their lives on the line for any one of us law-abiding citizens.”

This, and all her other police-positive remarks, appeared under the title Pay more to those putting lives on the line.

Clarke concedes that watching that patrol crew confront a big, agitated man and a bleeding woman in a dark laneway changed her previously blinkered view of police work.

“i honestly was concerned for them and also for their parents,” the wife and mother-of-two says.

“i thought: ‘oh, god, if you could see your (police officer) kids and what they’re doing now you might have a heart attack.’

“But, at the same time, they always had it under control. you could see their training (in play) and they were very firm, always in control.

“still, the fact that these police officers, a guy and girl, were walking into a situation that was unknown, with clearly agitated people, just blew me away. i couldn’t do it. i don’t think i’m brave enough.

“i can only wish that i’d be able to handle myself like those police officers did, but i’ve got a funny little feeling that i might just run.”

But Clarke would never run if it ever came to a threat to her family, children eloise and samuel and ruck-coach husband Matthew Clarke.

“Would i do it for a stranger on the street?” she asks. “i don’t know if i could; and that, to me, is what sets police apart. People who make that commitment are pretty special.”

in radio, Clarke appears to be without many equals insofar as her support for cops. of course, her Triple M colleague, Andrew Jarman, told the Police Journal of his great regard for them back in December. And so-called redneck shock jock Bob francis is a long-time supporter.

But, in an on-air chat about the highly publicized arrest police made in Whitmore square last year, some of Clarke’s Hot Breakfast co-hosts seemed to rush to an anti-police judgement. Clarke, on the other hand, calmly expressed a welcome rational view.

“i understood what they (my co-hosts) were saying, and i understood why they were saying it,

THoRoUgHly iMPResseD

WiTH PoliCe


24

By Brett Williams


25

ALi GiVES ThE ShORT ANSWER TO:

Alcohol-fuelled violence: “scary. it seems to be happening so much more and we need to find out why these kids and men are so angry, and whether or not that’s before the alcohol or after.”

Gang violence: “lost little boys. i understand this group mentality, people wanting to find something in common, but if they had some other leadership outside they just wouldn’t do it.”

Paedophilia: “Disgusting. Horrific. i don’t believe you can be rehabilitated; and, if you can, well, you’re not going to be rehabilitated near my child.”

Sentencing: “i always think: ‘not hard enough.’ However, i’m not sitting in that courtroom and hearing whatever circumstances led to that crime.”

high-speed pursuits: “Pursuits should be maintained but the number one thing is that the police officers need to be safe and the public needs to be safe.”

Domestic violence: “Too common; and we don’t feel we can step in and do something about it because we don’t know our neighbours. As for friends and family, we need to help whoever it is get out of that situation.”

Prison system: “if you’re going to prison, you’re going to prison because you’ve done something wrong. you don’t deserve to have foxtel or television. you’re there to be rehabilitated.”

Parole: “i’m glad i don’t have to make the decisions. i just think there are some people who have forfeited their right to walk among law-abiding citizens. They clearly don’t respect themselves or any of us.”

but i didn’t agree,” she insists. “i think we tread a very fine line if we’re going to criticize people for the way they’ve handled it (the arrest).

“now, i don’t know what the lead-up was; i don’t know who was in the wrong, so i’m not going to sit there and make that judgment call. if i was out there, and i was there from go to woe and saw what happened, then maybe i could.

“But until i’m ready to pick up a baton, a gun and handcuffs and actually go out and do the job, then i’m going to respect the people who have actually had the training.”

it was not only her november experience that alerted Clarke to the realities of police work. she has also gained understanding from friends who have joined the police in recent years, as well as husband Matthew’s uncle, former superintendent Andy Telfer.

And, with that enlightenment, she laments the skewed perspectives many seem to have on police. she speaks of the errant motorist who cops a fine for speeding and somehow finds fault in the police officer who issues it, in line with his or her duty.

And no one can accuse Clarke of not seeing it from the motorist’s perspective. on the very day she filed her pro-police copy for The Advertiser a copper pulled her over and reported her for driving an unregistered car. she had no idea her registration had run out the previous day.

Clarke accepted that the police officer was simply doing his job and “copped it on the chin”. And the encounter never soured her view of police. she suspects, however, that people wrongly see cops in a negative light when such interaction is all they have with them.

“The majority of us won’t ever see them in action in the manner in which i saw them,” she says. “so we don’t actually ever see the true work that police officers do.

“And they don’t make the rules. They’re out there enforcing the rules. They’re not the ones who make us drive at 40ks, 50ks and 60ks – they’re enforcing the rules.

“if we do the wrong thing – and i have this debate with (co-host) louie (Dale lewis) all the time – we get pinched for it, and that’s the way it is. i don’t necessarily think it’s the fault of the person who’s knocking on your side window.

“if you want to change something, start protesting peacefully, start speaking out and trying to change the law. it’s not the fault of the police just because they’re enforcing it.”

Brisbane-born and -raised, Clarke has not herself had a lot of interaction with police but can still remember her first vision of them as a five-year-old. An offender had broken into the family home and stolen, among other things, money out of her piggy bank.

years later, in Adelaide, Clarke lived through a much more frightening break-in, while she was at home and Matthew away.

“it was a sunday morning and i heard a noise, got up, and went (to investigate),” she remembers.

“someone had jemmied open the door and gone back out through the garage. i called the police and they came and did the fingerprints.

“i slept with a baseball bat, even before that, for a long time, especially with Matt being away. i hated that. i would quite often stay up until about one o’clock or two o’clock in the morning.

“Then i would reason that burglars wouldn’t get up so early, that they wouldn’t come, so then i would go to sleep. Pathetically stupid, i know.”

naturally, Clarke thinks about her welfare and that of her family in potentially dangerous situations. But she also wonders about the emotional well-being of, and support for, front-line police, who confront violence and sadness and cop abuse every day.

“At the end of the day or night or morning, when they come in from their shifts and the stuff they’ve seen, how do they deal with that?” she asks. “i understand they get support but i just don’t think it could ever be enough, because that’s me.”

And, as Clarke alluded to in the last line of her opinion piece, she sees little sense in police management getting concerned about cops and their ink.

“… as for all this talk about them having visible tattoos, it turns out you can’t see very much down a dark alley at two in the morning,” she wrote.

she expanded on her view when she spoke to the Police Journal last month. “i just don’t see how a bit of ink on your forearm is going to stop you from protecting me,” she says. “Who is going to have a problem with that?

“Who is going to say: ‘Can you please help me, my life is under attack,’ but then say: ‘oh no, you’ve got a tattoo, can you send someone else?’ That’s just ridiculous.” PJ

“i understand they get support but i just don’t think it could ever be enough…”

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27

Which model the best for gun control?Hayley ConoleReporterTen News

The comparison to the United states is stark. Australia has just 15 guns for every 100 people. The Us has 88 – the highest percentage in the world, with a total of 270 million guns – all privately owned.

last year, in Australia, 27 people were murdered by gunmen. in the Us, there were a staggering 12,791 victims.

But has Australia gone too far and driven the firearm trade almost entirely underground? our gun ownership ratio is low, but it only accounts for legal weapons.

At times, it feels like shootings here in south Australia happen on an almost weekly basis. They’re constantly in our news service, as drive-by shootings become a common modus operandi for drug-dealers and outlaw motorcycle gangs.

in the lead-up to Christmas, bikie violence took centre stage following the execution-style shooting of finks associate Jason De ieso at Pooraka. While in January notorious underworld figure Vincenzo focarelli lost his son giovanni, gunned down at Dry Creek.

in between, there’s been a smattering of drive-bys, attempted murders, and seizures of large arsenals of guns.

each time i attend a “show-and-tell” media opportunity with a table full of weapons, i can’t help but think: “Where do all these guns come from?”

The same question sprang to mind on new year’s eve when 18-year-old lewis Macpherson was shot on his way to a party with friends.

The alleged killer, just 17, was armed with a pistol. But from where? Did he access a poorly stored weapon, or are

NEWTOWN, Aurora, Columbine. Three Us towns that will forever be synonymous with America’s culture of gun violence.

The latest horrifying mass shooting at sandy Hook elementary school shocked the world and claimed the most innocent of victims.

At news of the deaths of 20 children and six teachers, just before Christmas, our minds turned to presents that would never be opened, toys that will never again be played with and hopes for the future that will never be realized.

The shooting, a catalyst for the biggest debate yet on America’s right to bear arms.

Just months earlier though, the same rhetoric emerged when 12 people were killed and 58 injured at the midnight screening of The Dark knight Rises in Aurora, Colorado. But then there was an election to be won, and neither candidate was prepared to take a stand.

sadly, it’s taken the tragic death of 20 children to inspire action.

Many of those fighting for stricter gun controls in the Us have cited the success of the Australian model, introduced after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre. At the time, Prime Minister John Howard introduced some of the world’s strictest gun laws, including banning automatic and semi-automatic rifles and tightening licensing and ownership laws.

Adelaide’s underworld gun-dealers prepared to supply to a teenager?

last year, the Australian Crime Commission launched an investigation into the illegal firearms trade. its initial findings suggested a black market of at least 10,000 illegal handguns, circulating through underground sources indefinitely.

And while there have been significant seizures in recent months, is this a war we simply can’t win? is it now the case in Australia that our gun laws have been so successful only criminals are armed?

That issue has become a central part of the gun-control debate in the Us. not surprisingly pro-gun lobbyists say the answer to curbing gun violence is more guns. The argument being that a person is less likely to shoot you if they think you’ll shoot them back.

i don’t personally agree with the idea of putting guns on the hips of elementary school teachers but, sadly, there are people who do.

so is the real answer to curbing gun violence somewhere in the middle of our two extremes? should Australia relax its gun laws to give ordinary citizens a fighting chance? should the Us reinterpret its second amendment, in favour of a person’s right to life? Perhaps Australia has it right already?

in a lighter approach, comedian Chris Rock believes the answer isn’t gun control at all, but bullet control. He jokes that if a bullet cost five thousand dollars, instead of five cents, people would think twice before firing a shot.

in all seriousness, i don’t have the answer. The only thing i’m sure of is that, whether it’s 20 innocent children on the other side of the world, or a teenager in Adelaide, in the words of Barack obama: “These tragedies must end.”

oPiNioN

And while there have been significant seizures in

recent months, is this a war we simply can’t win?

is it now the case in Australia that our gun laws

have been so successful only criminals are armed?


28

Letters

Graduation dinner fantastic

Dear AndyThe graduation dinner for our course (4/2012)

in fenwick function Centre was fantastic. everyone thoroughly enjoyed it.

The amount of speeches was adequate and the speakers themselves were very entertaining throughout the night.

The venue was comfortable and nicely set. The staff did a fantastic job on the evening taking care of all the guests.

i and the course would highly recommend the location to other courses (which has already been done).

on behalf of Course 4/2012, i would like to thank karen Tamm and the team that worked on the night and behind the scenes to make the night so enjoyable.RegardsAllie WhitneyParks Police station

Grateful to Police Association

Dear Andyon behalf of novita Children’s services,

i would like to thank the Police Association of south Australia for its generous support of the Melbourne Cup luncheon fundraising event at the Police Club in the fenwick function Centre.

Both our organizations are benevolent bodies within the south Austral ian community, and coming together to collaborate on the Melbourne Cup luncheon was a positive experience.

Those who attended had an enjoyable afternoon, including delicious food, fine wine and, of course, the race that “stops the nation”.

But beyond this, it was a meaningful event that helped raise funds and awareness for

novita Children’s services, which supports more than 2,000 children with disabilities and special needs in this state.

i would like to single out for special mention the people who assisted in making this event such a great success. They were police officers: Dylan neighbour, Matt kluzek, kelly-Anne Taylor-Wilson and Jane o’Connor.

There were two others who were not police officers, University of sA student Jessica Hehner, and sam Hooper of Tindall gask Bentley.

They acted as models on the day for the fashion parade which was an added feature of the function.yours sincerelyGlenn RappensbergChief executivenovita Children’s services

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29

Const Martina Milosevicnetley Patrols

Definitely. i have worked the Bay for the past six years and this year was clearly more problematic.

i believe the easy availability of illicit drugs is the difference. Most offenders dealt with over this festive season were not only intoxicated, but had taken drugs as well. The combination of the two makes them extremely aggressive and unmanageable.

This problem will continue until attitudes change towards the common acceptance of alcohol and drugs. you just have to listen to people’s conversations about their so-called great night: “i got so smashed, then into a fight!” sound familiar?

As police, we can only take a no-tolerance attitude towards alcohol- and drug-fuelled violence. educate by intervening early with disorderly gens, evictions and barring orders. Be the party-poopers until attitudes adjust accordingly.

Sgt Dave KyriacouCity Watch House

i don’t believe it is any worse now than in previous years. it is policing tactics that have changed, in terms of how we deal with alcohol-fuelled violence.

in the CBD we are now very proactive with early intervention through the use of barring orders, and we are taking firm action with arrests and subsequent bail conditions.

Adding to this is increased media scrutiny and the increased circulation of information through various social media platforms. This change in media attention and use of social media has put the issue in the public spotlight more than ever before.

But alcohol-fuelled violence still continues to be a difficult problem, especially in and around Hindley st.

Const Simon LloydAdelaide Patrols

yes, alcohol- and drug-related violence has been an ongoing problem in the lsA, especially around the holiday season. even though i have only worked three Christmas periods for sAPol, each one seems to be getting worse.

There seems to be more and more people who come into the city for the sole purpose of getting intoxicated and then actively looking for a fight – be that fight with bouncers, other patrons or police. These people have no respect for anyone, not even themselves.

in the city, we have a pretty low tolerance when it comes to intoxicated people and dealing with street offences. This attitude from police must continue until these members of the public get the message that their behaviour is unacceptable.

Was alcohol-fuelled violence more problematic over the last festive season than in previous ones?

Q&a

From top: Const Martina Milosevic, sgt Dave kyriacou and Const simon lloyd.

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30

FACE-TO-FACE contact with local operational police is vital to the efficient running of a criminal justice section, according to senior sergeant Tim Pfeiffer.

But he fears this valuable interaction will be lost if sAPol goes ahead with a proposal to restructure regional CJ sections.

The proposal, set out in a november 2012 consultation paper, is to rationalize the Ceduna and Port lincoln sections into Whyalla, the kadina section into Port Pirie and the Barossa section into elizabeth.

The restructure would reduce the number of prosecution sections by four and supposedly create larger sections at Whyalla, Port Pirie and elizabeth.

it would also reduce the number of sergeant positions in regional CJ sections by three and create one new sergeant position within Western Adelaide Criminal Justice section.

in the case of kadina, the restructure would result in the movement of both prosecutor positions to Port Pirie, with one position changing from sergeant to senior constable. The Port Pirie section would then manage sittings at the kadina Magistrates Court.

snr sgt Pfeiffer speaks with authority on the problems associated with performing the prosecution function externally. He managed the kadina section from Holden Hill between July 2012 and January 2013.

And, as he explains it, personal contact with local police assists in the production of arrest and report briefs of a reasonable quality, as well as the provision of information (affidavits, victim impact statements).

“operational members can easily access a prosecutor for advice … (and if) prosecutors are having difficulties obtaining information

“i also know from extensive experience as a prosecutor that country prosecutor positions are difficult to fill.

“imposing additional expectations on potential applicants (travel and time away from home) without significant incentives will make these positions even harder to fill.”

snr sgt Pfeiffer can also see issues arising out of the time prosecution members would spend travelling to circuit courts.

“A prosecutor would have to travel from Port Pirie every day of the circuit court,” he insisted. “This would mean a drive of at least 100km (each way).

“if a prosecutor aimed to be on site by 8:30am (he or she) would have to commence duty at 7am.

“given a 5pm court finish, they would not get back to Port Pirie before 6pm and would not cease duty before 6:30pm… This would mean an 11-12 hour day.

“if the prosecutor was required to attend kadina for a whole week, the travel would have a significant impact on the prosecutor’s ability to provide an effective in-court service, (because of) fatigue suffered over the course of the week.

“This would certainly lead to safety issues.”But one of the most significant issues snr sgt

Pfeiffer sees with the proposal is that, by removing local prosecutors, essential local knowledge of crime trends, persons of interest, volume-crime offenders and recidivist offenders is lost.

“This (local knowledge) is gained by a prosecutor … liaising with local intelligence and operational members, including CiB,” he said.

“This knowledge allows the prosecutor to put forward appropriate and relevant submissions in relation to bail opposition and sentencing.

Regional criminal justice the loser under restructureDavid Russell

iNdustriaL

“…face-to-face contact would not occur if

prosecutors are in a prosecution hub (and) only

travel to a circuit court on a monthly basis.”

they can easily approach a member … because they are generally in the same location,” snr sgt Pfeiffer asserted in a submission responding to the proposal.

“in the current arrangement i have found it difficult to chase up documents when required, and i am certain that members from kadina have not sought advice as often as they ordinarily would have had a prosecutor been present at the kadina police station.”

The justifications for the proposed restructure – put forward in the consultation paper – centre on the ability of regional CJ sections to manage staff shortages resulting from leave or positions which remain unfilled.

smaller CJ sections, the consultation paper asserts, suffer from regular difficulties in staff availability owing to annual leave and unexpected absence.

The paper also asserts that the impact of a member’s absence is greater in a smaller section, and that the larger sections are more robust in their ability to absorb absences.

But snr sgt Pfeiffer does not believe a restructure will solve the staffing issues.

“i found it difficult to find volunteers to attend kadina for a week to conduct the circuit,” he explained.

“Many of the prosecutors have young families, both parents work, or they have other commitments during the week outside of work hours.

“There is no doubt that similar problems would be experienced in the prosecution hubs.


31

to cover absences such as annual leave.“in December 2011, the Barossa

Criminal Justice section oC laterally transferred to Western Adelaide,” she recalled.

“Prosecution services Branch permitted this transfer to occur prior to the arrival of the new oC, in february 2012.

“During that period some assistance was provided … on an ad hoc basis, for court days and trials that had been prepared by the remaining part-time member… (but) at no time has it ever been common for prosecutors from elizabeth to relieve at Barossa.”

sgt gallie also points out that attendance at the Tanunda Magistrates Court by prosecutors from the elizabeth Criminal Justice section would require the use of a vehicle four days each month, for the entire day shift.

There is, however, no vehicle currently allocated to the elizabeth section.

local lawyers, court staff and detectives working in areas which would be affected by the restructure have made submissions and written letters. Their contributions support the submissions of snr sgt Pfeiffer, sgt gallie and other prosecution members.

They echo prosecutors’ concerns– that the restructure will be to the detriment of the prosecution function, the efficient running of the courts and service delivery to local communities.

several submissions highlighted the cost implications for sAPol in terms of travel (members driving to circuit courts) and accommodation.

in response to the restructure proposal, the Police Association convened a meeting of affected prosecution members in mid-December 2012.

fourteen prosecutors attended the meeting in person and via teleconference and raised a number of issues which would result from the restructure.

Among those issues were:• Witness proofing and negotiations with local

solicitors would be hampered.• The significant impact on members, and the

families of members, required to travel away from home to service regional courts.

• The lack of equipment and vehicles for prosecutors to travel to regional courts.

• The lack of office accommodation at the proposed prosecution hubs.

• The long hours members would spend driving to circuit courts (four-and-a-half hours each way in the case of Ceduna).Police Association president Mark Carroll wrote

to Commissioner gary Burns to express the concerns of prosecutors in the affected areas. He indicated that the reality of the situation in no way aligned with the contention that larger CJ sections were more robust in their ability to absorb absences.

“Criminal justice sections across the state have encountered difficulty in maintaining adequate staff levels,” he wrote.

“The withdrawal of prosecutors from regional areas is certain to exacerbate this problem.

“Resident regional prosecutors are not only integral to the fabric of justice delivery in regional areas but also staff development in key country police stations.”

sAPol, in line with the consultation process, is now considering the submissions of the Police Association and affected members.

“This type of face-to-face contact would not occur if prosecutors are in a prosecution hub (and) only travel to a circuit court on a monthly basis.”

Barossa Criminal Justice sergeant Carol gallie is one of the members whom the restructure would adversely affect.

she holds a range of concerns for the Barossa prosecution function in connection with the proposal. Most disturbing to her is that, if the section was to be rationalized into elizabeth, the Barossa lsA would become the only one in the regional operation service without a CJ section.

“Relocation to elizabeth would see an appreciable decrease in service delivery to front-line patrols, local solicitors, the Tanunda Magistrates Court, members of the public and the circuit magistrates,” sgt gallie wrote in her submission.

“By removing the section from the lsA, 37 front-line members will be directly impacted.

“if these members or any other members of the Barossa lsA needed the personal attention of a prosecutor, they would have to travel a minimum of 45 minutes each way outside their lsA.

“This means the lsA would suffer an absence of a minimum of one-and-half hours for each trip to elizabeth Criminal Justice section.

“Removing the criminal justice function from the Barossa lsA will result in an increase to the amount of time front-line police spend out of their lsA when attending on prosecutors.”

sgt gallie disputes the assertion in the consultation paper that the Barossa Criminal Justice section can suffer a significant impact by staff absences.

“Absences are managed within the section and assistance had rarely been sought from Prosecution services Branch up until february 2012, after which no assistance has been necessary,” she explained.

she also rejects the claim that it is common for a relief member to be provided by the elizabeth section

“Resident regional prosecutors are not only

integral to the fabric of justice delivery in

regional areas but also staff development

in key country police stations.”

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33

Is that alcohol I can smell on your breath?

heaLthDr Rod Pearce

On the front line, cops need their sense of smell for a range of purposes,

so how can they keep it in good order?

determining whether someone has been drinking alcohol. However, there is no correlation between the level of smell and the level of blood-alcohol.

in human nasal cavities there are perhaps 10 million receptors which respond to specific odorants, or combinations of odorants, when they enter the nasal tracts from the surrounding air.

The number of receptors stimulated determines the strength of the smell. The particular combination stimulated determines the quality of the smell which, of course, can range from pleasant and enticing to thoroughly obnoxious.

Dogs have about 25 times more olfactory (smell) receptors than humans do. There are specialized cells that recognize specific chemicals and release a message straight to the brain.

The way it works is that the odour chemical hits the olfactory receptor with a corresponding chemical message for the brain, allowing the estimated 400,000 specific smells.

This allows variation but also accounts for “smell fatigue” when the olfactory nerve runs out of the chemical for a particular smell and needs time to make more.

some loss of taste and smell is natural with aging, especially after age 60. Various other factors also contribute to loss of taste and smell, including:• nasal and sinus problems, such as allergies,

sinusitis or nasal polyps.• Certain medications, including beta blockers and

angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACe) inhibitors.• Tooth decay or poor dental hygiene.• Cigarette smoking.• Head or facial injury.• Alzheimer’s disease.• Parkinson’s disease.

AFTER you take a sip of wine, you might swish it around your mouth and let it linger on your taste buds, including the ones on the underside of your tongue. The flavour might be fruity, floral, herbal, earthy, spicy or nutty. But, in reality, you probably only have five taste sensations: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami.

so, to help, your sense of smell adds to the experience. it provides much more input than taste because it can detect some 400,000 variations while taste concentrates on just five.

As a police officer dealing with a case of drink-driving, you look to detect the smell of alcohol on the offender. But smelling alcohol is difficult. if someone had so much ethanol (alcohol in drinks) in his or her system that you could smell it, he or she would be dead.

you cannot smell the ethanol breathed out but other products contained in the drink are detectable by smell. What you can smell are the literally hundreds of esters and aldehydes contained in alcoholic drinks.

There is no way to eliminate the presence of alcohol from the breath in order to defeat a breathalyzer test. Methods which are said to be able to do so are merely cover-up solutions or distractions from the scent.

one might be able to hide the scent of an alcoholic beverage from another person but not from a breathalyzer machine.

Those who claim to be able to smell alcohol on another person’s breath are detecting the scent of other ingredients from the alcoholic beverage consumed. one might smell the potatoes or grain in vodka, yeast in beer, or grapes in wine.

The nose can pick up hundreds of thousands of different smells and this is particularly useful in

To protect your sense of smell, you should:• Avoid nose trauma (always wear seatbelt).• exercise (the human sense of smell is higher

after exercise).• eat only when you are hungry (our sense of smell

is strongest when we are at our hungriest).• Add spices to your food (non-specific stimulation).• steer clear of chronic “smelly” areas to

avoid depletion.nicotine has several properties which might bring

about the suppression of taste and smell. The bitter taste of nicotine might override other tastes; and nicotine has an irritant sensation which might inhibit other smells (similar to the way capsaicin can).

Another thought about nicotine is that it is able to enter the brain and thereby activate areas involved in feeding. Different feeding centres interact with brain areas directly involved with taste and smell. When cigarette smoking activates these areas, they might inhibit the nerve cells and the response to other smells.

survivors of the september 11 attack on the Us have talked about the smell. some have described it as the “smell of death”.

We know there were many man-made fibres, volatile organic compounds, silica, pulverized glass shards, alkaline concrete dust, lead, mercury and other heavy metals in the dust cloud over ground Zero.

learning different smells might alert you to emergency situations such as gas leaks, but some gasses, such as carbon monoxide, are odourless. so your own sense of smell is a personal tool to get to know, but it can make mistakes.

Use it to enjoy your food and drinks, protect the senses with simple measures and learn the limitations in your work situation.


34

Veloster comes with “striking front- and rear-end treatment”

and a unique three-door configuration.

Pushing boundaries

motoriNGJim Barnett

ThE new Hyundai Veloster sports hatch challenges traditional thinking and pushes the boundaries, particularly in terms of design.

it features a compact body with striking front- and rear-end treatment, including a bold grille, split, convex rear window and centrally located dual exhausts. its sleek roofline with massive glass roof and sloping rear hatch door pronounces its profile.

The interior features a pair of comfortable, body-hugging front seats, a leather-bound steering wheel, sporty dash layout and a compact but comfortable rear seat.


34


35

A diesel rarely heardA “smooth, capable vehicle” with a spacious, comfortable cabin

for up to seven passengers.

ThE recently upgraded kia sorrento sUV is a flexible seven-seat family tourer. The eight-model line-up of three V6 (2WD) petrol and five diesel (AWD) variants is priced between $37,490 and $50,390.

This sorrento features new bumpers, updated grille and light assemblies, vertical fog lamps and leD daytime running lamps. it also comes with a stiffer bodyshell, new vibration-damping subframe mountings and additional sound-deadening materials in key areas.

improved nVH levels constitute one result which is evident in the diesel – its engine is rarely heard or felt.

The mid-spec sli diesel auto ($43,990) is a smooth, capable vehicle. its spacious cabin offers comfort for up to seven passengers in three rows of leather-trimmed seats, each of which features air-conditioning vents.

Drivers score a power-operated seat with lumbar support and a reach/rake adjustable leather-bound steering wheel with buttons for audio, cruise, phone and trip computer functions. A button to adjust power steering assistance also features with a choice between Comfort, normal and sport.

second-row seats have a 60/40 split-fold design and can recline through a number of positions. Big third-row seats, which fold flat into the cargo floor, can accommodate adults but legroom and headroom are tight.

sorrento’s 2.2-litre, four-cylinder turbo diesel engine produces an impressive 145kW of power and 436nm of torque. in sli, it is coupled to a smooth six-speed auto with a manual mode for increased driver control.

Power delivery is excellent. The car offers effortless acceleration in any situation. even with a full load, long hills present no challenge.

Ride, handling and braking are good. sorrento delivers a good balance between smooth ride qualities and flat cornering. it easily handles unsealed roads and has the added advantage of a lockable AWD system for limited off-road work.

fuel economy is said to be 7.3 litres/100km (diesel auto).Standard SLi features include:• eighteen-inch alloy wheels with full-sized spare.• Antilock brakes.• stability and traction control.• Rear-view camera.• front and rear parking sensors.• six airbags.• Dual-zone climate control.• Trip computer.• six-speaker audio with UsB/AUX inputs, iPod

compatibility and Bluetooth.• Cargo blind.

A unique feature of the Veloster is its three-door configuration with a left-side-only rear door. it seems as if the designers wanted the car to appear to be a two-door hatch.

Veloster and Veloster Plus variants were initially released with prices of $23,990 and $28,990 respectively.

Both feature a naturally aspirated 1.6-litre direct-injection petrol engine which produces 103kW of power and 166nm of torque. These are not massive figures but this free-revving engine is willing, the six-speed manual gearbox is a delight and, providing the engine is kept on the boil, it is a good drive.

A go-fast turbo-charged version of the car is priced from $31,990. Veloster sR Turbo features a 1.6-litre twin-scroll Turbo gasoline Direct injection (T-gDi) engine, which delivers 46 per cent more power and 60 per cent more torque.

This quick version, which is fabulous to drive, also comes with a body kit, bigger brakes, special 18-inch alloys fitted with low-profile rubber, and upgraded suspension.

it has plenty of power on tap and acceleration is quick but the car has a refined feel.

suspension and steering are good: the car offers a combination of decent ride characteristics and agile cornering.

The six-speed manual gearbox is never a task but buyers can opt for a six-speed auto with paddle shifters.

All Veloster models come with a five-star safety rating and offer real value for money in the sports hatch segment.

sR Turbo is the pick and comes with an extensive kit list, including power sunroof, sat-nav, reverse camera and leather trim. Claimed fuel economy is 6.8 litres/100km.

it has plenty of power on tap

and acceleration is quick but

the car has a refined feel.

The award-winning Police Journal

to enquire about previous issues, artiCles or photos, contact associate editor BRETT WiLLiAMS on

(08) 8212 3055 or by e-mail ([email protected])

JournalPolice

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O F S OU T H AUS T RAL I A


37

WiTh recent interest rate cuts, home-buying activity has increased in south Australia.

Australians have long been avid investors in residential property with generational wealth for many being built through investing in bricks and mortar. This is in spite of share market volatility and the ongoing rise and fall of resource booms.

Residential real estate remains as a popular investment option providing regular, tax-friendly rent returns and long-term capital growth. in fact, one in five Australians owns an investment property (ABs, 2011), and for that there are good reasons.

over time, the value of residential property typically rises though not always in a steady path. While investors should always expect dips in market values, history has shown that these are generally short term and that residential property investment should be considered a long-term investment, for at least five to seven years.

official government data for the september 2012 quarter showed the south Australian median house price was $360,000 (same as the september quarter for 2011) but, promisingly, the median price in regional south Australia was $255,000, 6 per cent higher than the same time last year.

one really appealing aspect of investing in property is the ability to earn a regular stream of rental income. The Real estate institute of Australia maintains that with a flatter sales market there are

Australians still look to real estate as a good investment option,

but are you sure you’re ready to commit?

Investing in bricks and mortarCosta AnastasiouChief Executive Officer, Police Credit Union

BaNkiNG

Police Credit Union ltd. Afsl/Australian Credit licence 238991. Terms, conditions and acceptance criteria apply. Cover limits apply as set out in the policy wording. Police Credit Union ABn 30 087 651 205 (PCU) acts under its own Afsl 238991 and under an agreement with the issuer QBe insurance (Australia) limited ABn 78 003 191 035, Afsl 239545. Any advice herein does not take into account your personal objectives, financial situation and needs. Please consider your circumstances and the Product Disclosure statement to decide if a product is right for you.

great opportunities for investors.its latest rental yield update shows that properties

in south Australia can still be purchased for between $200,000 and $300,000 and attract strong returns. some regional areas are showing rental yields as high as 6.32 per cent (Millicent) and 5.35 per cent (naracoorte), which are excellent returns.

CRuNCh ThE NuMBERS Rental properties enjoy generous tax concessions

which can potentially put them ahead of other asset classes. This is one of the reasons residential property is highly favourable with Australian investors.

As a landlord, you are able to claim a tax deduction for a wide variety of expenses associated with owning a rental property – including interest on the loan used to fund the purchase. you might also be able to claim a deduction for depreciation.

As with all matters related to tax, it is important to seek professional tax advice before making any decisions.

AiM FOR LOW VACANCy RATES Aim to invest in an area with a low vacancy

rate. A vacancy rate below 3 per cent indicates an undersupply of rental properties, which means you can afford to charge a decent rent and experience fewer periods of vacancy.

in the recent market update from ReisA, the september 2012 quarterly vacancy rate for

metropolitan Adelaide has fallen to just over 3 per cent which is the lowest level in 12 months. some suburbs have fallen well below this 3 per cent mark, the Hills, for example, at 2 per cent and city/north Adelaide at 2.4 per cent.

in Australia, there is a well-documented undersupply of homes meaning we aren't building enough new dwellings to satisfy demand.

government figures suggest this shortfall could reach as many as 640,000 homes by 2030 (national Housing supply Council, 2011). This should provide further opportunities for property investors to secure their long-term wealth.

ARE yOu READy TO iNVEST iN PROPERTy? Run through our checklist to see if you are ready

to be a property investor:• you have met with a Police Credit Union private

banker and, together, you have prepared a purchase budget and are confident you can afford the ongoing costs of a property.

• you have discussed loan features with your private banker and have gained pre-approval.

• you have researched the market and different suburbs, and you have a clear idea about the type of property you want and can afford.

• you have gathered adequate information for your loan application:• Pay slips (or three years of tax returns

if self-employed).

Continued on page 41


38

Free Legal Service for Police Association Members, Their Families & Retired Members.

(08) 8212 1077 tgb.com.au

Have you or a family member been injured in a car accident?Tindall Gask Bentley acts in more motor vehicle accident claims that any other law firm in SA. Gary Allison & Richard Yates can provide free preliminary legal advice on your entitlements to compensation. They can also help with Workers Compensation, public liability & medical negligence claims.

Family Law Matrimonial, De Facto & Same Sex Relationships

• Children’s Issues• Child Support matters

• Property Settlements• “Pre Nuptial” style Agreements

Appointments with Wendy Barry (Accredited Family Law Specialist) & Dina Paspaliaris.

Commercial Law • General business advice• Real estate & property advice

• Business transactions• Commercial disputes & dispute resolution

Appointments with Giles Kahl & Julie Height.

Wills & Estates • Wills & Testamentary Trusts • Enduring Powers of Attorney• Enduring Guardians

• Advice to executors of deceased estates• Obtaining Grants of Probate• Estate disputes

Appointments with Julie Height & Rosemary Caruso.

To arrange a preliminary in-person or phone appointment contact PASA on (08) 8212 3055.

Leading Adelaide law firm, tindall Gask Bentley is the preferred legal service provider of the Police Association, offering 30 minutes of free initial advice and a 10% fee discount.

Adelaide • Reynella • Salisbury Mt Barker • Port Lincoln • Whyalla


39

iT iS almost four years since major changes were made to workers compensation legislation in south Australia (April 1, 2009).

Under the Workers Rehabil itation and Compensation Act 1986, prior to the April 1, 2009 amendments, an injured worker was generally entitled to:• Weekly payments of income maintenance

calculated on the basis of what he or she would have continued to earn in the future, possibly with overtime and other allowances included, paid at the rate of 100 per cent for the first 12 months and at the rate of 80 per cent thereafter with no specific end date.

• Medical and other like expenses, including travel and pharmacy expenses, as long as they were reasonable expenses and reasonably incurred.

• section 43 lump-sum compensation based on an assessment by any doctor of your loss of function of injured body part, with no threshold. no compensation for psychological injury.since the amendments which took effect

from April 1, 2009, an injured worker may now be entitled to:• Weekly payments calculated having regard to

an average of your earnings over the 12 months prior to the date of injury/incapacity, paid at 100 per cent for the first 13 weeks, 90 per cent for the next 13 weeks and 80 per cent thereafter until 130 weeks. After 130 weeks, an injured worker is only entitled to ongoing weekly payment if he or she can show that he or she remains

totally unfit for work and is likely to be that way for the foreseeable future, or, if he or she is working to the maximum of his or her capacity, top-up pay may continue.

• Medical and other like expenses including travel expenses and chemist expenses as long as they were reasonable expenses and reasonably incurred.

• section 43 lump-sum compensation for permanent physical injuries to be assessed by an accredited assessor (of which there are a limited number) in accordance with the 5th edition AMA guides to the evaluation of permanent impairment. A 5 per cent whole-person impairment threshold also applies. still no compensation for psychological injury.it is clear now that there are many injured workers

who do not qualify for compensation under the “new” legislation but previously would have. The only way to assess whether an injured worker has an entitlement to compensation is to have him or her medically assessed by one of the accredited assessors and obtain a medical report.

The permanent impairment assessment that is provided by the assessor will often be subjected to peer review by another accredited assessor, or the injured worker could be subjected to a second opinion by way of a further medical assessment.

We certainly still see a wide range of injuries from police officers being awarded compensation. injured knees, ankles, backs, shoulders and necks

(among others) are unfortunately reasonably common and in many instances will still entitle the injured officer to lump-sum compensation, albeit the

number of members not reaching the threshold and therefore not being entitled to compensation has certainly increased.

However, for many officers who might not reach the threshold, they might still have an entitlement to compensation through a Victims of Crime claim, if their injuries also occurred as the result of the commission of an offence.

The process to assess whether an injured worker is entitled to any lump sum compensation for permanent impairment is, in most circumstances, straight forward.

A medical appointment is arranged with an accredited assessor. That assessor is provided with all relevant medical information and history and, after a medical examination in which the injured body part is measured and tested, a report is supplied assessing permanent impairment expressed as a percentage of Whole Person impairment (WPi).

There is then a set scale of entitlement as to how much compensation the percentage WPi assessment equates to, which can also factor in any previous compensation amounts that might have been paid. Just because a worker might have received previous compensation does not necessarily mean he or she has no further entitlements.

Receiving section 43 compensation does not stop an entitlement to weekly payments, medical and other like expenses should they still be required. only a redemption of future entitlements, paid pursuant to section 42 of the Workers Rehabilitation and Compensation Act, can cease weekly payments, medical and like expenses entitlements.

Continued on page 41

Many injured workers clearly do not qualify for compensation under legislation

which underwent major change in 2009.

LeGaL

Workers compensation: are you entitled to a lump-sum, tax-free payment?Amber SpraguePartner, Tindall Gask Bentley Lawyers

We certainly still see a wide range

of injuries from police officers

being awarded compensation.


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Hard TwistedAuthor C Joseph greavesPublisher BloomsburyRRP $29.99

lucile garrett is just 13 when she meets Clint Palmer, a charismatic stranger who will forever change her life.

it is 1934, and, as the windblown dust of The great Depression rakes the oklahoma plains, Palmer offers lucile and her father, homeless and hungry, the irresistible promise of a better future.

But when they follow Palmer to Texas, lucile’s father mysteriously disappears, launching a man and girl on an epic journey through the American southwest: a spree of violence and murder that culminates in one of the most celebrated criminal trials of the era.

Based on a true story, Hard Twisted is a chilling tale of survival and redemption, and a young girl’s coming of age in a world as cruel as it is beautiful.

Snow White Must DieAuthor nele neuhausPublisher Pan MacMillanRRP $27.99

on a september evening 11 years ago, two 17-year-old girls vanished without a trace from the tiny village of Altenhain, just outside frankfurt, germany.

Based on circumstantial evidence, 20-year-old Tobias sartorius was convicted and jailed for the murder of his childhood friend laura and his beautiful girlfriend stefanie – otherwise known as snow White.

After serving his sentence, Tobias returns home and the sartorius family is subjected to a number of attacks. so Detective inspector Pia kirchhoff and Ds oliver von Bodenstein monitor the tense atmosphere.

But it becomes apparent that the disappearance of snow White and her friend was far more complex than imagined. Then history starts to repeat itself when another pretty girl goes missing.

The KillingAuthor David HewsonPublisher Pan MacMillanRRP $29.99

sarah lund is looking forward to her last day as a detective with the Copenhagen police department. she’s moving to sweden to be with her fiancé.

But everything changes when 19-year-old student nanna Birk larsen is found raped and brutally murdered in the woods outside the city. lund’s plans to relocate are put on hold as she investigates the crime.

While nanna’s family struggle to cope, local politician Troels Hartmann is in the middle of an election campaign to become the new mayor of Copenhagen. But links between city hall and the murder suddenly come to light – and the case takes a different turn.

over the course of 20 days, suspect upon suspect emerges as violence and political intrigue cast shadows over the hunt for the killer.

The Double GameAuthor Dan fespermanPublisher Allen & UnwinRRP $29.99

A few years before the fall of the Berlin Wall, spook-turned-novelist edwin lemaster reveals to young journalist Bill Cage that he’d once considered spying for the enemy. for Cage, the story creates a brief but embarrassing sensation.

More than two decades later, Cage, by then a lonely, disillusioned PR man, receives an anonymous note hinting that he should have dug deeper.

spiked with cryptic references to some of his favourite old spy novels, the note is the first of many literary bread crumbs that soon lead him back to Vienna, Prague, and Budapest in search of the truth, even as the events of lemaster’s past eerily – and dangerously – begin intersecting with those of his own.

As the suspense increases, a long stalemate of secrecy might finally break.

Books


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Strikeforce LightningAuthor Mark AitkenPublisher Allen & UnwinRRP $29.99

His war is over and former special forces captain gerry gallen is enjoying the relative peace of running a cattle ranch in Wyoming. But when he’s asked to lead a team to Jordan to retrieve his war-time sergeant, he agrees.

landing in Amman, gallen re-enters a world of Arab gangsters, American mercenaries and the constantly shifting loyalties of the CiA. And watching over his every step is the lethal presence of Hamas – a daily reminder that gallen is working under the constant threat of death.

nothing about the gig is what it seems and, as gallen realizes that his former boss has stolen $3 million from some powerful locals, the spectre of iraqi aggression rears its head.

But why do neo-Baathists want the cargo gallen is carrying?

Win a booK! for your chance to win one of these books, send your name, location, phone number and despatch code, along with the book of your choice to [email protected]

The Dunbar CaseAuthor Peter CorrisPublisher Allen & UnwinRRP $27.99

Private investigator Cliff Hardy’s leaves the mean streets of sydney for newcastle to find out what a famous 19th century shipwreck has to do with a multi-million-dollar heist with a cast of characters that shouldn’t be trusted.

This wasn’t Hardy’s usual brief but he could do with an easy case and the retainer was generous.

But is it ever that simple? not with a notorious crime family, tearing itself apart, and an undercover cop playing both sides against the middle. These and an alluring but fiercely ambitious female journalist give Hardy all the trouble he can handle.

“ever feel manipulated?” Hardy asks. The body count mounts up as he pushes closer to the truth about the mystery and the loot.

BaNkiNG

LeGaL

Continued from page 37

• identity verification documents.• letter from real estate agent outlining likely

rental income the property will earn.• you have spoken to your Police Credit Union

private banker about what insurance you should have as a landlord.

• you have chosen a conveyancer/solicitor.• you have nominated a property manager.

your investment property should be regarded as a long-term asset. While you might not see the gains in your hand for some time, your investment is continually working behind the scenes to build your wealth.

Want more information regarding the property investment market? you are invited to join us for a seminar to be held during April, 2013 at the Police Association, 27 Carrington St, Adelaide.

it is essential to register your interest as places are limited. so, to secure your seat and take the next step to building your wealth, call us on 1 300 131 844 or visit www.policecu.com.au/seminar to register.

Continued from page 39

furthermore, a lump sum received pursuant to section 43 is not subject to tax.

so the changes in legislation have certainly restricted the number of people entitled to compensation by introducing a threshold. still, it is important to ensure that injuries are properly assessed when they have reached maximum medical improvement (generally around nine months post-injury/surgery) to ensure that an injured worker receives the compensation he or she is entitled to for being left with a permanent disability.

Tindall gask Bentley lawyers provides a free legal advice service to Police Association members and their families, and retired members. To make an appointment to receive free preliminary legal advice covering all areas of law, particularly families and wills, members should contact the Police Association (08 8212 3055).


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Edge of NowhereRRP $19.95 Discs 1Running time 55 mins

Macquarie island, in the cold and furious southern ocean, is one of the most remote places on earth and is the last green outpost of land before the ice of the Antarctic.

Here, on this tiny island at the end of the world, resides one of the largest concentrations of wildlife on the planet.

Dr Dean Miller, scientist and marine biologist, dedicated 12 months of his life living on the island to study and document the return of the Antarctic fur seals from the brink of extinction.

Armed with a high-definition camera, Miller set out to observe and document every type of seal, every type of penguin, killer whales, and every marine bird you can think of. in the process, he captured the unique stories of each of these creatures and the wild island they call home.

Next Stop HollywoodRRP $19.95 Discs 1Running time 170 mins

from leaving Australia through to the g’Day UsA function, next stop Hollywood follows six aspiring young Australian and new Zealand actors during pilot season: the frenzied period when network television pilots get the go-ahead and casting begins.

some of our characters have already made names for themselves at home. others want to leapfrog from their small ponds directly into Hollywood.

All are attractive, ambitious and talented, but who will make it in the cut-throat American system? Who has a chance of becoming a star and who will head home with their tails between their legs?

LawlessRRP $39.95 Discs 1Running time 116 mins

in the mountains of franklin County, Virginia, the Bondurant brothers are the stuff of legend. The eldest, Howard, managed to survive the carnage of the great War, but he returned home unmoored by what he had seen and done.

His brother, forrest, nearly died of the spanish flu that took his parents. He beat back death with a quiet strength and ferocious, visceral invincibility that came to define him.

Jack is the youngest sibling – impressionable, sensitive and smart.

Times are tough and jobs are scarce, but the Bondurants are entrepreneurs and have built a thriving local business by concocting an intense and popular brand of moonshine.

But franklin County’s bootlegging days are about to end with the arrival of special Deputy Charlie Rakes from Chicago. The new “law” Rakes brings is lethal and corrupt.

Win a DvD! for your chance to win one of these DVDs, send your name, location, phone number and despatch code, along with your choice of DVD, to [email protected]

The Hour Series 2SRP $39.95 Discs 2Running time 354 mins

it’s 1957, one year on from where we left the newsroom. freddie is travelling the world, following his firing from the BBC.

However, Bel, lix, Hector, isaac and sissy are still the backbone of the increasingly popular current affairs programme which has now turned Hector into a national celebrity.

iTV network has launched a rival news programme and is busy trying to poach the face of The Hour as contracts are up for renewal.

freddie soon makes an unexpected return along with the new head of news, Randall Brown, and together they shake things up.

This series gives more of an insight into the team’s personal lives while professionally they are sucked into an intriguing news story of epic proportions on police and political corruption within the criminal underworld of soho.

dVds


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Richard Hammond’s Crash Course Series 1SRP $29.95 Discs 2Running time 274 mins

Top gear star Richard Hammond travels across the Us for his ultimate motor challenge, seeking out and driving the country’s toughest and most extraordinary vehicles.

These awesomely powerful machines have very specific jobs to do – and operating them is no easy feat, even for a confirmed motor nut like Hammond!

no two are the same so, before getting behind the wheel, joystick or control panel of these outlandish vehicles, Hammond is taught how to handle them by the people who operate them every day.

over the series, he trains with firefighters for his encounter with the supercharged striker fire engine, learns to fire and manoeuvre the mighty Abrams M1A1 tank, heads for logging country to master the tree-devouring danglehead processor and conquers huge specialist cranes on demolition sites and oil rig salvage barges.

ciNema

Zero Dark ThirtySeason commences January 31

Zero Dark Thirty is a military term meaning half past midnight – the timing of the actual mission to locate and eliminate the world’s most dangerous man, osama bin laden.

The term also refers to the secrecy that surrounded the decade-long mission to track him down.

Deemed the greatest manhunt in history, Zero Dark Thirty chronicles the declassified true story of the relentless pursuit by an elite team of intelligence and military operatives, working in secret across the globe.

Director kathryn Bigelow reteams with her writer/producer from The Hurt locker to reveal the intricate details behind the gripping chase, culminating with the now infamous raid which, on May 2, 2011, ended bin laden’s reign of terror.

LincolnSeason commences february 7

steven spielberg directs two-time Academy Award winner Daniel Day-lewis in lincoln, a revealing drama that focuses on the 16th president’s tumultuous final months in office.

in a nation divided by war and the strong winds of change, lincoln pursues a course of action designed to end the war, unite the country and abolish slavery.

With the moral courage and fierce determination to succeed, his choices during this critical moment will change the fate of generations to come.

Win a movie pass! for your chance to win an in-season pass to one of these films, courtesy of Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas, send your name, location, phone number and despatch code, along with your choice of film, to [email protected]

I Give It A YearSeason commences february 28

i give it A year charts the trials and tribulations of a rather mismatched couple navigating their first year of marriage.

since meeting, ambitious high-flyer nat (Rose Byrne) and struggling novelist Josh (Rafe spall) have been deliriously happy despite their differences. Josh is a thinker, nat’s a doer... but the spark between them is undeniable.

family and friends think they won’t make it. When Josh’s ex-girlfriend Chloe (Anna faris) and nat’s handsome new client guy (simon Baker) come into the picture, the situation gets complicated. neither wants to be the first to give up, but will they make it?

i give it A year comes from the producers of notting Hill, Bridget Jones’s Diary and love Actually.


44

To join visit www.pasa.asn.au and click on the Police Wine Club banner or call the Police Association on (08) 8212 3055

MEMBERSHIP INCLUDES

* Invitations to two Winestate magazine tastings each year (valued at $100)

* 12-month subscription to Winestate magazine (valued at $60)

* Minimum of three tasting events at the Police Club each year

* Free glass of house wine with every meal purchased at the Police Club

* Entry to annual wine raffle

* Discounts on quality wine


45

Sirromet Seven Scenes Signature Collection Granite Belt Viognier 2010 Mt Cotton, QldRRP $35 www.sirromet.com

Ample aromatic aromas with lovely honeyed, toasty bottle age developing. excellent depth of rich, creamy flavours with a slight grippy touch and some nice use of oak. good food wine.

Queensland’s largest winery complex, sirromet is located not far from Brisbane. The natural structure and unique architecture of the winery’s buildings are a perfect complement to the breathtaking scenery surrounding Moreton Bay, where a myriad of native Australian wildlife can be found.

sirromet often surprises many interstate wine buyers who often don’t understand how good some of the wines from the sunshine state can be. sirromet produces a diverse range of award-winning wines, much of which is exported to the emerging Asia market.

The winery boasts well over 600 wine medals and awards. The elevation of the granite Belt region of Queensland produces wines of surprising character.

WiNe

Patrick of Coonawarra Mother of Pearl Sauvignon Blanc 2012 Coonawarra, SARRP $19.95 www.patrickofcoonawarra.com

Very well made, very varietal style. long and balanced and loaded with pleasant tropical fruit flavours with a lovely sherbety touch.

Patrick of Coonawarra is one of Australia’s hidden gems, consistently producing world-class Cabernet, Rieslings and shiraz as well as unique sparkling wines.

The winery has been showcased at the world’s biggest wine show (Vinitaly) by Winestate magazine in the last two years, and has taken trophies in the recent Winestate Wine of the year.

Mount gambier-born founder Patrick Tocaciu loves good food and great friendships. He is also a very successful and well respected chief winemaker boasting a decorated career spanning more than three decades.

Patrick’s extensive knowledge and skills have cemented his fine reputation for quality and helped secure international accolades for several major labels while working for them as chief winemaker.

Aurelia Prestige Cuvée Pemberton Chardonnay Pinot Noir NV Pemberton, WARRP $24.95 www.robertoatley.com.au

lovely quaffer with citrusy aromas and moscato-like flavours with sweet citrusy notes and some development. it is produced by Robert oatley Vineyards at Channybearup in Pemberton, Western Australia, a pristine, gently undulating vineyard enjoying a cool, Mediterranean climate and supplying outstanding sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot noir.

Bob oatley is a proud and passionate Australian who is credited with pioneering Australian wine to the rest of the world. He owned Rosemount estate, for years the most recognized and successful family-owned Australian winery.

His success with Chardonnay put the Rosemount brand on the world wine “radar”. oatley’s success with shiraz, especially in the Us, was instrumental in establishing that varietal feature on most wine lists and retail outlets in the UsA.

The company has operations in Margaret River and great southern regions in WA, Mclaren Vale, Mornington Peninsular and Mudgee in nsW.

Additional guests are welcome at a cost of only $50 per person! Contact Winestate on 08 8357 9277 or [email protected]

Friday 12 April 2013 from 6.00pm - 8.30pmNational Wine Centre, North Terrace, Adelaide

EACH WINESTATE SUBSCRIPTION IS ENTITLED TO ONE FREE TICKET.

2 0 1 3 W I N E S TAT E WO R L D C A B E R N E T C H A L L E N G E III


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Going overseas? Your coverage may be affected

The insurer may specify certain geographical exclusions and restrictions on the coverage due to increased risk.

if members travel to areas of the world considered to be at increased risk, an increased insurance premium may apply or coverage may cease entirely.

Members who intend to go overseas for six months or longer, or who are travelling to or via a war zone are advised to contact the association beforehand to confirm whether or not coverage will be affected.

Change of Address The Police Association of South Australia needs your change- of-address details.

if you have moved, in either the recent or distant past, please let the association know your new address. its office does not receive notification of changed addresses by any other means. The association will need your new address, full name, iD number, telephone numbers (home, work and/or mobile). Members can e-mail these details to the association on [email protected] or send them by letter through dispatch (168).

Got something to say? Got a comment about a story you’ve read? Do you have strong views on a police issue?

is there someone you want to acknowledge? know of an upcoming social or sports event? Whatever the subject, put it in a letter to the editor.

Regular mail Police Journal, Po Box 6032, Halifax st, Adelaide sA 5000 Email [email protected] Fax (08) 8212 2002internal dispatch Police Journal 168

Group Life Insurance Beneficiary Nomination Forms Owing to a Supreme Court decision, the Police Association no longer uses the GLi beneficiary forms. Existing forms held at the association have been destroyed.

now, in the case of the death of a member, the gli benefit (currently $300,000) will be paid to his or her estate.

Accordingly, the association’s strong advice is that you ensure that your estate is well-administered. This is best achieved by having a valid will.

Tindall gask Bentley lawyers provides a free legal advice service to Police Association members and their families, and retired members. To make an appointment to receive free pre l iminary legal advice covering all areas of law, particularly families and wills, members should contact the Police Association (08 8212 3055).

The group life insurance cover provided by the Police Association covers members 24 hours a day, seven days a week, regardless of the cause of death while members remain in Australia.

Working part-time?Are you currently working part-time? Are you commencing or ceasing part-time work?

if your hours change, it is important that you advise the Police Association. your subscriptions may be affected.

Please phone (08) 8112 7988 or e-mail [email protected] to advise of a change in hours.

Police Association of South Australia

POLICE

ASSOCIAT IO N

O F S OUTH AUSTRAL

I A

The Police clubGreat value and a new buzz at the club The Police Club of 50 years ago was a small, rundown house in which police could gather and drink beer from a stocked fridge, provided they replaced it at a later date.

Through the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s, the club was the place for police to socialize, and its monthly luncheon brought prime ministers and other dignitaries to speak to a packed Fenwick Hall.

Today it is a two storey multi purpose facility, but the spirit of the club remains the same. And it’s not only cadets, patrol officers, detectives and traffic police who get to socialize there. Officers’ friends and families and the broader SA community are also able to enjoy the unique atmosphere and culture of the last remaining police club of its type in Australia.

New management, under highly successful adelaide hoteliers the Basheer Group, is breathing fresh life into the club.

Facilities For hire

The ground-floor facilities seat up to 140 and can be hired for events during evenings and on weekends.

For special events, such as weddings, birthdays, retirement celebrations, training days, team lunches and corporate functions, the Fenwick Function Centre or the Jacaranda Room on the first floor of the association building can be hired.

The Fenwick Function Centre can be configured for table seating or theatre seating according to your needs, while the more intimate Jacaranda Room seats 30.

For corporate fine dining the President’s Room can be hired, seating up to 14 people.

For more information visit www.policeclub.com.au or to enquire or book call (08) 8212 2924.

The Police club27 Carrington Street, Adelaide

765


48

SENiOR CONSTABLE BERNiE ROLiNSKihenley Beach Station36 years’ serviceLast day: 27.10.12Comments…

“i thank the association for all its assistance in obtaining excellent working conditions and remuneration.”

“i have had the pleasure of working with some of the most dedicated, professional and hard-working officers and will miss the friendships and conversations immensely.”

“i wish all members the best of luck in the future as times are only getting more challenging and demanding, especially for front-line officers.”

SC1C RODNEy TuRNERhighway Patrol, hills Fleurieu LSA42 years’ serviceLast day: 31.10.12Comments…

“My thanks go to the members of Mount Barker police station for their support and friendship over the many years.”

Chief Inspector Ian McDonaldholden hill LSA Operations49 years’ serviceLast day: 04.01.13

Comments…“i thank all those members i have had the

privilege of serving with and who have made the journey so memorable. The last day was as daunting as the first.”

“i thank the Police Association for its contribution to our pay and conditions and continued support of members who find themselves needing assistance.”

DAVE ANGuS (1)

MiChAEL ChAMBERLAiN (2)

iAN DELAiNE (3)

DEAN GREENLEES (4)

JOhN KEANE (5)

DAWN LuNN (6)

iAN MCDONALD (7)

MiChAEL PARKER (8)

BRuCE RiCE

BERNiE ROLiNSKi (9)

RODNEy TuRNER (10)

WAyNE WARDALE (11)

2 41 3

DETECTiVE SGT JOhN KEANEMajor Crime investigation Section44 years’ serviceLast day: 28.11.12Comments…

“i thank the association for all the support and assistance over the years.”

“i thank everyone i have met in the past 44 years for their support, friendship and loyalty.”

“i consider myself extremely fortunate to have had such a wonderful working life.”

SC1C MiChAEL PARKERSturt Police Station40 years’ serviceLast day: 12.12.12Comments…

“i thank all those at the Police Association for their efforts in the interests of members.”

“To all i have worked with over the past 40 years, i thank you one and all, especially those at sturt.”

“i have valued your friendship over my final years and know what a great job you do under some trying conditions.”

“i will look back on my career with fond memories.”

ian McDonald (third from left) with Bob howie, Phil De Sanctis and Wally Clarke on the Dean Range, Port Adelaide in 1967

The Last Shift


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SNR CONST DAVE “BB” ANGuSState Traffic Enforcement Section38 years’ serviceLast day: 21.12.12Comments…

“i thank the Police Association for its efforts and the assistance it has given me over the years.”

“To all i have worked with over the years, thanks for some very interesting memories. i hope for the best for all of you over the coming years.”

SERGEANT DAWN LuNNunattached28 years’ serviceLast day: 28.12.12Comments…

“i thank the Police Association for its work on behalf of members.”

“i had the opportunity to work with a lot of different people over the years, many of whom have left an indelible impression, and some of whom will remain friends forever.”

“i retire in order to continue working with families sA as the social worker at indulkana community.”

BREVET SGT WAyNE “BLuEy” WARDALEStansbury Police Station39 years’ serviceLast day: 10.01.13Comments…

“it only seems like yesterday that i walked into Thebarton Barracks on september 26, 1974 as a member of adult course 116.”

“The inte ract ion w i th the communities and fellow members of small stations brings a lot of

personal satisfaction and i thank those persons for their co-operation, support and friendship.”

“Appreciation must go to members’ wives and partners in small stations for their support.”

“i offer a big thank-you to the Police Association for its tireless efforts and successes in improving members’ conditions.”

SC1C BRuCE RiCESturt FViSFive years’ serviceLast day: 13.01.13Comments…

“My family and i are relocating interstate and i will be joining the Queensland Police.”

“i arrived in Australia in 2008 as a Uk recruit and was posted to netley patrols.”

“i have spent the last few years with sturt CiB but thank everyone i met in sAPol for their kindness. i leave sAPol with a degree of sadness but with hopes for the future.”

SNR SGT 1C DEAN GREENLEESFingerprint Bureau43 years’ serviceLast day: 15.01.13Comments…

“i sincerely thank the Police Association committee, both past and present, for achieving the best possible conditions for all of its members.”

“i especially appreciate the ongoing support, advice and assistance the association provided during the protracted senior sergeant first class dispute.”

Sergeant Ian DeLaineSOS Executive42 years’ serviceLast day: 07.10.12

Comments…“i remember my first night shift after graduating, wearing hats

and ties in patrol cars with no heaters, air conditioners or seatbelts and parking under the sewage farm sprinklers at West Beach to get cool.”

“in the traffic sections at Darlington and sturt we experienced too many fatalities and lost too many workmates. i worked with some exceptional members who remain friends today. you soon learn an appreciation of life when dealing with road traumas and what these collisions can do to the human body.”

“As a negotiator for many years i witnessed suicide, self-mutilation and complete meltdown. i feel proud of many tasks undertaken in that unit and the exceptional and often unappreciated fellow negotiators i had the privilege to work with.”

“now i will be the guy you look at enviously from your patrol car as i sit offshore in the boat.”

Left: ian Delaine riding a new BMW motorcycle at Thebarton in 1988 as part of the Traffic Task force; above: on duty at the John Martins Christmas Pageant in 1973; top: as runner no. 070 in the sydney olympics torch relay

DETECTiVE SNR CONST MiChAEL ChAMBERLAiNElizabeth Criminal investigations27 years’ serviceLast day: 16.01.13Comments…

“i thank the Police Association for all the hard work it has done for its members, especially in the areas of employment and wages.”

8 9 10 11

for the full version of The last shift, go to PASAweb at www.pasa.asn.au


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Course 4/2012 Graduates' Dinner, Fenwick Function Centre Saturday, January 19, 2013

PoLice sceNe

All members of the graduating course1

2

43

7 8

5

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51

1 Jason and Bev Vicary

2 sarah and David grasby

3 Tegan Heaney, Andrew Hume and sally Milburn

4 lisa and Tim Whennan

5 leanne and Jonathan Hogan

6 Ashleigh and John Delorenzo

7 Hannah Mansfield and Rhys Williams

8 Adrian Ploksts, Christie Brock and Terry McHale

9 Allison Whitney and Andrew Carman

10 Tim schoemaker, Michelle Parslow and Brad edwards

11 Anika Roe and Alisha Wood

12 scott Reichstein and katie evans

13 samantha Twamley and Daniel Trigg

14 PCU chairman Alex Zimmermann and Police Association president Mark Carroll

15 Rhys Williams addresses guests

16 Reece Attwood and Chloe fletcher

Dinner guests listening to Rhys Williams’ address

14

10

13

11

1615

12

9


52

PoLice sceNe

21

3

4

8

7

65

Graduation: Course 4/2012 Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Brad Edwards


53

1 katie evans receives the Walter Wissell award for academic achievement from Police Association secretary Andy Dunn

2 Timothy schoemaker

3 Commissioner gary Burns inspects the course

4 Anika Roe

5 Course members ready to march onto the parade ground

6 Allison Whitney

7 Ashleigh Delorenzo embraces a coursemate

8 Course members march across the parade ground

9 Course members toss their caps up after dismissal

10 Rhys Williams delivers an address on behalf of the course

11 lining up on the parade ground

11

10

9

Course members on the parade ground

brittany CrosbyProbationary ConstableWhyalla

My dad, Peter Crosby. He’s just so hard-working and just inspires me to do well. He

was dux of his school and joined the navy at 18. Then he studied naval architecture

and got a first class honours degree in naval engineering. He just knows how to do

everything and he always wants to help me out with stuff. He’s such a good dad.

All Blacks captain Richie McCaw. He’s an amazing rugby player, probably

one of the best in the world, an inspiration to all new Zealanders. He’s very

humble and a really great leader. i don’t think i could lead in the inspiring way

he does. His style isn’t showy and he doesn’t look for recognition. He just has

this aura about him and he commands respect.

Charles Darwin. People in his time held basically religious views on how the world

came about, and he just expressed the complete opposite view. He came up with his

theory of evolution and it was so extreme for the time, and he got so much criticism. yet

he stuck to his theory through his whole life and i think it did amazing things for science.

JK Rowling. i am a big Harry Potter fan and don’t even know how many times

i’ve read them all. it’s the fact that Jk came from the poorest of poor and was a

struggling single mum living in horrible conditions. Then, with her imagination, she

just created this whole world. she thought of every little detail and you feel like

that world could actually exist.

Paul Rusesabagina. The film Hotel Rwanda was based on him. He was a hotel

manager during the Rwandan genocide and he sheltered more than 1,000

people in the hotel, saving them from slaughter. He was a Hutu and was safe.

He didn’t have to save anyone but, because he was such a good person, he

had that conscience and wanted to save these people.

Nicholas Angel. He’s a character (played by simon Pegg) in the movie Hot fuzz,

and i’ve probably watched it 50 times. Angel is just super Cop, the ultimate

professional. from the day he joins the academy he is number one at everything

he does. He is everything a police officer should be, but he dedicates a bit too

much time to his job.

Nelson Mandela. He did so much for south Africa, campaigning against racism.

i just thought it was quite amazing that someone could spend 27 years in prison,

as he did, and then come out and be so peaceful. All his campaigning was about

peace and non-violence. i think that was quite inspirational. it’s just nice knowing

there are good people like that in the world.

Joanna Lumley. The first i saw of her was in the TV show Absolutely fabulous, and

i thought she was so talented. But she became a heroine to me when i watched her

documentaries in which she travelled to places like the nile. she clearly appreciated

history and nature. And in Jam & Jerusalem she played an ugly old woman, and

the way she transformed herself was amazing.

The range of people she looks up to is so broad

that it includes the living, the dead, and the fictitious.


54

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