Simon Overland Resigns

[Julia]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/06/16/3245453.htm

Victorian members will have some opinions on this, I expect?

 

[explod]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/06/16/3245453.htm

Victorian members will have some opinions on this, I expect?

This is a great shame and a huge loss for Victoria, not just a good Chief Commissioner lost but that a currupt undercurrent and a Government out of its depth here has let us all down.

I will have a lot more to say later, just heard it on the news.

You will in fact see a good preamble of my thoughts on this matter on the Gobbledygook thread.

 

[Calliope]

You will in fact see a good preamble of my thoughts on this matter on the Gobbledygook thread.

I'm sure that's where they belong.

 

[explod]

Yes in the old days it was often worse but unfortunately there will always be pockets of problems as the job does seem to still attrract the Darth Vader stand over type. I do think the new Chief in Victoria is trying to deal with such issues but the white anting of people like .... and now aided by the press's cr..p on listening to these same tired old recent ex....trouble makers in trying to interefere with Government enquries; he does have a tough job in front of him. (Of course....no names no pack drill)

In retrospect, Christeen Nixon was very insightfull in getting Overland from out side in, first to rid us of the shootin tootin underworld and then some of the rot in the Crime Department. It is the latter that still try to hang in there and undermine the good job he is doing. 40 odd years ago the Chief Commissioner I served under Mick Miller had to do the same thing. Two very high ranking CIB men went to gaol and I enjoyed a career within a very stable work environment. The police and community involvement programmes that were established we can be very proud of. The current woes spring from the Kennett Govt's cutting out at the time a very good middle management arrangement. Thought they could do without the Inspectors who in effect were the auditors keeping a watch on the troops so to speak. The rest is history IMHO

My thoughts above in response to a question on the 14th May instant to Glen48.

 

[Gringotts Bank]

I think we hear about 1/10th of what goes on. I don't feel like I would trust anyone of the top people in the force at the moment. They seem very shady to me. Re: Overland, I always look at him and think he is holding onto some story that would blow the entire police force into smithereens if it was made public. Just my feeling - we're in the dark.

 

[explod]

I'm sure that's where they belong.

Always good to have the support of a friend Calliope;

Would you like to clarify that statement ole pal.

 

[explod]

Re: Overland, I always look at him and think he is holding onto some story that would blow the entire police force into smithereens if it was made public. Just my feeling - we're in the dark.

Would agree G. B.

And thank you Julia for starting this thread. What is happening in Victoria can and has also happened in other forces in Australia.

Was intending to trot out a great treatise but the audience here is small and it is very complex.

I will just make the following points and answer questions if in fact anyone is interested;

The Government on this is out of its depth;

Both Nixon and Overland were outside appointments. This has never happened before in Victoria and was resented from day one. Queensland did it after the Fitzgerald Enquiry, but that Chief Commisioner, Noel Newnham (who I had worked with and knew personally) was undermined and sent packing back to Victoria in 12 months.

The police union and the specialist branches have been exercising a type of functional control over the force for the last 15 years. Or more accurately of late, "white anting".

Nixon and Overland in a very difficult climate broke the back of the big gangsters in Victoria and also rid the Force of several corrupt specialist branches. The latter actions are what raised the ire of the police union in particular.

Overland may well have continued the good work and survivied with support from the Government but the new regime (having been in office less than 12 months) have no real idea at this time.

It will be very interesting to see what unfolds from here.

Overland in my view was an honest policeman who had no favourites and called each shot straight down the line. Some do not like that.

And there are a lot of very capable and honest members at Commissioner level still in place. I just hope the enquiry underway and the Government can get to the heart of it all.

And this is for treasonist Mullett for having the cheek to show his face on the tellie tonight

 

[Julia]

Nixon and Overland in a very difficult climate broke the back of the big gangsters in Victoria

Didn't most of the gangsters just kill one another?

Sorry. I don't mean to be flippant and know very little about it all.
It was suggested on the ABC Radio today that one of Victoria's problems is that they have no body like the Crime and Misconduct Commission such as exists in, I think, all the other States, certainly in Qld, and that the Victoria government has today agreed that such an organisation needs to happen there. That would seem like a reasonable start to possibly ameliorate some of the incestuous happenings in Victoria Police.

 

[trainspotter]

ameliorate

WORD !

Sir Ken Jones will be reaching for the Glefiddich no doubt.

 

[explod]

WORD !

Sir Ken Jones will be reaching for the Glefiddich no doubt.

Sir Ken has cooked his goose. In going to a Government official without Overland's knowledge he commits the proverbial treason (as described in the trade).

Not a big Kennett fan but his article in the Herald Sun today expresses my sentiments very well and paints the true picture. Yesterday was a sad day for law and order in Victoria.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/opinion/baillieu-presides-over-a-dark-day/story-e6frfhqf-1226076668508

 

[Calliope]

It's all about dodgy statistics.

 

[explod]

It's all about dodgy statistics.

The Force have been keeping dodgy figures for years. In fact at headquarters I was inn charge" of The Workload Assessment Division 1986 to 88 so do know something about this busines. The biggest racket was the returns sent in from the stations but particularly CIB to make it look good. Often a crook arrested on a housebreaking would allow them to cross out many others unsolved to make the books look good for that Division. Unfortunately as in traffic members are judged on figures and in my view this is the wrong approach and invites readjustments of figures.

Although Overland may be the last man in the line and has to wear the responsibility I think that his resignation had much more to do with something else. The Head of Barwin Prison recently flying the coup could be interesting. Could Carl Williams have died to get a crook copper off the hook for murder perhaps. I think they will be very sorry that they drove out Overland one day because he was onto things that others have been unable to do properly since Kal Glare and Mick Miller left the top jobs. Niel Comry was good too but the Government of the day let him down by getting rid of too many experienced middle management members. In the bigger scheme of things though a few figures are really just chicken feed.