Cops angry at Commissioner's comments over police focus

 

POLICE Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan has agreed to meet with traffic cops on Monday after they raised concerns about his weekend comments calling on them to reprioritise and focus on the things that "kill people''. 
 
Mr O’Callaghan has instigated a major review into policing in WA, which will look at ways of making the force more efficient.

As part of the review, he told The Sunday Times on the weekend that police would be given more direction to focus on specific crimes and the issues that mattered to the community.

He said broken tail lights and fog lights were not his “priority” and he wanted a greater focus on the things that “kill people”. He also wants more police resources directed at high-crime areas.


“Where there are high rates of crime or juvenile offending, we’re going to say ‘go to those areas and patrol there all night long’,” Mr O’Callaghan told The Sunday Times.

“Don’t patrol down the leafy streets of some suburb where there’s no crime. There’s no point you being there unless you get called there specifically.

“We have to make sure that police officers focus on the things that matter to the community.

“Brake lights are not my priority, fog lights are not my priority. My priorities are the things which kill people on the road.”

But Union President George Tilbury said his members were angry they were not consulted about the review before Mr O’Callaghan spoke publicly.

“The major issue that my members are angry about is that this announcement effectively changing the way they’ve done business for decades was announced publicly by the Commissioner without any consultation with them,” Mr Tilbury told ABC Radio.

“It’s important that police are out there on the roads doing their job but they are upset by what’s happened and they want to Commissioner to retract the comments that have been made.”

Mr Tilbury said traffic police were angry about the Commissioners comments on minor traffic infringements, saying that the small things had led to more serious crimes in the past.

Mr O’Callaghan told the breakfast program he could not always consult with the troops about certain discussions.

“I understand that when you’re changing things and you’re creating reform it creates churn and people get anxious about it,” he said.

“The message is still the same as far as I’m concerned. I want those guys to focus on the things which are priorities for the community and the police. And they are going to have to get used to that…That’s not to say they’re not going to focus on traffic matters.

“The way they do their business is not their fault. It’s the fault of the organisation. It is us that have let them go about their business that way for many years.”

Mr O’Callaghan told the program the change in direction would be explained at a meeting next week.

“As the pressure ramps up on the West Australian police, we will be forced anyway to focus on the more serious offences first and to do the other things a little bit later,” he said.

“If those things like vehicle standards are really important to us, then we have to find a different way of delivering that service.”

perthnow.com.au 16 May 2013

The police as a corporation has an obligation to bring in revenue for the government.

A good cop, one who gets promoted is one who brings in the 'easy dollars', greater than their salary, from infringement notices  like speeding, no indicators when turning, the real hardened criminal violations.

The policy is not in incarcerate criminals, as they are worth approximately $80,000 per year to the state, whereas road offences from citizens are easy quick money.

The judges are in on it as well, i.e. not in incarcerate criminals, as the jail system is (deliberately) inadequate.

This is one policeman who actually said it how it is and should be commended and NOT condemned.

Why are the other cops angry? Because Mr. O’Callaghan exposed the real nature of the police?