While the Australian police swear an 'oath' to the British monarch rather than to uphold Australian law and protect its citizens via a Bill of Rights (e.g. like the USA has) then we will continue to see this festering situation: the rule of law is not generally respected by the police culture in my opinion, and rather they see their role as it originally was - i.e. the Peelers, a private security firm established in 1829 working for whom?
"How did the public react? They hated the Peelers. Many were poor quality -
drunks and bullies. Of the first 2,800 new policemen, only 600 kept their jobs.
The first policeman, given the number 1, was sacked after only FOUR HOURS! (He
was legless) ..." (see: http://www.learnhistory.org.uk/cpp/met.htm).
[The Keystone Cops @ work ... Initial conditions?]
So, as we see more and more private security firms with employees in uniforms resembling the police and long torches resembling trunctions, why should we not rethink whether these servants of the Crown are really servants of the public.
The belligerent and threatening outbursts of various police unions whenever their members are threatened by the same law they are charged to enforce can only lead to greater public cynicism and eventual outrage. Unless the issue is decided in favour of the publics’ right to protection from the police, as well as by the police, then this most recent Palm Island outrage is just a small sample of what is to come.
At one level it is about dysfunctional police culture, at another about poor discipline and governance. It might be cheaper to hire security firms for protection! Why don’t Palm Island residents take up the QLD police union offer of leaving them to their own ‘tribal’ law? Yes, they might get speared for serious crimes. But would they get their livers cut in half and ribs broken for being ‘under the influence’ on the street?
[Note: This following blue text was edited out by The Australian -- I so prefer the AGE bloggs, and they don't turn off the text copy function in the browser. Just plain mean spirited!]
More shame on us for letting this type of event occur after decades of case studies. Perhaps another real case for considering removing policing from State control to the Federal Government. Could it be worse than it is?
I understand that the police are just part of a system of justice: they are called to arrest and bring to court, not pass judgement or punishment. Too many American Hollywood films maybe. Certainly their cop-cars are getting more and more gay lights and sirens by the year: how about some bells and whistles as well.
[and I could have added “…then we can really say to the kids, ‘There goes Noddy in his little car’, but don’t mention the Gollywogs...”.
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