NSW police corruption inquiry

PM Archive - Monday,    ABC Mark Colvin 8 October , 2001 Reporter: Peter Lloyd COMPERE: New South Wales is confronting a new corruption scandal that threatens once more to undermine public confidence in the State's police service. A three-year covert inquiry by undercover police officers has produced evidence of a network of detectives and senior officers involved in the so-called "green-lighting" -- drug dealing in exchange for regular cash payments. The sordid details began emerging today at the Police Integrity Commission, set up in the wake of the Wood Royal Commission into Police Corruption seven years ago. The inquiry, codenamed "Operation Florida" has already led to 25 arrests including two police detectives. Over the coming weeks 22 serving and former officers will be called to explain themselves as Peter Lloyd reports. And a warning that this story contains language that may offend some listeners. PETER LLOYD: It's often said the seaside suburb of Manly is seven miles from Sydney and a thousand miles from care. While it's a figurative expression it seems to accurately describe the gulf between the dirty dealings of police officers and drug dealers just a short ferry ride from the city command centre of Commissioner Peter Ryan. The man originally hired from England to reform the most corrupt force in the country and stamp out the kind of activities apparently flourishing at least in manly and possibly elsewhere. So far only two officers have been named, Detectives Matthew Jasper and Dave Paterson. What you're about to hear is a surveillance recording of three drug dealers, one working undercover for the police, discussing the frequency and size of payments to Detective Patterson. POLICE OFFICER 1: I know three people.. POLICE OFFICER 2: Yeah POLICE OFFICER 1: ..that have been dealing for years and years and years POLICE OFFICER 2: Yeah? POLICE OFFICER 1: ..we've been paying him and we've never come undone.. POLICE OFFICER 2: Is that right? POLICE OFFICER 1: And if they do come undone, they're fucking out the next day. POLICE OFFICER 2: Right right. POLICE OFFICER 1: [indistinct] and they've never been to gaol. They just fucking copped a slap on the wrist and they're back selling the next day. POLICE OFFICER 2: I was gonna you know, just completely quit. But he's given me the green light. POLICE OFFICER 1: You either pay em and go ahead or you've got to quit cause he will beat ya. POLICE OFFICER 3: It's like paying rent. It's like having a shop and paying and paying rent. That's all it is. POLICE OFFICER 1: Tax. Tax. POLICE OFFICER 2: You reckon I'm alright paying two grand a month? I mean I can afford it. I can afford it. POLICE OFFICER 1: You're laughing mate. POLICE OFFICER 3: Chicken feed. [indistinct] POLICE OFFICER 2: Yeah. That's a lot. PETER LLOYD: All part of a day's business. It seems the dealers committing the crimes and the police reaping what they laughingly referred to as "taxation". But the most sordid video and tape recordings came thanks to an undercover police detective. A man who goes by the codename M5. For the past three years M5 has been based at the Manly Police Station gathering evidence against Detectives Patterson and Jasper and a number of other officers. In recordings played today M5 can be heard playing along, encouraging his colleagues to misbehave, to act corruptly during the so-called integrity tests so common in the New South Wales force. In one scene M5 and Detective Patterson can be seen conducting a search. From above roof-cam captures the Detective allegedly helping himself to $6000 from a suspect's underwear draw. Later there's a dispute between officers over how much the Detective shares with his corrupt mates. POLICE DETECTIVE 1: Not happy. Till we get to the bottom of this I'm not happy. POLICE DETECTIVE 2: Well that's the rules. They always give me the same. Haven't we always played by them? POLICE DETECTIVE 1: Well they're my rules. But even if you were leaving fucking Jasper out it should have been three each if you know what I mean. [indistinct] You know? POLICE DETECTIVE 2: It's always been equal parts. POLICE DETECTIVE 1: Exactly. PETER LLOYD: Among the proceeds of that raid are two DVD players. But officers allegedly conspired to remove them from police custody by forging documents that suggest the equipment was returned to its rightful owner. Detective Jasper though has difficulty explaining how he came into possession of the DVDs during this intercepted conversation with his girlfriend Melinda. MELINDA: Does it have instructions? DETECTIVE JASPER: Ummm. Yeah. MELINDA: Or isn't it a complete set? DETECTIVE JASPER: No. MELINDA: Pardon? DETECTIVE JASPER: No. No it's not. We'll work it out. There's no need for instructions darling. Ummm. MELINDA: [laughs] Well they normally come with instructions. Where did it come from? DETECTIVE JASPER: Yeah. PETER LLOYD: No explanation was offered and the call ended. In later evidence it was revealed undercover officer M5 had taken part in the dumping of dozens of weapons being kept illegally by detectives based at the Chatswood police station. In a scene made for a movie, a senior officer's leisure boat was used to ferry the guns up the Hawkesbury River to a deep spot where the booty was thrown overboard. Why were police hoarding weapons? Counsel assisting the inquiry Peter Hastings QC, suggested the answer was both obvious and disturbing. They were the tools for a fit-up. Beyond those directly implicated, Operation Florida is a test for Commissioner Ryan, who will either be judged as having successfully counted the most corrupt elements of the force or seen as merely presiding over more of the same. Today he was on the front foot, declaring Florida was the initiative of the good guys now running New South Wales Police. POLICE COMMISSIONER PETER RYAN: We the police service uncovered this corruption. We the police service pursued these criminal police officers and they will now be appearing before the Integrity Commission. No I'm not surprised. It's human nature. The systems are in place. They just don't comply with them and we will make them do that in future. QUESTION: How widespread do you think it is? PETER RYAN: We'll see when the Integrity Commission reveals all the evidence that we have placed before it. QUESTION: Commissioner doesn't this indicate that if this is happening in Manly Davidson, it's happening not only in New South Wales but right throughout Australia given the lucrative power of the illicit drug trade. PETER RYAN: The illicit drug trade is a root cause of corruption of this sort. Yes. It's likely to affect other parts of this State -- other walks of life in this State and as well as police services throughout the whole of Australia. COMPERE: New South Wales Police Commissioner Peter Ryan ending that report by Peter Lloyd.