Police Chronology 2001-2002

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View events in the NSW Police Force since "Directing Traffic" aired in October 2001.

2001
Oct. 11	Vincent Caccamo gives evidence at the Police Integrity Commission (PIC) saying that during a 10 month period to December 2000, he paid detectives David Patison and Matthew Jasper at least $92,000 in cash. The PIC was also told that the men had taken bribes from at least four other long-term drug dealers since the early 1990s. Mr Caccamo tells Acting PIC Commissioner Tim Sage that Sergeant Peattie had first taken money from him in 1989 as payment for downgrading charges.
Oct. 17	Sergeant Raymond Peattie, the chief of Manly detectives becomes the first police officer to roll over at the corruption inquiry, confessing to a career of corruption that began in 1980. Peattie admits to bribe taking and verballing as well as stealing money from drug dealers, including $8,000 on one occasion.
Oct. 19	The Police Integrity Commission is told that Manly detective Matthew Jasper commissioned a convicted housebreaker to burgle an acquaintance's house on Sydney's North Shore. Constable Jasper denies arranging the robbery but has admitted to stealing more than $40,000 from drug dealers.
Oct. 20	After 24 years in the service, David Marshall Hill tells the Police Integrity Commission he was no longer fit to be a policeman and would resign as soon as he could. He said that he had first taken a bribe eight to ten years ago, during his time with the North Region Major Crime Squad. Hill testifies that he had not taken any more money until June 21 last year.
Nov. 19	Paul Whelan announces he will resign from the police portfolio.
Nov. 21	Michael Costa, formerly of the Labor Council, is sworn in as the new Police Minister.
Dec. 4	The Sydney Morning Herald reports that former chief of detectives at Manly, Ray Peattie, has written an open letter of apology to Commissioner Peter Ryan and the entire police service. Peattie formally resigns and offers to take part in anti-corruption education programs for new officers saying, "I only pray that through my exposure, others will be prevented from following this disgraceful path that I have taken".
Dec. 5	The Australian reports that NSW Police Commissioner Peter Ryan plans to take up an offer by Ray Peattie to help weed out corrupt colleagues and teach young officers how to resist greed. New Police Minister Michael Costa also vows to restore morale in the service, which he says is at an all-time low. Measures are to be introduced into State parliament that will streamline the police promotions system to make it more corruption resistant.
Dec. 12	On his third day of evidence, Manly detective David Patison tells the Police Integrity Commission that after eight years of corruption in the armed hold-up and drug squads, he vowed to go straight when he returned to Manly as a suburban policeman in 1996. Patison blames his relapse in 1999 on overwork and lack of support and transfer opportunities. He also says there was a culture of corruption in the North Sydney drug squad. Patison also tells the Police Integrity Commission that putting officers to the test more often would help minimise corruption.
Dec. 13	Detective David Patison confesses to the Police Integrity Commission that he sold a police badge for around $2000 to a drug dealer in 1997. Patison says the drug dealer planned to use the badge at rave parties to pretend to be a cop and confiscate drugs.
2002
Jan. 30	Detective Sergeant Mark Messenger admits to taking bribes amounting to a total of $1500 on four occasions between June and October 2000 from M5, a fellow detective and undercover officer working for Internal Affairs. Sergeant Messenger tells the Police Integrity Commission he had twice taken a bribe of "a couple of hundred dollars" after sanctioning money stolen during a drug raid. Sergeant Messenger is currently suspended from service but has stated he has no intention of resigning.
April 10	NSW Police Commissioner, Peter Ryan resigns.
April 19	Ray Peattie appears before the NSW District Court for sentencing. Peattie says that "I thought by us taking their money we were inhibiting their ability to steal drugs." Judge Michael Finnane defers the matter for mention in Sydney District Court in a week and says that Peattie is the first police officer he has heard who has given evidence about corruption in the force that sounded honest.
May 3	Ray Peattie is imprisoned for a minimum of 12 months maximum four years after pleading guilty to four counts of receiving bribes from corrupt officers. Peattie's jail term is the first to result from the Police Integrity Commission's anti-corruption investigations. Judge Michael Finnane notes that since Peattie resigned from the force in 2001 he has shown himself to be a "genuine…,quite exceptional" man who had given valuable information to anti-corruption investigations, made a public apology and participated in a police training video on the perils of corruption. Judge Finnane says "he was weak and, rather than carry out his duty, he gave in to the police culture and … took the money." Ray Peattie was initially sentenced to a total of eight years' imprisonment but District Court Judge Michael Finnane found Peattie warranted a substantial discount in his sentence because he had not only admitted his guilt but had been honest and provided fresh evidence on other corrupt police.
May 8	Another NSW Detective codenamed F7 admits his corruption to the Police Integrity Commission. He also suggests that almost the entire Major Crime Squad North at the time was party to corruption of some sort.
May 31	A long-serving detective codenamed F7 admits to the PIC that for much of his 22 years in the service he was a thief, a liar, a perjuror and a perverter of the course of justice. He also admits to lying to courts since the 1980s.
June 3	Inspector Kim Dowding admits to dumping firearms in the Hawkesbury River in 1995. He says he disposed of the firearms with the assistance of M5 after conducting a sweep of the officers' lockers at Major Crime Squad North in Chatswood. He says he was told by the then commander, Ron Smith, to make sure there wasn't any incriminating evidence at the station while a royal commission into the NSW Police was investigating. They also dumped another lot under the Roseville Bridge.
June 4	An officer codenamed N1 names eight detectives apart from himself - the entire hold-up unit - who he says kept secret gun caches and used them to load up suspects. N1 tells the PIC that the detectives would confiscate the guns in raids and hide them in their lockers in case they needed one for planting during arrest, that if officers were "short of a gallop" they would use guns as more evidence to "tip it over". When the alleged offenders were brought back to the station they were then verballed.
June 11	On his first day of evidence, M5, a former member of major crime squad north armed hold-up unit says that bashing offenders, loading them with weapons and writing up false statements under the eyes of senior officers was common practice. Detective Superintendent Ron Smith admits he acted improperly in not reporting two subordinates who used his fishing boat to dump illegal weapons, but denies knowing about the illegal weapons at the time. He also denies knowing of any load-ups, verballing, swearing of false statements and records of interview and perjury.
June 17	Dennis O'Toole, a Senior Sergeant of the armed hold-up unit tells the PIC he knew nothing about the guns kept for the "load-ups" being thrown in the Hawkesbury in 1995, and the allegations recorded accusing him of planting a gun was "drunken banter".
July 10	M5 tells the Police Integrity Commission that the seizing of illegitimate cash on jobs happened so often that he even received a share when he was on vacation. M5 said that he was briefed on what was expected of him when he started at the North Sydney drug unit in 1992.
October 4	Former Manly detective David Patison pleads guilty in the Supreme Court to a string of charges including taking bribes and supplying heroin. Patison had earlier pleaded guilty to most of the 10 charges in the District Court.