Vic: Mullett maintains attack on police chief

AAP General News (Australia)
04-09-2008
Vic: Mullett maintains attack on police chief

By Greg Roberts and Kate Lahey

MELBOURNE, April 9 AAP - Victoria's police union chief Paul Mullett says members will
take industrial action if the state's chief commissioner and police minister are not sacked.

The embattled Mr Mullett, who is suspended from the police force, stepped up his personal
war on Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon after about 2,000 police officers marched on
Parliament House yesterday.

A Herald Sun survey released today showed of the almost 3,500 officers who responded,
81 per cent backed Mr Mullett and only 31 per cent were positive about the job Ms Nixon
had done.

"As we speak today her position is virtually untenable," Mr Mullett said.

"If we can't get a meeting with the premier by Friday ... and the premier won't sack
her and Bob whats-his-name (Police Minister Bob Cameron), the mandate is to conduct further
regional meetings around the state to discuss and possibly initiate industrial action.

"We have a history of where we won't want to compromise community safety ... but nonetheless
we can send strong and clear messages to government through that action."

Premier John Brumby has defended Ms Nixon and dismissed Mr Mullett's demands, which
include calls to sack Mr Cameron.

Mr Mullett said the newspaper survey represented a "valid sample", despite criticism
that it lacked credibility because it was conducted online, and accused Ms Nixon of being
"out of touch" with policing.

"We see every day, the violence occurring on the streets, what was front page news
a decade ago is maybe page 34 today," he said.

"Since arriving from NSW, policing in this state has been her (Ms Nixon's) social experiment
... we need to get back to basics."

Ms Nixon said today she had no intention of quitting.

"When I resign it will be because I believe I've done the best I can do and I'll move
on to do something else, but that's not today," she said.

"This is about a game of power. This is about attempting to get someone like me, who's
about change, who I think has strong support within the community.

"What we're seeing now is really the last vestiges of the old Victoria Police."

She said there were 1,800 people at the rally, compared to the force's 11,000 officers,
and the protest was designed to boost support for Mr Mullett.

"He's a very good secretary of the police association and knows how to get things done,
and so a paid advertisement, that kind of survey, supporting that with the Herald Sun,
I think all of those are ways to shore up his position."

Ms Nixon suspended Mr Mullett from the force last year after an investigation into
a chain of high-level leaks that led to a police suspect in a murder being tipped off.

Mr Mullett denies leaking the information but was caught on tape undermining senior officers.

Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Jeremy Rapke is still evaluating briefs of evidence
provided by the OPI.

Ms Nixon said she was working to more efficiently deploy police resources and defended
the new policy, which will force police to declare any inappropriate personal associations.

"We know that a number of our members who have become corrupt have (done so) because
of the associations they have, and so what we've done is try to get them to declare those,"

she said.

AAP gr/sjm/af/mn

KEYWORD: POLICE VIC NIGHTLEAD

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