It used to be the custom for police to close ranks to protect any police officer accused of misconduct - but that culture is changing.
A Queensland police officer has been sentenced to twenty seven months in gaol for savagely beating and mistreating prisoners in his custody - and he has been dismissed from the force.
What is sending a breath of fresh air through police ranks is the growing tendency for other police to come forward and not tolerate misconduct - and the facts surrounding this Queensland case will only accelerate that trend.
Nine officers witnessed and were aware of this rogue officers treatment of prisoners - but eight of them adhered to the old culture of closed rank protection. One officer was brave - and blew the whistle !
Police in all Australian states will have cause to ponder the ramifications of what happened next. Five of those offending officers handed in their resignations and left the force in disgrace - and three others are facing disciplinary action that will certainly impede future promotions.
This will put a serious dent in the culture where police misbehavior is concerned. Those that choose to remain silent will have the uneasy worry that their own job and pension are at risk if they condone the old wall of silence.
The days of the old " walloper " beating confessions out of prisoners belongs to another age. Today policing is a profession - and the sooner our police step up to the plate and take pride in their work - the quicker the public will accept policing as a honourable profession.
Anything less is unacceptable !
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