Setting new standards
As the Divisional Commander for the Ballarat Police service area, I acknowledge the findings of the Ballarat County Court and the decision by Office of Public Prosecutions in relation to two of our officers last week.
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It comes three and a half years after IBAC commenced public examinations into alleged serious police misconduct in Ballarat. IBAC’s report, along with the judicial process that has followed, has been a thorough process.
And while I’m unable to comment further on this matter, we have made a lot of progress since this incident occurred in 2015.
As an organisation, we’ve been able to make vast improvements and changes to our complaints policies and procedures. It’s important that the community has confidence in their police who are working tirelessly and with great professionalism and commitment to keep them safe. In Ballarat, we have dedicated, hardworking officers setting the very high standard that the community expects us to uphold – and rightly so.
On a local level, we have turned around crime statistics so that they are trending down. We’ve embraced new technology such as body-worn cameras, as a way for officers to provide transparency to an interaction with a community member. We are making inroads on improving youth engagement, on targeting drugs and public order issues, on driving down the number of repeat offenders.
In fact, in my eight months here in charge, I have been deeply proud of the way our officers go about serving the community, making it safer for everyone. It’s a tough and demanding job which we take very seriously. There’s no doubt that it has been a difficult time for Ballarat police but I’ve witnessed ongoing, strong support from the community in what we do – and I thank the officers and local residents for this.
Thank you
Jenny Wilson,Superintendent, Ballarat Police
Working Poor Have Spoken
Daniel Andrews made a mistake when he said the election was going to be tight. The relentless, widening gap between the rich and poor is leaving the working poor with a basic wage below the poverty line due to an unchecked high cost of living. This group is voiceless and unseen but they retaliated at the election with the only tool left in the shed. Mr Guy underestimated their numbers.
The little Aussie Battlers have no money nor power. They came out swinging at the polling booths. This is a true measure of poverty in our midst.
Colin Holmes, Ballarat.
