NSW: Ombudsman s concern over police outsourcing proposal

AAP General News (Australia)
12-01-2000
NSW: Ombudsman s concern over police outsourcing proposal

By Linda Silmalis

SYDNEY, Dec 1 AAP - Police reform would be seriously jeopardised if the state government
adopted a controversial proposal to outsource police functions, the New South Wales Ombudsman
said today.

Speaking at a parliamentary hearing, Ombudsman Bruce Barbour raised grave concerns
at moves to shift responsibility away from the service which he said could seriously jeopardise
the oversight ability of watchdog bodies.

It would also affect the integrity of the police complaints process.

The proposed reforms, which were contained in a leaked document entitled Future Directions,
dominated the hearing in state parliament.

Among the report's recommendations included having police hand over serious fraud and
complex white-collar crime cases to private investigators.

State Police Commissioner Peter Ryan has claimed the document was stolen and that it
did not represent his final views.

Mr Barbour told the hearing that he accepted Mr Ryan's response but conceded the document
had been written by someone of considerable authority.

"If (outsourcing) were to occur, that would significantly minimise the integrity the
police complaints process, it would also diminish the quality of independent oversight
of the reform process," he told the hearing.

"I would be most concerned if outsourcing were used by any agency, police or any other
agency in our jurisdiction, to reduce the level of oversight that is currently in existence.

"If there is any debate ... about whether or not police roles or functions need to
be changed ... my position would clearly be, if there was outsourcing, there must definitely
be appropriate oversight."

Mr Barbour said he had read the controversial document but would wait until a finalised
version was available before his office responded in detail.

He said he believed Mr Ryan was committed to the reform process, as set in train by
the Wood Royal Commission into police corruption.

When asked about the commissioner's recent attack on oversight bodies, Mr Barbour said
he was confident it did not relate to his office or the Police Integrity Commission (PIC).

He said he believed the outburst reflected Mr Ryan's general frustration at the number
of bodies watching over his work and the police service.

"The current complaints handling system is an opportunity to provide almost a litmus
test to the police service in terms of how it's going with its reform," Mr Barbour said.

"The police commissioner recognises that without the oversight in relation to that,
he would be hampered in terms of his reform program.

"I think there are times when the head of any organisation can be frustrated about
what they see as being the level of oversight the organisation - my office has a large
number of reporting functions as well."

Mr Ryan last month declared on radio that he was frustrated at the number of oversight
bodies he was forced to report to, stating some of their members "couldn't run a chook
raffle".

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KEYWORD: OMBUDSMAN RYAN

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