Bashed police sidestep their union

Chris Thomson
July 1, 2009

Chris Smith wants a fair go for police officers retired in the line of fire.

Former WA police driven from the job by injury are set to launch a
breakaway lobby group because they fear their union is not independent
enough to represent them.

"We're going out on our own and our agenda is to lobby the government for
better benefits for the already-retired officers and future officers," said
Chris Smith, president of the Retired Medically Unfit and Western Australia
Police Association which this month will apply for incorporation.

"As a group away from the union, with no political ties or anything, we have
a better chance to make greater awareness in the public arena.
"We are happy to work with them, just as long as they don't get in the way."

A former senior constable, Mr Smith is still a union member. He was retired
from the force in 1986, aged 35, after receiving head injuries when bashed
in Mt Lawley in 1984.

"I thought for a hell of a long time that I was the only one out there but
there are about 300 retired, medically unfit, police officers in Western
Australia, and there are about another 12 waiting to be retired," he said.

"I would say a good 99.9 per cent of those would be because of police activity -
doing their duty.

"It's not a factor of a mob of disgruntled old fogies, it is people who want to be
looked after in their retirement."

Another office holder of the new association, who did not wish to be named,
said the group needed to be set up independently of the
WA Police Union of Workers because the union's top brass were police
themselves.

"At the end of the day, the directors of the board of the union are police officers
and at any time they can be ordered back to duty," said the former officer who
was also retired in his prime.

He added that, under WA's police regulations, Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan
had no option but to stand down injured officers.

Yet, under an arcane provision, officers were not actually employed by the
commissioner but by the Queen.

"He could wash his hands of you if he wanted," the new association's board
member said of the commissioner.

"We wish to remain completely independent."We don't wish to affiliate with
anybody."

Outgoing union president Mike Dean, who retired from his post yesterday,
said he'd helped prepare incorporation paperwork for the proposed Retired
Medically Unfit and Western Australia Police Association.

"I actually helped set them up as a group," Mr Dean said.
"I talk with them all the time and they have total access to our solicitors.
"The reason I stayed on for an extra two years was to settle the post-
separation medical entitlements for them."

Mr Dean said that even after his retirement he would offer the new group
his help."I understand they're frustrated - there's just no easy fix, and it's
not fair," he said"In cases with even a chance of success, we have taken
them on."We've spent hundreds of thousands on them and the majority
have failed on technical grounds."

Earlier this week, the State Government agreed that former police officers
could lodge claims for medical fees incurred on or after July 1, 2007 for work-
related injuries and illness.

The new scheme will not cover medical expenses for "catastrophic injury or
disease" - which will be funded separately on a case-by-case basis.