NSW: Carr expresses confidence in police commissioner

AAP General News (Australia)
08-06-2001
NSW: Carr expresses confidence in police commissioner

SYDNEY, Aug 6 AAP - New South Wales Premier Bob Carr today expressed full confidence
in his police commissioner, saying he had helped overturn a corrupt police force.

Police Commissioner Peter Ryan has been under fire since last month's release of a
damning parliamentary report into policing.

The upper house committee report on police resources at Cabramatta blamed a communication
breakdown among senior police management for some of the south-western Sydney suburb's
troubles.

But Mr Carr, who returned to work today after a holiday in Europe, said the problems
within the police force failed to compare to those it faced in the mid-90s before Mr Ryan's
appointment.

Mr Carr said people had forgotten how bad the police service was at the time of the
royal commission and "the revelations that came out of that - hands reaching for fistfuls
of cash."

"If you saw the extent of the corruption that held the police service back, you would
have found it then, five years ago, very hard to imagine the progress that has been made
in policing."

Mr Carr said the police commissioner's leadership had contributed to real progress
in the police service since the royal commission.

The premier also expressed his support for Cabramatta MP Reba Meagher who last week
apologised to Detective Sergeant Tim Priest for suggesting he was a disgruntled officer.

Mr Carr said he would not be following suit as he had never criticised Sgt Priest.

Sgt Priest gave damaging evidence to the upper house inquiry into Cabramatta policing,
accusing senior police of ignoring warnings of an escalation in gang violence.

Mr Carr said he was keen to move forward in addressing the region's problems, including
implementing the report's 25 recommendations.

The premier said he had spoken to the inquiry committee's chair, Helen Sham Ho, about
the government's response to the report.

He said Mr Ryan had also been asked to help implement the recommendations.

"We will work with the parliamentary committee," Mr Carr said.

"We are going to work our way through those recommendations."

AAP ls/rp/ldj/sb

KEYWORD: CABRAMATTA CARR

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