Brewed awakening

As I wake up after another night shift and read the news, I’m confronted with yet another police scandal while trying to enjoy a cup of tea. Like the rest of you, I think, “When is this going to end?” Do I just stop reading the news, throw the TV out the window, ban social media, or just finish my tea and accept that scrutiny of police is here to stay? And if I’m bloody honest, it should. We expect everyone to obey the law and when they don’t, we investigate, prosecute, warn, or deal with it appropriately. It is only right that we are held to the same standard. The difference is that when it’s a cop, even the Big Kahuna himself, it makes headlines and hangs around for weeks. That’s because people expect better from us, and we have to accept that. Scrutiny isn’t the enemy. It’s the benchmark.

Show me the money

We are off to the never-never land of Final Arbitration. I don’t want to make light of the process, but like a certain box of chocolates, you never quite know what you’re going to get. Our bargaining team worked their hinds off trying to get agreement, but some issues remain unresolved and now sit with the arbiter. We are a 24/7 service. There are no bedrooms in police stations. Every hour of every day we’re out there responding. The cost of living keeps climbing, and all we’re asking for is a real pay rise that recognises the work and risk involved. It’s not complicated. Pay us what we’re worth.

Pipe dream, no leaks

I read on the TenOne propaganda page about the new station in Taradale. Now we’re talking. A prefabricated building that can be dropped almost anywhere. The possibilities are endless. Imagine replacing all those crusty, ancient, leaky stations many of us still work in with something fit for purpose. Now that’s a never-never land dream worth having. Like new pants, it might just happen.

Diagnosis: Mission creep

Health is pushing back, sort of, on our stance over mental health callouts. Naturally, the media are lapping it up. I’m firmly in the camp of police staying in our lane. If the health system, particularly mental health services, were actually up to it, we wouldn’t be having this debate. Over the years we’ve become as much a health response service as a police service, and our communities have paid the price. From a frontliner: Health needs to lift its game.

Still bleeding blue

I had to laugh at the latest Australian recruitment campaign. Pavlova. Hilarious! We’ve lost some good cops recently. Can’t blame them, money talks. Captain Chambers was spot on when he said, “We can’t compete”. Too bloody right we can’t. And we’ll keep bleeding good coppers, especially if this pay round doesn’t deliver.