NSW: Disgruntled police officers consider splinter union

AAP General News (Australia)
12-16-1998
NSW: Disgruntled police officers consider splinter union

By John Kidman, Crime Reporter

SYDNEY, Dec 16 AAP - Some 600 specialist New South Wales police officers are said to be
considering the formation of a splinter union.

The disgruntled faction, proposing to call itself the Professional Investigators
Association, is set to meet in Sydney tomorrow.

NSW Police Association president Mark Burgess tonight labelled the breakaways, thought to
be comprised mostly of Crime Agencies personnel, as elitist.

"What were talking about is very much at elitist organisation," he said.

"Those responsible, I believe, are setting themselves up for the perception that theyre
better than other police."

Mr Burgess said the movement appeared to have sprung from opposition to recent changes to
the associations rules regarding representation at its biannual and special conferences.

He said there had been a general push towards the changes in accordance with last years
restructure of the police service along regional lines.

However, some investigators, scientific officers and prosecutors had rejected the move.

Mr Burgess said the irony was that some of the detractors had been prepared to do
themselves out of a say on important industry issues.

He said under the new rules Crime Agencies staff would be represented along with City East
Region at upcoming conferences, creating the strongest voice within the state.

But if they preferred to go it alone, they faced the prospect of losing more than 75 per
cent of their representation.

The changes did not affect the branch structure of the association and only dealt with the
issue of representation at conferences, Mr Burgess said.

He had offered to speak at tomorrows meeting but had been declined the opportunity, he
added.

AAP jk/sw/rap/de

KEYWORD: POLICE UNION

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