Stephen John LEACH – grave stone. Castlebrook Memorial Park Cemetery & Crematorium Castlebrook Memorial Park, Windsor Rd, Rouse Hill, NSW
Steve is NOT mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance in Canberra
( checked 040822 )
Policeman shot dead at station
August 3, 2004 – 7:33PM
One of NSW top police investigators was found shot dead in the state’s police headquarters today, shattering his family, friends and colleagues around the world.
Detective Sergeant Steve Leach, 51, an internationally recognised officer who helped investigate former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic on behalf of the United Nations, was found with a single gunshot wound to the head shortly before midday.
Among his local achievements, Det Sgt Leach was instrumental in the arrest of backpacker murderer Ivan Milat and the investigations into missing Sydney school girl Samantha Knight.
NSW Police Commissioner Ken Moroney rushed to Parramatta upon hearing the news and, while he declined to speculate on the cause of death, said it was not believed to be suspicious.
The detective sergeant was not working today, having returned to NSW from The Hague in the Netherlands only in recent months.
Det Sgt Leach had been on sick leave after sustaining an undisclosed physical injury while overseas, but he had been due to recommence his employment with the NSW Police soon.
The Commissioner said investigations into the death had begun using a specialist team from Bankstown police, who would prepare a report for the Coroner.
“These are very tragic circumstances not only for the officer concerned and his family but equally as important, for his colleagues,” Mr Moroney said.
“I’m sure he will be remembered not only in the coming days . . . but certainly in years to come as one of the most experienced detectives we have (had) here in NSW, and we are the poorer for his loss today.”
Mr Moroney said the married officer had two children who, along with his colleagues, were “understandably very distraught” at the news of his passing.
“He was a very popular colleague and highly respected, not only in terms of his detective skills but certainly the specialist skills that he brought to criminal investigations here in NSW,” he said.
The officer’s colleagues at the NSW State Crime Command in Parramatta were being counselled by police chaplain Barry Dwyer.
Another police officer also was mourned today – Senior Constable Ian Ross Dennis, based in Walgett, north-west NSW, who died in hospital after a short battle with an illness, aged 47.
Mr Moroney paid tribute to both officers, saying they had been outstanding servants of the police force.
“It’s important on these occasions that we honour and acknowledge that service and that commitment,” he said.
“It’s a very sad day for the organisation to lose officers of this calibre who have selflessly served the people of this state to the very best of their skill and ability.
Homicide detective Steve Leach, left, and another detective escort the backpacker killer Ivan Milat from his home in 1994. Photo: Rick Stevens
There are few moments of joy in the life of a homicide investigator, and most of those are with their families.
Steve Leach had borne the grief of many, but yesterday it was the turn of his colleagues to face his own violent death.
Detective Senior Sergeant Leach, one of the state’s most experienced homicide detectives, took his life with his own handgun in the heart of the new NSW Police headquarters in Parramatta.
Nobody, it appears, saw such a tragedy coming.
Sergeant Leach had been on sick leave since early June, the result of a car accident in Europe that left him with leg injuries.
He had recently applied to be pensioned off as hurt on duty but those who encountered him recently had found him apparently cheery and looking forward to an early retirement.
He was still on sick report when he walked into the police building yesterday. He went into the soundproof weapons storage room; no one had been expecting him and no one heard the shot. Another officer found his body about noon.
When family, friends and colleagues looked at the life of Steve Leach, they saw an extraordinary career that began when he joined the force as a 16-year-old cadet in 1969.
He was a second-generation cop. Over 35 years, he played a role in some of the state’s most notorious cases and found his way as far afield as Bosnia, where he investigated war crimes.
Along the way he offered support to the families of victims and perpetrators alike. He even lent his shoulder to Shirley Soir, the sister of the backpacker killer Ivan Milat, who collapsed while sitting next to him in court on the day in May 1994 that her brother was charged with seven murders.
Ten days earlier, the burly detective had walked into police history as one of two detectives who arrested Milat at his Eagle Vale home.
In that case he led the search for the weapon, a Ruger 10/22, of which there were more than 100,000 imported into Australia.
He was often given tough tasks, such as the long investigation into the disappearance of the Bondi schoolgirl Samantha Knight.
In recent years, he was seconded to the European War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague. His team in the Netherlands charged the former Yugoslav president, Slobodan Milosevic, whose war crimes trial is still before the international court.
Sergeant Leach spent more than two years walkingthrough massacre sites and talking to survivors.
He came back to Sydney last year, returning to the homicide squad and recalling good times in Europe with his wife Christine, a schoolteacher.
He was chuffed that one of his two sons had also joined the police force, while the other had signed up for the army.
The Police Commissioner, Ken Moroney, remembered a detective of impeccable character.
“I’m sure he will be remembered, not only in the coming days … but certainly in years to come, as one of the most experienced detectives we have [had] here in NSW, and we are the poorer for his loss today.”
Homicide detective Steve Leach, left, takes Ivan Milat into custody in 1994.
Apart from time spent with their families, there are few moments of joy in the lives of homicide investigators.
They see the grief of others and are expected to bear their own feelings inwardly. Steve Leach had borne the grief of many – until yesterday. Now his colleagues are facing the tragedy of his own violent death.
Detective Senior Sergeant Leach, one of the Australia’s most experienced homicide detectives, took his life with his own handgun in the heart of the new NSW Police Headquarters in Parramatta.
It seems nobody saw it coming. When family, friends and colleagues looked at the life of 51-year-old Senior Sergeant Leach, what they saw was an extraordinary career that began when he joined the force as a 16-year-old cadet in 1969.
He was a second-generation police officer who, over 35 years, played key roles in some of Australia’s most high-profile and most horrific cases.
His talents were also sought internationally. He was seconded to the European War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague to investigate the killing fields of Bosnia, and was instrumental in the arrest of former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic, who is facing genocide charges.
But the hard-nosed detective also had a gift for empathy and gave his support to the families of victims and perpetrators alike.
He even lent his shoulder to Shirley Soir, the sister of Ivan Milat, who collapsed while sitting next to him in court on the day in May 1994 when her brother was charged with the murders of seven backpackers.
Ten days earlier, he walked into police history as one of two detectives who arrested Milat.
He was often asked to investigate cases where the trails had seemingly run cold, such as the 1986 disappearance of Bondi schoolgirl Samantha Knight. But by the time his team had secured the conviction of Michael Guider, Senior Sergeant Leach was in Bosnia, walking through massacre sites, talking to survivors.
He returned to Sydney last year, speaking only of the good times in Europe with his wife Christine, a school teacher. He was chuffed that one of his two sons had joined the force, while the other had joined the army.
But he had been on sick leave since early June after injuring his legs in a car crash in Europe. He had recently applied to be pensioned off as hurt on duty, but had appeared upbeat planning for his early retirement.
Senior Sergeant Leach was on leave when he arrived at police headquarters yesterday, went into the sound-proof weapon storage room and took his gun. No one heard the shot. Another officer found his body at noon.
One shocked colleague and mate said: “There you go, buddy. The futility of it all. We are all feeling that empty feeling. Why?”
Those needing assistance can reach Suicide Helpline Victoria on 1300 651 251, Lifeline on 131 114 (both 24-hour lines), SANE on 1800 688 382 or Kids Help Line on 1800 551 800.
One of NSW’s top police investigators was found shot dead in the state’s police headquarters today, shattering his family, friends and colleagues around the world.
Detective Sergeant Steve Leach, 51, an internationally recognised officer who helped investigate former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic on behalf of the United Nations, was found with a single gunshot wound to the head shortly before midday.
Among his local achievements, Det Sgt Leach was instrumental in the arrest of backpacker murderer Ivan Milat and the investigations into missing Sydney school girl Samantha Knight.
NSW Police Commissioner Ken Moroney rushed to Parramatta upon hearing the news and, while he declined to speculate on the cause of death, said it was not believed to be suspicious.
The detective sergeant was not working today, having returned to NSW from The Hague in the Netherlands only in recent months.
Detective Sergeant Steve Leach, from Sydney, Australia, was a well-known, veteran police officer with 35 years of experience.
Steve Leach was so highly respected by his fellow officers that they referred to him as “a policeman’s policeman.”
He was assigned some of Australia’s most horrific crimes. And he arrested serial killer Ivan Milat (see picture above), who murdered seven people between 1989 and 1992.
He also worked in Serbia and Montenegro from 2000 to 2003 as an investigator for the European War Crimes Tribunal, in which he had to view sites where massacres occurred, and then interview survivors.
Steve was an extremely strong man, both physically and mentally, and handled all of his assignments with the highest levels of integrity, courage, intelligence, and competence.
He was also highly ambitious and believed that he should have received a higher rank than detective sergeant.
And he was frustrated by what he believed was a ridiculous and unfairpromotion system in which he and other officers were forced to engage in “role play” during their promotion examinations.
In March, Steve applied for a newly created position as inspector at the coroner’s office, but the job was given to a muchyounger officer who had only a fraction of Steve’s experience.
Steve was furious and appealed the decision.
Unbelievably, Steve lost the appeal.
And soon afterwards, he became depressed.
On August 2, 2004, Steve, who was off-duty at the time, calmly walked into the police station, went to the armory room, obtained his service handgun, and shothimself in the head.
He was 51.
Steve’s fellow police officers were shocked, and immediately blamed the idiotic promotion system.
One outraged officer did not mince words when he described the promotion system as “bullshit.” He went on the say, “The promotions system is the only thing that was upsetting this very calm, [great police officer]. The current system is promoting people with just 12 years of experience over someone with 35 years of experience – this just destroys people like Steve Leach.”
Steve was one of the greatest police officers in Australia’s history.
Everyone loved and respected him.
And he made the streets safer because of his hard work.
He was a dedicated, superstar cop who loved his job and who loved to help people.
A rank way to treat the cops Transcript ADAM SHAND: Steve Leach was the model of what a detective should be – tough, uncompromising in his pursuit of crime, but fair and compassionate. He kept his own counsel as he served others right up to the day he took his own life. KEN MORONEY, NSW POLICE COMMISSIONER: A very sad day for the organisation to lose officers of this quality and this calibre who’ve selflessly served the people of this state to the very best of their skill and ability. ADAM SHAND: In 31 years of service, Steve Leach had worked some of NSW’s most difficult cases. He had seen the dark side of humanity, arresting backpacker murderer Ivan Milat, and solving the abduction of school girl Samantha Knight. In Leach’s death, his comrades saw their own images. At his funeral, the priest said that no-one should speculate on Leach’s own untold story. GARY HESKET, FORMER NSW DETECTIVE: I looked in the church. I could see a lot of young police there with promotion on their shoulders. I saw a lot of older police there, experienced heads. And not at the same level. “Don’t speculate”, I thought to myself. I thought, “That’s just saying we should never ever speak about this matter ever again.” ADAM SHAND: No-one will ever know why, at the age of 51, Steve Leach lost hope that day. But many senior detectives can trace their own disillusion back to the massive changes introduced after the Wood Royal Commission into police corruption in the mid-1990s. The Commissioner recommended a complete overhaul of the force’s management style. A new promotion system was introduced that no longer ensured progress through the ranks based on years of service. MARK FENLON, FORMER POLICE SERGEANT: It’s had a huge detrimental effect on morale. It’s had a huge detrimental effect upon police officers with experience who have been disenfranchised by the process. Who have been and are continue to seek exit from the police force at the earliest opportunity. And this has left a huge void in the organisation in terms of experience, in terms of training and development of younger police, in terms of expertise to deal with crime, which can’t be replaced. ADAM SHAND: Gary Hesket left the force a year ago after three decades in the job. He keeps up with his mates through his role in as a trainer in the police rugby league competition. GARY HESKET: This is good for the camaraderie, the esprit de corps. It’s the best things they could do after working in the police environment they’re in – get out here and have a game amongst each other. ADAM SHAND: You pick up the paper and see Steve Leach has committed suicide. What did that mean to you when you heard that? GARY HESKET: The first question I asked was, “Was he passed over for promotion?” And the word that came back to me was ‘yes’. ADAM SHAND: Like Steve Leach, Gary Hesket devoted his life to catching villains. He was a natural-born detective, voted policeman of the year in 2001 by his local community in western Sydney. GARY HESKET: Then you’re told, “Well, Gary, if you want to be promoted, the best thing you can do is forget about police work, find a desk somewhere and hide and do yourself a degree or diploma because that’s the only way you’re going to get promoted in the future of NSW Police.” ADAM SHAND: Hesket says many of his generation of detectives have simply been dumped on the scrap heap. GARY HESKET: But at the end of the time when you put in 35 years, where is your reward? Where is your reward? ADAM SHAND: On the day his family and comrades farewelled Steve Leach, NSW Police Commissioner Ken Moroney awarded him a ribbon recognising his achievement in solving 15-year-old mystery of Samantha Knight’s disappearance. GARY HESKET: And he did a magnificent job and he solved it, and now, posthumously, Mr Moroney is giving him a medal for that. Why wasn’t he given a medal when the case was solved, while he was alive? ADAM SHAND: When Leach was seconded as a war crimes investigator to the former Yugoslavia, he won praise for a difficult job. On his return to Australia, he expected a promotion to finish his career as a commissioned officer. MICK KENNEDY, FORMER NSW DETECTIVE: And the reason he couldn’t get promoted was he could do the job but he couldn’t pretend he could do the job. He couldn’t get through the assessment stuff, I suppose, or the role play nonsense. I was a detective for 20 years in the NSW Police… ADAM SHAND: These days Mick Kennedy is researching trends in modern policing for a PhD. He believes the root of the crisis facing Steve Leach’s generation is a lack of support for field officers. MICKKENNEDY: He didn’t kill himself because he was working in the evils and the horrors of criminal investigation, because that’s part and parcel of the work that you can deal with. You insulate yourself from it, you deal with that. But all of the time that you’re dealing with those murky, dirty hands areas of working it needs to be constantly reinforced that you’re dependent upon your organisation to support you in times of crisis or when things go bad. ADAM SHAND: When Kennedy faced his own crisis, he found there was no-one to turn to. MICK KENNEDY: I was in this house some years ago and I had my 38 on the bed and I was in despair over a range of issues. And I was thinking seriously, “Well, the best thing I could do is to kill myself”, so I ring the police medical officer and I got through to a woman who couldn’t speak English. I was on the phone with her for 20 minutes telling her that I was considering shooting myself and I’d like to speak to someone about it. In the end, I hung up in disgust because I couldn’t speak to anyone. Now I thought, “God, almighty! I can’t even try to attract attention. No-one’s interested! No-one really cares”, you know? ADAM SHAND: Faced with growing criticism, the NSW Government asked former Assistant Commissioner Geoff Schuberg to investigate the promotions system. He found many detectives had lost their sense of purpose in the job. GEOFF SCHUBERG, FORMER ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER: And one of the great problems in the system was that a number of police were applying for positions outside their area of expertise and winning them and they were put in a position where they were supervising and managing police when they had no experience or previous qualifications to do so. ADAM SHAND: Promotion, it seemed to Schoenberg, had become more important to the rank and file than the job itself. GEOFF SCHUBERG: Police really took their eye off the game of catching crooks and the promotions race seemed to be the main topic of the day, where people simply talked about positions that were being advertised, positions which they were applying for. There was a lot of resentment. There was a lot of drop in morale because of people who were applying for positions and couldn’t even get interviews. And I think that’s still very much the case. ADAM SHAND: Crime reporter Steve Barrett has been watching this generation of police officers for over 20 years. He’s seen the job consume too many of them. STEVE BARRETT, CRIME REPORTER: There was another detective inspector up at one of the stations in the Newcastle area who, with his service pistol, shot himself in the police station. Till this day, that family doesn’t know what happened to that person, why he took his own life. And you really have got to say to yourself, “What is this all about? Why is this happening?” ADAM SHAND: The Wood Royal Commission identified this generation of detectives as fertile ground for corruption, and set about purging its ranks. STEVE BARRETT: I mean, there was some very good work done by the Royal Commission but there was also some work where evidence was put before the Commission which was just, quite frankly, not true. And there was bad collateral damage and when you look at what’s happened, you think to yourself, “Well, a lot of police did down tools.” There’s no doubt about that. Then you see all these gangs growing up around Sydney – and I suppose it’s bit like if you don’t weed the garden, you’re going to get weeds. MARK FENLON: And this is reflected in the crime clear-up rates for NSW. They’re the lowest in the country. Around about 12 percent of robberies are being solved within the first 90 days of the offence occurring. 5 percent of break and enters within the same period. It’s scandalous. That’s how this policy is impacting and has impacted and will continue to impact on policing in this State. ADAM SHAND: Old-style cops say policing has become a numbers game these days. In crime statistics, a bust for a broken window counts for the same as a murder. The critics say it is the same wherever the police have moved from a paramilitary-based model free enterprise-style management – commanders are forced to strive for quantitative outcomes like managers in a boardroom. MICK KENNEDY: The problem is that productivity is measured, in policing terms, in terms of arrests, and they say, “That’s great.” But it’s about trivial arrests. What they do, you get a senior commander and have a meeting and he humiliates everybody by yelling at them and screaming at them, “Why aren’t your – why aren’t your arrest rates up? How come my stolen vehicles is down?” You say, “We don’t have any staff. I’m not interested in that!” And it’s humiliating, and it’s a humiliating process and it is a degrading. ADAM SHAND: Kennedy says the older detectives often find the pressure intolerable as they watch younger colleagues ride a desk to the top. He says the promotions system rewards those that work it. You gather merit points from education and role playing sessions where officers must show a grasp of the new language and politics of community policing. For an undercover detective, this is the theatre of the absurd. MICK KENNEDY: I had been doing undercover work for far too long. I had a twitch. I had a stutter. My hair was dropping out. I had psoriasis all over my hands and I have no doubt if I had have killed myself some idiot would say, “But, mate, he was just a bit tired, We didn’t know he had any real problems.” ADAM SHAND: Former sergeant Mark Fenlon served for 20 years. He left the force reluctantly after a distinguished career. MARK FENLON: I had to get out of policing. I blew the whistle on promotions corruption in 1999. Nothing was done in relation to the complaints I made. The promotions system, it’s allowed people who haven’t got the qualifications, the experience, to gain promotion to gain positions – senior positions within the organisation – to lead the organisation. ADAM SHAND: Although his complaints were investigated, the system remains relatively unchanged and Mark Fenlon says its major faults are beginning to show. MARK FENLON: No better example than recently would be Redfern, where there were two images that is stuck in my mind. One was of police being directed to line up across a street and be subjected to bottles being thrown at them, Molotov cocktails being thrown at them. The other image is that there were perhaps half-a-dozen senior officers in the background in the background with mobile phones to their ears looking for a direction, looking for some guidance in relation to what to do with the situation. RON STEPHENSON, FORMER POLICE SUPERINTENDENT: In my day – and I’m not blowing my trumpet – but if you were placed in that situation, if you were in arm’s length away from some of the offenders, they’d be in the back of the truck and charged with assault, indecent language, offensive behaviour, whatever the matter was. ADAM SHAND: Inspector Ron Stephenson was the officer in charge the day, in 1984, when two bikie gangs, the Bandidos and the Comancheros, squared off in the car park of the Viking Tavern, in Milperra. Seven people already lay dead and experience told Stephenson that, without quick thinking, the murderers would walk free. RON STEPHENSON: A decision would be made that they’d be rounded up, interviewed, and charged. They were only charged that day with offensive behaviour and cause of fray but, three weeks later, after we’d worked out the full picture, we raided simultaneously 43 homes, arrested 43 bikers and charged them with 301 charges of murder. ADAM SHAND: But just how you restore confidence in a force that has lost so much in terms of experience is another matter. More than half of NSW police have been in the job for less than five years. Training simulation exercises like this one are now a key measure of competence and suitability for promotion. STEVE BARRETT: I can tell you about another guy who was the boss of homicide for five years. In the north-west of Sydney. And he had to go to an assessment testing centre for a day, where they role play. And, I don’t know – because he wasn’t a good actor, he didn’t get promoted. Now, he just walked away. He’s gone. So all this experience over years and years and years of hard slog for the taxpayer of NSW has just gone like that. ADAM SHAND: But NSW Police Minister John Watkins denies the service is in crisis, that many more officers like Steve Leach are at risk. He insists morale in the force is at its highest since the Wood Royal Commission clean out. JOHN WATKINS, NSW POLICE MINISTER: The separation rate for NSW Police is the lowest it’s been for eight years and the actual resignation rate is the lowest it’s been for 10 years. It’s a very stable force in NSW and morale is the highest it’s been for a generation. ADAM SHAND: But the Minister does accept the need for a review of the promotions system. He chairs a working party of detectives which is discussing the problem. JOHN WATKINS: There was a working party, the Schuberg working party, that’s reported to me. I’ve given that to the Anderson working party to report to me by the end of this year for legislative changes to be put in place so a new promotions system can be up and running from 1 July, 2005. ADAM SHAND: Victoria Police Service has also established a merit-based promotion system, which favours education over experience. There are morale issues in Victoria as a result, but the greater problem is a war on corruption. CHRISTINE NIXON, CHIEF COMMISSIONER, VICTORIA POLICE: I did come to Victoria Police with an understanding there was corruption here. It’s the kind of attitude Victoria Police had that they didn’t have corruption really was a bit of a myth. ADAM SHAND: Unlike NSW, where the Royal Commission fast-tracked a clean out of bent coppers, Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon’s management team is driving reform. CHRISTINE NIXON: In policing, there will always be corruption. What you have to do is figure out where the high-risk areas are, where the likelihood of that corruption is to occur and to try change the systems and practices or, in fact, focus on people who might be working in those areas. ADAM SHAND: Nixon has identified so-called legends in the force which, she says, have set bad examples for young officers. Though he left the force nearly 20 years ago, Brian Murphy is still Victoria’s most feared and revered officer – a legend amongst crims and coppers. Back in 1971, Murphy was charged with the killing of a suspect in custody. Although he was acquitted, he found the incident gave him an unhealthy reputation amongst some junior officers. BRIAN MURPHY, FORMER VICTORIAN POLICE OFFICER: There would be a lot of young people think, “Well, Murphy did it and got away with it. I’ll try do what he did or what he was involved in, something similar.” And it’s not always a good thing. ADAM SHAND: Should you have been gone back in the force, do you think? BRIAN MURPHY: From time to time I think that it was most probably a bad move that I did go back in, but I couldn’t think of doing anything else than police work. ADAM SHAND: When Murphy returned to duty he was given a new role. Leading a small team known as “Murphy’s Marauders”, he took on the villains in their own pubs, sending a message of fear through the underworld. It was an old-school, often violent, method that, although successful, is certainly not endorsed in today’s force. BRIAN MURPHY: If somebody is arrested and he received a certain amount of corporal punishment, it would most probably be as a result of an assault on the policeman first. And policemen are permitted, the same as anybody else in the community, to prevent an assault, to use force, more than what is being used on them. ADAM SHAND: Some Victorian police feel the pendulum has swung too far. Officers now feel powerless in the face of criminals who have exploited the new, sensitive approach to police enforcement. CHRISTINE NIXON: I guess I don’t quite see that and I have a lot of contact with police. Australia has this kind of way of seeing villains as the heroes – Ned Kelly, I suppose, Roger Rogerson in NSW, and Brian Murphy is another. I don’t think they see them as the heroes, the real heroes in policing. I think they see them as people who just behaved and were of their time. What we have to do now is live within the legal boundaries. ADAM SHAND: But Brian Murphy believes some officers are being used as political pawns as management seeks to reassure the public of the integrity of the service. He could see the writing on the wall and took early retirement. He finds himself counselling many young officers unsure of their future career direction. BRIAN MURPHY: And a lot of them have left the job and rue the day they ever left because it’s a big, hard, cold world out there and the wages they were getting on numerous occasions they’ve found wanting and they get outside. They haven’t got the camaraderie, they haven’t got the protection of the government behind them. ADAM SHAND: Maybe the job isn’t what it used to be, and many would say that’s a step forward. But men like Gary Hesket feel they’ve been let down by an administration that’s changed the rules in the middle of the game. GARY HESKET: At the end of my days, for all the hard work you did, they take your badge, they take your ID. There’s nothing. You’re stripped. At the end of your days, who are you? You’ve given all these years of service. You just walk away and there’s this wealth of experience just sitting out there just wasting away and dying away.Click here for a printer-friendly version.http://sgp1.paddington.ninemsn.com.au/sunday/feature_stories/transcript_1687.asp
He brought Ivan Milat to justice. He worked on the disappearance of nine-year-old schoolgirl Samantha Knight and the death of Sydney mother Zoe Zou, who died last November. He recently spent two years walking through massacre sites and talking to victims of Slobodan Milosevic for the European War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague.
i know.. i heard bout that yesterday
noone knows why he done it.. and his got a family and kids too… so sad….
my condolence goes out to them all..R. I . P.
i just read about this. how tragic. he helped so many people by bringing people like ivan milat to justice, and it just got too much. it’s awful. my heart goes out to his family, friends and colleagues.
I saw him talk about the backpacker murders in Adelaide when I was in first year doing a forensic and analytical chemistry course and he inspired me to finish my degree. I am quite that he’s gone – he was an amazing speaker and a tenacious investigator.
What this the one who dies under sus circumstances?
It is so sad how all these people who do wonderful things for their community usually don’t have outlets for how they are feeling/coping with everything they have seen.
__________________ Her Most Noble Lady Nightshade the Precocious of Kesslington under Ox – Going to Paris for my birthday!!
It just about breaks my heart to read things like this…
As someone who dreams of becoming a police officer one day, I’m glad to know that there are such fine members of the police force within Australia and to know that their hard work and compassion in the job has assisted so many people and has set a respected precedent for future officers.
It’s important to commend and appreciate our nation’s police officers to help dispell the hostile attitude many members of public have against police officers – we often quickly forget that there are real people and families beneith the blue uniform.
My dad was friends with a member of the Victorian Police force who was killed while on duty, it’s upsetting to remember the sadness that his death had on our family as his friends, let alone what it must be like for immediate family..
My heart and prayers go out to both families – especially Snr Det. Leach’s son.
On 2004-08-04 12:12, Sambellina wrote:
Zoe Zou was my friend. I hope this doesn’t effect the trial of the accussed.
How heart-breaking for you… I do doubt that it will effect the outcome of the case – but most likely a collegue of Snr Det. Leach will be presenting any facts and evidence.
On 2004-08-04 12:02, sultry wrote:
It is so sad and the worst part is the not knowing.Perhaps we could also say RIP to Senior Constable Ian Ross Dennis?http://www.police.nsw.gov.au/media/d…ectionID=mediaAnother fine Police Officer taken from us too early. If only there were more out there like him.
Thank you very much for that link.
I can’t believe the police force lost two such fine men in the space of only a few hours.
On 2004-08-04 12:13, Emily-May wrote:
corrupt maybe?
Do you mean maybe he was corrupt or he saw too much corruption? Regardless, it’s tragic the amount of police officers who end up comitting suicide because of the stress involved with their job or the ‘inner workings’ of police culture. A truly fine police officer who potentially saved a lot of people’s lives
Service: From 19 March 1962 to 10 January 1989 = 27+ years Service
Awards: National Medal – granted 14 July 1977
Australian Police Medal ( APM ) – granted 26 January 1987
1st Clasp to National Medal – granted 8 June 1988
Born: 18 October 1933
Died on: 10 January 1989
Cause: Shot – Murdered
Age: 55
Funeral date:
Funeral location:
Buried at: ?
Colin Stanley WINCHESTER ACT / AFP Assistant Police Commissioner
Colin Stanley WINCHESTER ACT / AFP Assistant Police Commissioner
Touch plate at the National Police Wall of Remembrance, Canberra.
[alert_green]COLIN IS mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance[/alert_green]
Australian Federal Assistant Commissioner shot dead.
Colin Stanley Winchester APM, (18 October 1933 – 10 January 1989) was an Assistant Commissioner in the Australian Federal Police (AFP).
He was a baker’s son who’d worked in the mines at Captain’s Flat and a good-humoured larrikin.
Friends and work colleagues described him as being of great strength, courage, integrity and love, who was tough, hard-working, honest and compassionate.
Colin Winchester had been a police officer for 27 years, first in the Australian Capital Territory Police Force and then in the AFP.
On 10 January 1989, the Canberra suburb was particularly quiet, drowsing in the still, warm, evening air, ACT Policing Chief Police Officer Colin Winchester drove to his Deakin home.
At 9.15pm, as he stepped from his car Assistant Commissioner Winchester was dead, shot twice in the head at point blank range with a Ruger 10/22 .22-caliber semi-automatic rifle fitted with a silencer.
Colin Winchester’s death made headlines around the world and sparked one of the most complex criminal investigations in Australian history. It ran for more than five years.
There were many allegations of mafia involvement and that the Assistant Commissioner had been executed by the Mafia when it was revealed he’d been part of a controversial investigation targeting drug financiers and suppliers.
At a sting involved a marijuana plantation at Bungendore, a Mafia informant who told his bosses that Colin Winchester was corrupt. It was said that the police chief was shot because Mafia bosses Winchester was cleared when an independent auditor found that with no unexplained wealth to his name, it was unlikely that Colin Winchester had been on the take.
David Harold Eastman was convicted of Winchester’s murder on November 11, 1995, after a four year surveillance investigation.
Justice Ken Carruthers during his sentencing remarks said “the scientific aspect of the case resulted in
“one of the most skilled, sophisticated and determined forensic investigations in the history of Australia”.
Justice Carruthers sentenced Eastman to life imprisonment.
Winchester was Australia’s most senior police officer to have been killed.
COLIN Winchester, a former miner then 29, joined the ACT police force in 1962. Some of the ACT police were said to act like country cousins of Sydney police, and rather looked up to some of the more flashy, if dubious, detectives therein. It has been asserted that Winchester was corrupt, at least at any earlier period when he is said to have handled bribes relating to a Canberra illegal casino. However, an audit of his financial affairs after his murder revealed nothing untoward.
The ACT Police and Commonwealth Police were merged in 1979 to form the Australian Federal Police (AFP). Channel 10 reporter Christopher Masters says that factional infighting deriving from the original divisions remain, and have impeded the Winchester investigation.
Memorial: NSW Police force Service Memorial Wall, Sydney Police Centre, Surry Hills, C24 ( right wall )
JACKSON, Graeme “Jacko”
The relatives and friends of Jacko are warmly invited to attend a celebration of his life to be held at the Northcliffe Chapel of Hansen & Cole Funerals, 634 Northcliffe Drive, Kembla Grange on Friday November 29th 2013 commencing at 2:00pm.
The family request in lieu of flowers please consider a donation to Wollongong Hospital ICU. A bowl will be located at the chapel door.
Suddenly taken from us way too soon. Adored and much loved husband of Sue. Beloved son of Enid & John (dec). Brother of Liz. Uncle to Tara and great uncle to Adam and Ellie. Legend dad to Daniel & Alannah, Jason & Christa, Lance & Debra, Brett & Lucia. Grandfather of Zac, Tia, Cory, Tyler and Beau. Lost mate of Kim and Jim (Three Musketeers).
SenCon Steve BALLARD – Funeral service booklet – front page only
NSW Police Academy Constable 1st Class Course # 12 – Class B 2 August 1982 – 27 August 1982 Back Row: Greg NEWHAM, Des LAKIN, Stephen MILLS, Callum CURRIE, Mario ZANATTO, John MARINE, Murray BAKER, Phil BELL Middle Row: Lionel SMITH, Allan GREEN, Ken TOPHAM ( Liverpool ), Stephen GIBSON, Helmut MYERS, Steve KOZICKI ( Liverpool ), Peter HARTNEY, George HEATH Front Row: Terry BUXTON ( Warilla HWP ), Norm PLACE, Deryck MARTIN, Sgt 2/C M.R. TUMETH ( Instructor ), Sgt 1/C Kev JOHNSON ( Director ), Sergeant 3/C John A. GRAHAM # 10775 ( Instructor ), Stephen BALLARD # 16127, Sue BYTHEWAY
Detective Sergeant Steve BALLARD attested on 17 February 1973 with the New South Wales Police Force and served in various locations across the state, including Manly ( 14 Division ) in 1974.
Towards the end of his service, he served at the Goulburn Police Station ( 1989 – 1994 ) and the New South Wales Police Academy ( 1994 – 1998 )
Steve was a very popular and respected police office whose friendship and good humour will be greatly missed by his family and his many friends.
Nothing further, than what is recorded above, is known about this person at the time of publication and further information and photos would be appreciated.
Memorial location: All Nations Park war memorial, Separation St, Northcote, Vic.
James, Andrea and Joshua Kilmartin.
First Constable Andrea Walsh at a service honouring the late Sergeant Brian Kilmartin.
Servicemen and women honoured the late Sergeant Brian Kilmartin.
[alert_blue]BRIAN is NOT mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance[/alert_blue]
* NOT JOB RELATED
The Funeral of Sergeant BRIAN KILMARTIN will be held in the Chapel of the Victoria Police Academy, View Mount Rd, Glen Waverley on THURSDAY (October 10) at 2.00 pm.
POLICE HONOURS
Brian’s interment will take place at the Tatura Lawn Cemetery (Winter Rd) on FRIDAY (October 11) at 12.00 noon.
In lieu of flowers, a donation to the Heart Foundation would be appreciated. Envelopes at the Service.
The Age, Tuesday October 8, 2013
Messages:
KILMARTIN. Brian Gerard.
11.6.1964 – 30.9.2013
Beloved husband of Andrea.
Loved and loving father of Joshua and James.
Youngest son of Tom (dec. ) and Pat (Kyabram/Tatura) and brother of David and Chris, Tony and Angela, Dennis and Rosemary, Brendan and their families.
KILMARTIN. Brian. Killer, you are a legend of the job and will never be forgotten.
Steve “Trigger and Robyn Waite.
KILMARTIN. Brian. Always knowledgeable, always approachable. Best Sergeant we ever had. Rest In Peace
Nick and Jo Parissis.
KILMARTIN Brian Sergeant 24519
Members past and present of Northcote Police Station are saddened by the sudden loss of our highly respected work colleague and friend.
Killer, you were a man of few words but those words were always full of wisdom and humour. You will be sadly missed.
Condolences to Andrea, Josh, James and the Kilmartin family.
KILMARTIN. Brian. Sergeant 24519
Management and Staff of North West Metro Region, Division 5 extend their deepest sympathy to Andrea, Josh and James on the loss of Brian. Our thoughts are with you.
KILMARTIN. Brian. Sincere sympathy to our friend Andrea and Joshua and James on the loss of your beloved husband and father, Brian. He will be sadly missed
David, Rosemary, Linda, Sheryl, Judy, Grace, Alyx and all at North Balwyn Eye Clinic and Specialist Centre.
KILMARTIN. Brian. The Members of the Doncaster Junior Football Club are deeply saddened by the sudden passing of our fellow member and friend. Sincere condolences to Andrea, Josh and James.
KILMARTIN. Brian. You will be missed by all of your old detective buddies and friends at the High Street Blues.
KILMARTIN. Brian. Thank you for your friendship, memories and wonderful sense of humour. You always made me laugh. I can’t believe you’re gone. Much love to Andrea, your beautiful boys and the Kilmartin family. Muzza Porter and family.
KILMARTIN. Brian. Sgt. 24519 Good man, great Sergeant Sadly missed by all at Reservoir Police Station.
KILMARTIN Brian Loved son-in-law of Judith Robinson, brother-in-law and uncle of Louise, Sarah and Aaron, Aimee, Samuel and Jessie Lucas; Peter, Sharon, Christopher, Laura and Alex Robinson; Paul, Elsa, Matthew and John Robinson. Simply the Best
KILMARTIN. Brian. Sergeant 24519 The Chief Commissioner, Officers and Employees of the Victoria Police Force regret the passing of their colleague and offer their deepest sympathy to his family.
KILMARTIN. Brian. Cherished nephew and Godson of Bill (dec. ) and Marie Davies. Loved cousin of Jill, Denise, John, Anne, Nick and Cathy. Forever in our hearts
KILMARTIN. Brian Gerard. Loved brother of Dennis and Rosemary. Uncle of Thomas and Anna. Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, Love leaves a memory no one can steal.
KILMARTIN. Brian. From those heady days at Carlton and Fairfield until now. Killer, you will be sadly missed. Ray and Leanne Foster.
KILMARTIN. Brian. The President, Executive and Members of The Police Association mourn the passing of Sergeant Kilmartin and extend their deepest sympathy to his family. At Rest
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Northcote police officer posthumously honoured with Breavington Award
Julia Irwin, Northcote Leader
A NORTHCOTE police officer known for quietly going beyond the call of duty was posthumously recognised for his outstanding service to the community.
Peers at Northcote police station were unanimous in their decision to honour the late Sergeant Brian Kilmartin with the Breavington Award, which was presented to his widow Andrea and sons Joshua, 16, and James, 14, after a ceremony at All Nations Park war memorial last week.
Sergeant Kilmartin died from heart failure on September 30 last year, aged 49.
The award for policing excellence is presented annually in memory of former Northcote police officer and World War II prisoner of war Corporal Rodney Breavington.
Northcote police Senior Sergeant David Yates described the late Sergeant Kilmartin as a dedicated, kind and caring police officer.
“He was particularly caring when it came to the elderly,” Sen-Sgt Yates said.
“When an elderly man was reported missing in Fairfield, Brian came back on his own time and continued the search. That was the kind of man he was.”
During Tuesday’s ceremony, a plaque honouring Sergeant Kilmartin and former posthumous Breavington Award winners Senior Constables Mark Bateman and Fiona Robinson (killed in a car crash in May 2000), was unveiled on the war memorial usually reserved for military personnel.
Corporal Rodney Breavington, a former Fairfield resident, was executed by the Japanese in Singapore in 1942 during World War II after escaping from a prison camp where thousands of allies were held.
He and three other prisoners were forced to dig their own graves before facing a firing squad.
Breavington pleaded with his executioners to shoot him and free the other men but his captors ignored the plea.
He refused a blindfold and clutched a photo of his wife as he was shot dead.
Darebin RSL spokesman Bill Mountford said police, like other servicemen and women, put their lives on the line.
He said it was fitting that recipients of the Breavington Award who’d lost their lives while serving their communities should get recognition with a plaque on the war memorial.
But Mr Mountford said he hoped there would be no need for any more plaques to be awarded posthumously.
Senior Constable Paul Kennedy, aged 51, died whilst on holidays at Scotts Head, NSW, on Thursday 4 October, 2001, as a result of a heart attack & drowning in the surf.
Paul had been performing General Duties at the Wollongong ( NSW ) Local Area Command prior to his death.
His funeral Service was held at Parson’s Funeral Parlours, 278 Princes Hwy, Bulli, at 10am on Wednesday 10 October which was followed by a private cremation service at the Wollongong Crematorium.
Memorial: the “Chuck Connor” trophy for “reteam on Course Dux”
Glenn Connor
24 September 2000
Acting Sgt Glen “Chuck” Connor, 38 old, who lived at Otford, died about 11am in a hang gliding collision at Stanwell Tops.
He had a female passenger from Albion Park Rail and collided with another paraglider, being piloted by Vitali Kouznetsov from Hurstville as the second glider took off from Bald Hill they became entangled. The woman and Vitali survived the crash.
Glen was also the owner / operator of “Skybound Hang Gliding School” and had been a qualified hang gliding instructor since 21 July 1983 with approximately 1850 hours hang gliding experience.
Glen’s wife, Sue and brother Adrian were on the hill and witnessed the accident.
Glen used to work at Wollongong G.D’s, South Region Dog Squad around 1992 & his dogs name was ‘Jet’ and, from memory, Wollongong Prosecutors.
At the time of his death he was stationed at Sutherland Prosecutors.
May Glen forever Rest In Peace.
Accident location
Illawarra Mercury Page 11 Wednesday 21 March 2001
Armed hold up at service station. Illawarra Mercury page 9 Monday 10 February 1992 with police dog Jet
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Hang-gliders hurt in Stanwell Park crash landing
BRETT COX
Two hang-gliders had to be rescued by helicopter from a rock at the bottom of a cliff after they were injured during a tandem flight at Stanwell Park.
The delicate rescue operation occurred under a darkening sky after an unexpected change of wind forced the emergency landing about 4.30pm yesterday.Hang-glider operator Tony Armstrong, 55, of the Stanwell Park Hang-gliding and Paragliding School, was initially knocked unconscious while landing on the rock.
He was later taken by helicopter to St George Hospital with head injuries and is in a stable condition.
The other man, an Irishman in his 30s visiting Australia on a working holiday visa, received cuts to his leg and was driven by ambulance to Wollongong Hospital.
Mark Mitsos, secretary of the school, told the Mercury northern suburbs man Mr Armstrong had more than 25 years’ hang-gliding experience and had spent thousands of hours in the air off Bald Hill.
“There was a very sudden change in wind direction and he effectively had to make an emergency landing down at the bottom – and there’s not too many options down there,” Mr Mitsos said.
Local hang-glider Matt Radzyner said sudden wind changes at Bald Hill were almost impossible to predict. He praised Mr Armstrong.
“He would have been in control the whole time and he obviously put his passenger first because his passenger had much lesser injuries.
“He took the brunt of the crash.
“The injured Irishman used his mobile phone to call five friends waiting on Bald Hill, who walked 40 minutes down a steep track to the men’s aid.
Ambulance officers began the trek just after 5pm, but the rescue helicopter reached the injured men first and winched them back to the top of the cliff.
The friends were transported to a nearby beach.
The most high-profile hang-gliding accident in recent times at Bald Hill occurred in September 2000 and left two dead.
Police officer Sergeant Glenn Connor, of Otford, was flying tandem with an Albion Park Rail woman when their gilder became tangled in the lines of a paraglider being flown by Hurstville man Vitali Kouznetsov.
Probationary Constable – appointed 27 January 1989
Senior Constable – death
Stations: Windsor, Penrith HWP ( 9 years ), Manning Great Lakes LAC ( from April 2005 – 31 July 2007 ) Forster HWP – death
Service: From? ? 1988 to 31 July 2007 = 19+ years Service
Awards: Police Valour Award – presented on 7 August 2007 ( posthumously ),
Region Certificate of Appreciation,
State Emergency Service Medal.
No find on It’s An Honour
Born: 5 July 1967
Died on: Tuesday 31 July 2007
Cause: Died from injuries received, as a pedestrian, whilst Off Duty, saving the life of another
Event location: Manning St, Tuncurry
Age: 40
Funeral date: Monday 6 August 2007
Funeral location: Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church, Taree
Buried at: Manning Great Lakes Memorial Gardens Portion: Mon Row: B129
Memorial: 1/ NSW Police Force Service Memorial Wall, Sydney Police Centre, Surry Hills, D30 ( left wall )
2/ Manning Great Lakes – Manning 206 HWP vehicle bearing personalised number plates
Paul William MORRIS & Tracey Fergus
Manning Great Lakes 206 ( Manning 206 )
Manning Great Lakes 206 ( Manning 206 )
[alert_green]PAUL is mentioned on the NSW Police Force Service Memorial Wall at the SPC
D 30 Left Wall[/alert_green]
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The Daily Telegraph 31 July 2007
Pedestrian cop killed in smash
The scene… where two off-duty police officers were struck by a car on the NSW mid-north coast today.
AN off-duty policeman has died after being pinned between his car and a second vehicle which crossed to the wrong side of a road on the NSW mid-north coast, police say.
Senior Constable Paul Morris, 40, died on Wharf Street, Tuncurry about 12.55pm (AEST) today after he was struck by the car, NSW Police Commissioner Ken Moroney said.
Mr Moroney said a second off-duty officer, a 36-year-old woman, was also injured in the incident but had been treated and released from Tuncurry Hospital.
“We understand at this time that a motor vehicle approached from the opposite direction and, for reasons yet to be established, it appears to have mounted a median strip,” Mr Moroney told Southern Cross Broadcasting.
“It has travelled onto the incorrect side of the road and struck Senior Constable Morris, who was pinned beside his vehicle. He was killed by his injuries.”
The incident was witnessed by fellow officers, police said in a statement.
Mr Moroney said the policeman was a single man who was “close friends” with his female colleague.
The driver of the other vehicle had been taken to hospital in a state of shock, he said.
Mr Moroney and Deputy Commissioner Andrew Scipione were tonight on their way to Tuncurry.
Police Minister David Campbell offered sympathy to the families of the two officers.
Highway patrol officers “held back tears” as NSW Police Commissioner Ken Moroney offered them support over the death of an off-duty colleague in a freak car accident.
One witness told police Senior Constable Paul Morris died as he pushed his girlfriend, an off-duty officer who was injured in the incident, out of the way of an out-of-control car on the NSW mid-north coast on Tuesday.
Snr Const Morris, 40, died on Wharf Street, Tuncurry, about 12.55pm (AEST) after he was struck by the reversing car that pinned him to his own vehicle, police said.
A 36-year-old woman, who was in a relationship with Snr Const Morris, was also injured in the incident but had been treated at Manning Base Hospital and discharged.
Mr Moroney and Deputy Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione rushed to Tuncurry late on Tuesday to console local officers, some of whom saw the fatal collision.
Tony Ritchie, spokesman for the commissioner, said Mr Moroney and Mr Scipione also visited Snr Const Morris’ parents on Tuesday night to offer their support.
“There was a gathering of highway patrol officers in another house,” Mr Ritchie said.
“They walked through, shared the comfort, shook hands and watched as big men held back tears as they talked about friends.
“Same with the parents, they offered what comfort they could.”
Mr Ritchie described the collision near the Bellevue Hotel, a favourite haunt of off-duty police, as “freakish”.
He said it appeared the car that hit the officers, described as a silver Subaru station wagon by one witness, became locked in reverse as it tried to park.
Another witness told police the car’s tyres were smoking as it veered out of control, he said.
“(Snr Const Morris) was standing on a median strip, he was just about to walk across the road to get into his car,” Mr Ritchie said.
“He had to literally walk across one lane to get into his car and (another) car in some bizarre way somehow locked itself into reverse and comes veering across one lane … over the median strip and knocked him further across the road into his car.
“(The car) could have been one foot either way, six inches either way and (Snr Const Morris) would have said ‘Gee, what was that all about’.”
Mr Moroney’s spokesman said police were still looking for witnesses but one had told them Snr Const Morris tried to save his girlfriend.
“One of the witnesses said he’s pushed her out of the way as the car’s come across the road,” he said.
“But (the witness was) looking the other way, mind you, and it was all in a split second.”
Mr Ritchie said police were still considering whether it was appropriate to charge the driver of the Subaru, who was also injured in the incident.
THE distraught girlfriend of a policeman who died while pushing her from the path of an out-of-control car has described how the hero officer’s actions saved her life.
Tracey Fergus was yesterday suffering physical injuries and a broken heart after the death of Senior Constable Paul Morris, her boyfriend of four years.
As the couple crossed the main street of Tuncurry, on the NSW mid-North Coast, on Tuesday afternoon a car suddenly reversed towards them.
Sen-Constable Morris tried to push Ms Fergus, who is also a police officer, out of the way, but both were struck by the vehicle.
The off-duty highway patrol officer took the full force of the car and died at the scene from massive injuries.
“That was Paul, he tried to push me out of the way as best he could,” a shattered Ms Fergus told The Daily Telegraph yesterday.
“He was the best person in the world. He had a heart of gold.”
Nursing visible injuries from the incident, Ms Fergus smiled as her boyfriend’s family told of his three great loves – his girlfriend, his family and his fishing. “I sometimes wonder if fishing might have come first,” Ms Fergus said with a smile.
Just three weeks ago, Ms Fergus organised a surprise 40th birthday party for Sen-Constable Morris.
“I didn’t know whether he’d kill me for organising it or if he’d be OK about it,” Ms Fergus said.
But there was no mistaking how the policeman felt about the gesture.
The officer’s mother Marie Morris revealed: “He said to me afterwards ‘Mum, she is the best thing that has ever happened to me’.”
The investigation into the incident continued yesterday, with crash unit officers from Newcastle closing off Manning St in the town centre while they retraced the pair’s movements.
Sen-Constable Morris and Ms Fergus had been to a shop and were on a median strip waiting to get back to their car when the accident happened.
“It looks as if he’s been reversing back and somehow he’s come spearing across and hit the two officers, who were standing on the median strip,” a police spokesman said.
The 61-year-old male driver of the car was assisting police with inquiries late yesterday.
A full police funeral will be held for Sen-Constable Morris next week.
“He was a terrific policeman and he had the best group of workmates you could ever have,” his mother said.
The officer’s grieving colleagues visited his family after the accident, as did Police Commissioner Ken Moroney and Deputy Commissioner Andrew Scippione.
Workmates struggling to come to terms with the popular officer’s death have been offered counselling.
REST IN PEACE SENIOR CONSTABLE Paul MORRIS
31 July 2007
NSW POLICE FORCE
A DEVOTED partner, professional colleague and great mate is how Senior Constable Paul Morris will be remembered.
His three great loves in life were his partner Tracey, his family and his fishing, although not necessarily in that order – his brother Peter revealed at his funeral service.
Hundreds of people attended the full police funeral at Taree’s Our Lady of Rosary Catholic Church including Commissioner Ken Moroney, Deputy Commissioner Andrew Scipione and colleagues from Sydney and the Manning Great Lakes.
The Manning Great Lakes highway patrol officer was killed in a freak traffic accident in Tuncurry last Tuesday.
In an act of bravery, the off duty officer who was standing in Manning St with his partner Senior Constable Tracey Fergus, jumped in front of her, protecting her from an out of control car which had crossed the median strip.
He bore the the brunt of the impact and later died at the scene.
Senior Constable Morris joined the NSW Police Force as a trainee in 1988 and later assigned to Windsor following successful training. He moved into the highway patrol sector and this included a nine year period with the Penrith Highway Patrol. He successfully transferred to Manning Great Lakes Command in April 2005 where he continued his role in keeping the road toll down.
Commissioner Moroney said Senior Constable Morris’ death was a tragic loss.
“Senior Constable Paul Morris was the type of professional police officer the NSW Police Force could not afford to lose.”
He added he was honoured to confirm Senior Constable Morris had been appointed a posthumous commendation for bravery in recognition of his actions in Tuncurry last Tuesday when he put his own life on the line to protect his partner Senior Constable Tracey Fergus.
“I pay a special tribute to his partner Tracey and parents Bill and Marie for the dedication and support they unreservedly gave to Paul throughout his career. I offer my deepest sympathy on his tragic and untimely death.”
Peter told the congregation his brother’s death had left a huge hole in their lives.
“We have lost our best mate,” he said.
“While he may not be here in body he will be here in spirit.
“He had one of the biggest hearts. Paul you are our hero and we won’t forget you.”
A message read on behalf of Tracey gave a true picture of her life partner.
“He was a true gentleman. He was my soul mate. Not a day went by when he didn’t have a smile on his face or come out with a cheeky one-liner.
“It’s not often in a lifetime you meet a man like Paul Morris.
“Thank you for honouring him.”
Local Area Commander Superintendent Peter Thurtell said Senior Constable Morris was a true professional, working hard to keep local roads safe.
“Paul was our friend and he will always be.
“Paul was our colleague and he will always be.
“He was the essence of what is good about policing and he will always be.”
“Tomorrow and beyond the police family will now turn its attention to Tracey.
“This is, I believe, how Paul would have insisted it be.”
Senior Constable Paul Morris posthumously received the Certificate of Service, Region Certificate of Appreciation and State Emergency Service Medal.
Selfless act of a courageous man … police colleagues carry the coffin of Sen-Constable Paul Morris. Picture: Rob McKell
ON crutches and visibly injured, Tracey Fergus yesterday recalled the golden heart of her hero boyfriend who sacrificed his life to save hers.
The injured policewoman smiled bravely as she accepted a police valour award for Senior-Constable Paul Morris at his funeral service.
He was killed last Tuesday while pushing Ms Fergus out of the path of an out-of-control car. The couple had been crossing the main street in Tuncurry, on the mid-North Coast, when a car driven by an elderly man veered towards them.
Police Commissioner Ken Moroney told mourners at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church in Taree that it was the quick-thinking actions of Sen-Constable Morris in pushing Ms Fergus out of way that saved her life.
“He is awarded for his selflessness and courage and for the swift and evasive action to remove his partner out of harm’s way,” Mr Moroney said.
In tributes farewelling the officer, the congregation heard of Sen-Constable Morris’s love of life, his family, his friends and his job in highway patrol – a role he carried out for 19 years.
“He was a highly regarded and respected man who served the community with courage, honour and distinction,” Mr Moroney said.
Despite her injuries, Ms Fergus smiled graciously as she accepted the Police Commissioner’s Commendation for Courage medal on Sen-Constable Morris’s behalf.
In a eulogy read on her behalf, Ms Fergus said Sen-Constable Morris was a gentle, loving and caring man who had a heart of gold.
“Paul was a true gentleman not a day went by when he didn’t have a smile on his face,” Ms Fergus wrote in the eulogy.
Superintendent Peter Thurtell described Sen-Const Morris as the “consummate professional” with an love of highway patrol.
“His colleagues looked forward to working a shift with him because they could be guaranteed hard work as well as good fun and lots of laughter,” Supt Thurtell said. “He is the essence of what is good about policing and he will always be.”
At the end of the funeral service, Sen-Constable Morris’s coffin was driven through a guard-of-honour, formed by officers who gathered to to farewell their colleague.
In a tribute to the highway patrolman, the procession was lead from the church by his former police car, Manning 206.
