POLICE CHIEF AND THOSE MEDIA LEAKS
Victorian State (Australia) Police Chief Commissioner Simon Overland is in the wars again over leaked information to the media..
How Overland dodged a bullet
by Hedley Thomas From: The Australian June 09, 2010
IN an article in The Age nine months ago a journalist wrote about a nugget of remarkable evidence nestled in the little-known 23-page sworn affidavit of the man who is now Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police, Simon Overland.
Overland admitted a number of facts in this affidavit, dated November 1, 2007. The Age’s Melissa Fyfe focused on the fact Overland, by his own admission, had passed on secret intelligence to his colleague, then Victoria Police media chief Stephen Linnell. The intelligence was from a telephone tap during a covert murder investigation called Operation Briars.
Although The Age’s article was placed well back in the newspaper, its angle was powerful: Overland’s action in passing on the secret intelligence from the telephone tap had been illegal, according to Paul Mullett, former secretary of the Police Association, Victoria’s registered trade union for police.
read more…
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TEAM UZUNOV was quoted in The Australian last year over Overland’s fury over a leaked raid on alleged terrorists.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/why-arrest-terrorists-when-you-can-arrest-journalists/story-e6frg71f-1225758769704
Why arrest terrorists when you can arrest journalists?
From: The Australian
August 07, 2009
“…Unless of course Cameron Stewart’s leak was a national security agency, as Sasha Uzunov from Team Uzonov media suggests:
The Chief Commissioner’s anger, or more like a case of protesting too much, is misplaced. Last month a leaked Office of Police Integrity (document) was published in The Australian newspaper by Stewart which alleged a shoot-to-kill culture within the Victoria Police. It was noticeable that the Chief Commissioner did not jump up and down and condemn the leak but used it for political mileage.
Did Commissioner Overland betray the real reason for his anger during Tuesday’s press conference? …”
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http://teamuzunovmedia.blogspot.com/2009/08/overland-hypocrisy-on-terror-leak.html
Thursday, August 06, 2009
OVERLAND HYPOCRISY ON TERROR LEAK
IN DEFENCE OF THE AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPER REPORT:
Overland hypocrisy on terror raids
By Sasha Uzunov
Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Simon Overland is on the warpath over the publication of a story in The Australian newspaper on 4 August 2009 just hours before a major raid on suspected Melbourne based terrorists who allegedly planned to attack Holsworthy Army Barracks in Sydney. He has claimed that the leaked story had placed his officers in danger.
www.theage.com.au/national/the-australians-editorinchief-defends-terrorraids-story-timing-20090804-e80i.html
But the Chief Commissioner’s anger, or more like a case of protesting too much, is misplaced. The reporter of the article is Cameron Stewart, a well respected journalist and who according to his website profile is a former “spook” with the super secret Defence Signals Directorate (DSD). www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22653583-5014045,00.html
I am sure that Stewart would realise the magnitude of his story and I would personally as a journalist trust his news sense in running the story. www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25879554-601,00.html
The story was given the go-ahead by the Australian Federal Police (AFP), of which Commissioner Overland once served with.
If any blame is to be apportioned perhaps the Chief Commissioner should realise that the media is a double edged sword. Leaks usually occur for a number of reasons. Governments or the opposition release information in advance to test the waters. If the reaction is unfavorable, then the information is disowned.
To put it simply Commissioner Overland cannot have his cake and eat it too. Last month a “leaked” Office of Police Integrity (OPI) was published in The Australian newspaper by Stewart which alleged a “shoot to kill culture” within the Victoria Police. It was noticeable that the Chief Commissioner did not jump up and down and condemn the leak but used it for political mileage.
The Australian newspaper story ran on July 13 2009 titled ‘No Tasers’ for deadly police, by Stewart quoted a soon to be released report from the Victorian Office of Police Integrity (OPI):www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25770795-5006785,00.html
There is a long running battle between the watchdog OPI and the Victorian Police Association, the union, over the introduction of the Taser Gun. The Victorian Police Commissioner Simon Overland is opposed to the non-lethal weapon being handed out to all police.
Senior Sergeant Davies of the Victorian Police Association quite rightly has expressed skepticism at the leaked OPI report.“We do have some issues with the fact that reports are released-leaked from the OPI and then nobody butters up to answer questions about it,” he said.
More to this story can be found at my article SHOOTING FROM THE LIP ,
http://teamuzunovmedia.blogspot.com/2009/07/shooting-from-lip.html
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