Glance over police career

Press, 25 July 1985, Page 4

Glance over police career

The retiring secretary of the Police Association, Dr Bob Moodie, says the policies of the previous Minister of Police, Mr Ben Couch, set police work back 10 years. “He wouldn’t hear anything the association told him,” said Dr Moodie last evening. While a likeable man, Mr Couch was never really a Minister, he said. “He was Muldoon’s plant — the right man for the Government but the wrong man for the police.” Dr Moodie drew a stark contrast between Mr Couch and the present Minister, Mrs Hercus. “She is a real go-getter and very much in tune with what we want,” he said. While there had been “public scuffles” with Mrs Hercus, her appointment as Minister was the best decision he had seen in the nine

years spent as the association’s secretary. Dr Moodie criticised the courts for what he sees as their failure to take a stronger line with people who assault policemen. “They (the courts) have yet to establish that once you punch a policeman you are in trouble,” he said. While the courts must be respected and were beginning to take a stronger line there were lapses from time to time, said Dr Moodie. “Only the courts can protect policemen,” he said. Dr Moodie’s personal style is well known — straight talking on many issues. Stirring public debate was the only way of getting things done, he said. “I’ve burnt a lot of bridges and angered a lot of people along the way.” The image of the police had improved during the

last year after taking a battering in 1981 with the upheaval of the Springbok rugby tour of that year, said Dr Moodie. “We lost a lot of the support of the middle class but people have begun to see the police were not to blame.” Dr Moodie attributed blame to the then National Government, claiming that the police were “clearly used.” No good had come out of the tour for the police — “it was something we could have well done without.” Low pay rather than any anti-police feeling is the main cause of low morale in the police, according to Dr Moodie. “You can kick the guts out of them and they will still do their job,” he said. The salary issue was one that had to be resolved as

the police were losing too many trained staff to jobs outside the force. A wage rise of 20 to 25 per cent is being sought in the upcoming wage round and Dr Moodie will provide his advice and support. The role of women in the police was an important one and they were often more successful at resolving conflict than their male counterparts, Dr Moodie, said. He described the lack of a “career path” for women as a tragedy, and said it was wrong that they could not regain seniority after coming back from raising a family. While crime might be increasing and becoming more sophisticated the police were coping, he said. Their work could be easier and more successful if the community police

station concept was widely introduced. While many community constables were doing a “fantastic job,” Dr Moodie described the community constable scheme as being merely tokenism. The community police station concept would be more expensive but it would be more successful as policemen would be living and working in the community they served, he said. There are positive moves being made in this direction. His decision to retire from the association has not been made suddenly. “I really made it in November — it was clear then that the early retirement scheme would come into force,” he said. This is one of the highlights of a career which included 13 years in the police, during which Dr Moodie was an inspector, for two years. He then became the association’s secretary. It was a job which he enjoyed and regarded as a continual challenge. While he “clashed with everything that moved in the police,” Dr Moodie regards them as “first-class” people to work for. He is now set to channel his energy into full-time goat farming — a decision he described yesterday as being the pinnacle of his career.