Flexistentialist
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ABC - 4 Corners - Monday 8/3/04 - "The Speed Trap"
- Thread starter Flexistentialist
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apollo
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I was lucky enough to be in the same room as a few members of the ABC research team who were discussing this very story a few days ago. It's set up to be a killer! The 4 corners team call the show "a big fucking gun that takes 6 weeks to load", and I guess the Victorian police are on the wrong end of it this time... They know it too, I'll bet.
Jonathan Holmes usually does a top job, so there's even more going for it.
Jonathan Holmes usually does a top job, so there's even more going for it.
phase_dancer
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I'll video tape it if I'm home, but someone would need to capture and digitise.
The ABC often has recordings of their shows, so I'm sure the original transcript at least will be available. Can't have Victorians subjected to unfair censorship. Shit, if I still had that old remote broadcasting transmitter........
The ABC often has recordings of their shows, so I'm sure the original transcript at least will be available. Can't have Victorians subjected to unfair censorship. Shit, if I still had that old remote broadcasting transmitter........
ABC (4 corners) on Police corruption in the Drug Trade, tonight
Just a heads up. This show looks like it could be interesting!
8.30 pm Monday 8 March (except Victoria).
A decade ago detectives from the Victoria Police drug squad came up with a new weapon in their war on the dealers.
It was called, prosaically, "Controlled Chemical Delivery". To help them track down clandestine laboratories, police obtained the precursor chemicals used to make methylamphetamine - speed - and sold them to criminals, via informers.
The aggressive new strategy yielded results. Speed dealers who fell for the sting were busted and jailed.
But the Victorian Ombudsman describes the policy as "an unmitigated and foreseeable disaster".
Huge amounts of chemicals were "lost", and converted to speed. And some officers became corrupt, selling drugs and chemicals for their own private benefit.
For more than two years the Victoria Police's "Task Force Ceja" has been gathering evidence and laying charges. But its operations are veiled in secrecy. No one knows who it's investigating, or when it might conclude.
So far two corrupt Drug Squad detectives have been jailed; 12 more Victoria Police members - eight of them former or serving members of the Drug Squad - have been charged with drug-related corruption. More charges may well be imminent.
Public confidence in the police and in Victoria's justice system has been seriously shaken. While CEJA's investigations continue, most of the men accused of running Melbourne's speed market remain free on bail, their trials postponed; because too many star police witnesses are themselves in prison, or facing charges, or are under investigation.
"This is unprecedented," says one QC. "We've never had such a large group of serious drug prosecutions tied in with such a large group of police corruption charges against the investigating police."
Two years ago the new Chief Commissioner, Christine Nixon, halted Controlled Chemical Delivery and disbanded the old Drug Squad. It was replaced by a new unit, with new commanders and new rules. She claims the Major Drug Investigation Division has been highly productive. But a recent case of serious corruption raises the question: have the old problems been solved?
The Chief Commissioner and the Minister deny that there's systemic corruption in the Victoria Police. They point out that the Royal Commissions that have sought to purge police in other states have cost millions, but produced few convictions. Task Force CEJA, they say, is the best way to deal with corruption allegations.
Jonathan Holmes reports on "The Speed Trap" - Four Corners, 8.30 pm Monday 8 March (repeated 1 pm Tuesday).
Note: For legal reasons this program cannot be shown in Victoria ("Ethiopia: A Journey with Michael Buerk" will be aired in its place). However a modified version of "The Speed Trap" will be screened in Victoria on Monday 15 March.
Taken from ABC (4 corners) website
Just a heads up. This show looks like it could be interesting!
8.30 pm Monday 8 March (except Victoria).
A decade ago detectives from the Victoria Police drug squad came up with a new weapon in their war on the dealers.
It was called, prosaically, "Controlled Chemical Delivery". To help them track down clandestine laboratories, police obtained the precursor chemicals used to make methylamphetamine - speed - and sold them to criminals, via informers.
The aggressive new strategy yielded results. Speed dealers who fell for the sting were busted and jailed.
But the Victorian Ombudsman describes the policy as "an unmitigated and foreseeable disaster".
Huge amounts of chemicals were "lost", and converted to speed. And some officers became corrupt, selling drugs and chemicals for their own private benefit.
For more than two years the Victoria Police's "Task Force Ceja" has been gathering evidence and laying charges. But its operations are veiled in secrecy. No one knows who it's investigating, or when it might conclude.
So far two corrupt Drug Squad detectives have been jailed; 12 more Victoria Police members - eight of them former or serving members of the Drug Squad - have been charged with drug-related corruption. More charges may well be imminent.
Public confidence in the police and in Victoria's justice system has been seriously shaken. While CEJA's investigations continue, most of the men accused of running Melbourne's speed market remain free on bail, their trials postponed; because too many star police witnesses are themselves in prison, or facing charges, or are under investigation.
"This is unprecedented," says one QC. "We've never had such a large group of serious drug prosecutions tied in with such a large group of police corruption charges against the investigating police."
Two years ago the new Chief Commissioner, Christine Nixon, halted Controlled Chemical Delivery and disbanded the old Drug Squad. It was replaced by a new unit, with new commanders and new rules. She claims the Major Drug Investigation Division has been highly productive. But a recent case of serious corruption raises the question: have the old problems been solved?
The Chief Commissioner and the Minister deny that there's systemic corruption in the Victoria Police. They point out that the Royal Commissions that have sought to purge police in other states have cost millions, but produced few convictions. Task Force CEJA, they say, is the best way to deal with corruption allegations.
Jonathan Holmes reports on "The Speed Trap" - Four Corners, 8.30 pm Monday 8 March (repeated 1 pm Tuesday).
Note: For legal reasons this program cannot be shown in Victoria ("Ethiopia: A Journey with Michael Buerk" will be aired in its place). However a modified version of "The Speed Trap" will be screened in Victoria on Monday 15 March.
Taken from ABC (4 corners) website
larrylickchops
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im taping this show and will be able to transfer it to the computer. As far as uploading it somewhere, id say it will be a pretty big file, even if divx'ed. If it is too big, I could burn the finished divx to a cd and mail it if someone wanted to see it.
Thirsty
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Just finished watching this, fantasic viewing.
I wonder if the police implicated in this actually started out with good intentions and somehow the attraction of easy money was too strong? Or were they as bent as a rastafarian on pay day from the begining? Anyways, what an almighty cockup.
It will be interesting to watch this unravel further....
P.S. Thanks for the heads up "Flexistentialist", would have missed it otherwise
I wonder if the police implicated in this actually started out with good intentions and somehow the attraction of easy money was too strong? Or were they as bent as a rastafarian on pay day from the begining? Anyways, what an almighty cockup.
It will be interesting to watch this unravel further....
P.S. Thanks for the heads up "Flexistentialist", would have missed it otherwise
Fry-d-
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Cheers for the heads up, was definately an interesting watch.
I'm always amazed by those who turn informant are game enough to tell their story. Either be it corrupt cops or the crime families putting a price on your head. An interesting insight though.
I'm always amazed by those who turn informant are game enough to tell their story. Either be it corrupt cops or the crime families putting a price on your head. An interesting insight though.
Glad I got to see it. Cheers for the notice.
Wish I could say it surprised me. I guess all that surprised me was the ease it which it all started without permission from above etc. And the relative simplicity of what they were doing... (This cost us $140,000 when really cost $120 etc. And just rocking up with police badges to buy restricted chemical... anyone else feel like investing in a badge... they were only reported upon by the cemical company after they had bought milllions of sudafed and kilograms of pure pseudoephidrine). I would have thought that operations like this would be much more complicated and devious.
Wish I could say it surprised me. I guess all that surprised me was the ease it which it all started without permission from above etc. And the relative simplicity of what they were doing... (This cost us $140,000 when really cost $120 etc. And just rocking up with police badges to buy restricted chemical... anyone else feel like investing in a badge... they were only reported upon by the cemical company after they had bought milllions of sudafed and kilograms of pure pseudoephidrine). I would have thought that operations like this would be much more complicated and devious.
IWoody
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that was a really ineresting show
It named names and showed pictures but it all seemed more then it showed
there was one part that stood out to me an officer was to purchase 5000 pills and aleged he paied 20 bucks a piece where realy he paied 18.... seriously I think that is more than wrong as a guess I would think you would be playing in the single figures and not 18 bucks a pop....
and what was to say that once precurcers were bought that they werent bringing in cut products or glucose...
and that poor son of one of the corumpt cops who was claiming he was framed.... true or not its all dodgy shit
It named names and showed pictures but it all seemed more then it showed
there was one part that stood out to me an officer was to purchase 5000 pills and aleged he paied 20 bucks a piece where realy he paied 18.... seriously I think that is more than wrong as a guess I would think you would be playing in the single figures and not 18 bucks a pop....
and what was to say that once precurcers were bought that they werent bringing in cut products or glucose...
and that poor son of one of the corumpt cops who was claiming he was framed.... true or not its all dodgy shit