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- Tuesday, 21 April 2009
A review of the NSW Police’s GLBT strategy will take another look at transgender issues after two Surry Hills officers were sentenced for disclosing sensitive information about a woman’s sex change.
Suspended officers Tyrone Stacey and Brendan Ritson were ordered to perform 125 hours of community service for unlawfully revealing to a man in custody that his girlfriend was transgendered in 2006.
Surry Hills Commander Donna Adney said she hoped the two constables never returned to her station.
Everyone is equally appalled at what they did and nobody wants them back, especially me, she told Sydney Star Observer.
It is unconscionable to think a police officer would deliberately release that information for any purpose other than what it’s meant for. It goes against everything we do as police.
Stacey and Ritson’s own colleagues at the Surry Hills command were responsible for reporting the crime, charging them, and testifying against them in court.
Adney, who is also the NSW Police spokeswoman for gay, lesbian and transgender issues, said there was a need to incorporate more transgender concerns into the force’s GLBT strategy, which has just come up for review.
That’s basically about trying to cover more stuff to do with transgender, because that’s becoming a little more common. So we need police to understand how to deal with transgender issues and people.
She confirmed the GLLO program is not at risk under the review.
The NSW Police are also participants in the whole-of-government strategic framework Working Together: Preventing Violence Against Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender People.
April 22nd, 2009 @ 11:35 am
It should also be noted that Ritson is appealing his conviction, and is receiving a portion of his $75,000 salary after he claimed financial hardship. What’s the point of being suspended without pay, if you still get to collect?
April 22nd, 2009 @ 2:07 pm
The salary is actually $61,195 PA.
Ritson was a level 5 constable and is now receiving 51 per cent of his former wage as a convicted felon.
Bloody disgraceful !
April 22nd, 2009 @ 7:06 pm
It sad, but two rotten apples really do spoil the whole barrel. The police “force” is going to have to work mighty hard to overcome this incident and the perception that most cops are just power hungry gorillas who care nothing for the community but are just in it for themselves. I know that hearing stories like this make me feel quite uncomfortable around police officers as they seem to have so much power and in some ways are above the law. Fancy still getting paid after you broke the law and defamed your entire profession. If I was a police officer I’d be mighty pissed off at them. But I’m not a police officer, I’m a member of the public so I’ll just be cautious around police officers and remember this incident whenever I deal with any of them.
April 22nd, 2009 @ 11:08 pm
You can drag a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.
Acceptance of transgendered will always be an uphill battle as long as it is not addressed in the open and given some positive light in the education system, and ingrained in the social, cultural and political climate. 125 hours of community service doesn’t seem to quite meet that criteria. So who thinks gay and lesbian rights have a long way to go? Well rights of the transgendered have even further.
May 5th, 2009 @ 5:22 am
Stephen and Gary, I just read your posts “is receiving a portion of his $75,000 salary after he claimed financial hardship” and “receiving 51 per cent of his former wage”, respectively. Very interesting! To my knowledge, this information was not reported in the press. How did you obtain that information? I was not aware that concerned members of the public could obtain that sort of information about suspended police officers
May 5th, 2009 @ 9:15 am
Leaks as big as the holes in the “titanic” are scattered within the NSWPF.
May 5th, 2009 @ 11:53 pm
Gary, so it was easy getting that information from the police? I have a few questions of my own. Perhaps you can point me in the right direction
February 8th, 2010 @ 8:33 am
It should be noted by all, including Commander Donna Adney, that these two Constables are appealing their convictions. According to other media reports the Constables allege that the release of the information was accidental rather than intentional. If a District Court Judge accepts that defense they will be found not guilty, not having the requisite “guilty mind”. While the consequences of this “Slip of the tongue” were substantial and cannot be minimized to the person involved, how often do people in general make such “accidental” comments about others? This incident is a reminder to all of us, not just Police, to think carefully about what we say before making comments about other people.