Police Remembrance Day: Hundreds turn out to honour those who have made the ultimate sacrifice

Police Remembrance Day: Hundreds turn out to honour those who have made the ultimate sacrifice

Matt Cullen
The Daily Telegraph
September 29, 2015 

THEY are the men and women who put their lives on the line on a daily basis to ensure the rest of the community remains safe and sound.

The members of the NSW Police see the best and worst of people on any given day.

From devastating accident scenes to telling the next of kin they have lost a loved one, dealing with violent criminals or picking up someone who has reached their lowest point.

Members of NSW Police have one of the most confronting and difficult jobs in society but it is also rewarding.

Occasionally though one of those members is lost as they do their job leaving a hole in the lives of their family and colleagues.

Since the NSW Police Force was first formed in 1862 there have been 252 officers that have died in the line of duty.

No tribute or salute can ease the pain of those who have lost their loved ones in the line of duty, says NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione.

Police, politicians and the families of fallen officers gathered at The Domain in Sydney today to remember those who paid the ultimate price.

The service included bible readings, live music, wreath laying and speeches by Premier Mike Baird and Deputy Premier Troy Grant.

Mr Baird said it was remarkable that someone would lay down their life for a friend but even more remarkable that they might do so for a stranger.

NSW Governor David Hurley said police are people who see beyond themselves and they prefer to give back to society rather than take.

Every day NSW police receive 300 emergency call-outs that could put officers in dangerous or volatile situations, he said.

“Our people join (the police force) knowing there could be a cost,” he said.

The most recent NSW officer to have died on duty was Detective Inspector Bryson Anderson who was killed in a knife attack in Sydney in December 2012.

Insp Anderson had gone to Fiona and Mitchell Barbieri’s rural Oakville property in Sydney’s northwest on December 6, 2012, after reports Mitchell had been firing arrows at his neighbour.

After a protracted siege at the home, Barbieri lunged toward Insp Anderson, plunging a hunting knife deep into the officer’s chest and causing his almost immediate death.

Mitchell Barbieri had been facing the possibility of spending the rest of his life behind bars — but as he was so significantly influenced by the schizophrenic delusions of his mother Fiona he was instead jailed for at least 26 years.

His 47-year-old mother Fiona, who the Supreme Court heard was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time, pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of “substantial impairment”.

She was been sentenced to a minimum term of seven-and-a-half years with a total term of 10 years for manslaughter and resisting arrest.

That same year Senior Constable David James Rixon was shot dead after pulling Michael Allan Jacobs over for a breath test.

Sen-Constable Rixon was shot once in the chest with a bullet fired from a .38 calibre revolver after approaching Jacobs’ stopped Holden Statesman for a random breath test early on March 2 2012.

The policeman returned fire and hit Jacobs three times, leaving the man with “an out of control drug addiction” critically wounded, before he collapsed from his injuries.

Jacobs almost died from his injuries but in his dying moments Sen-Constable Rixon had handcuffed Jacobs to arrest him.

A court heard Jacobs screamed “ah die, I’m sorry sir, sorry” just after the shooting and while “lying gravely wounded could be heard repeatedly saying ‘I’m sorry.’”

Jacobs was the first person to be convicted of murdering a police officer since legislation was introduced in 2011 to ensure such an offence is punished by a sentence of life with no parole.

But they are just two of many, following is a complete list of those who have died in the line of duty.

POLICE OFFICERS WHO DIED IN THE LINE OF DUTY

The first recorded death in Australia of a serving Police member

26 Aug 1803 Const. Joseph Luker — assaulted and stabbed by offenders

(Sydney Foot Police)

1862 NSW Police Force (created by the amalgamation of existing Police Forces)

16 Jun 1862 Const. William Havilland — accidentally shot while on a gold escort

23 Feb 1863 Sen Const. John Foy — drowned by floodwaters during an evacuation

25 Feb 1863 Const. Jeremiah O’Horrigan — drowned crossing a flooded river

2 Mar 1863 Const. Thomas Cavanagh — drowned (unknown circumstances)

13 Jul 1863 Const. Michael Farralley — drowned crossing a creek

3 Sep 1863 Const. Michael Quinlivan — drowned crossing a river after a pursuit

19 Oct 1863 Const. Henry Rucker — drowned crossing a creek during a search

22 Jan 1864 Sgt Robert Robinson — accidentally shot after disarming an offender

8 Apr 1864 Const. Michael Kinsella — drowned crossing a creek

8 May 1864 Sen Const. James Johnston — thrown from horse

24 Jun 1864 Sgt David Maginnity — shot by bushranger Morgan

29 Sep 1864 Sen Sgt Thomas Smyth — shot by bushranger Morgan

8 Oct 1864 Const. James Moffat — illness occasioned by duties

16 Nov 1864 Sgt Edmund Parry — shot by bushranger Gilbert

26 Jan 1865 Const. Samuel Nelson — shot by bushranger Dunn

3 Feb 1865 Sen Const. John Ward — shot by bushranger Sam Poo

13 Apr 1865 Sen Const. John Herbert — accidentally shot during a stake-out

29 May 1865 Sgt John Walsh — thrown from horse

9 Apr 1866 Const. Miles O’Grady — shot by bushrangers (Clarke Gang)

14 Apr 1866 Const. William Raymond — shot by an escaping prisoner

9 Jan 1867 Sp Const. John Carroll — shot by bushrangers (Clarke Gang)

9 Jan 1867 Sp Const. Patrick Kennagh — shot by bushrangers (Clarke Gang)

9 Jan 1867 Sp Const. Eneas McDonnell — shot by bushrangers (Clarke Gang)

9 Jan 1867 Sp Const. John Phegan — shot by bushrangers (Clarke Gang)

24 Jan 1867 Const. William Effe — accidentally shot while on a gold escort

30 Apr 1867 Const. Thomas Madden — accidentally shot during a prisoner escape

7 Apr 1868 Const. Hugh Campbell — thrown from horse during a search

1 Nov 1868 Sen Const. John McCabe — shot by bushranger Rutherford

8 May 1869 Const. Thomas Byrne — drowned in a flooded river during evacuation

1 May 1872 Sen Sgt Andrew Sutherland — shot by unknown offenders

11 Sep 1877 Const. George Armytage — shot while attempting to effect arrest

11 Sep 1877 Const. Michael Costigan — shot while attempting to effect arrest

20 Sep 1878 Sen Sgt Thomas Wallings — shot by bushranger Smith

23 Nov 1879 Sen Const. Edward Webb-Bowen — shot by bushranger Nesbitt

12 Mar 1885 Const. 1/C John Mitchell — shot by an escaping prisoner

13 Aug 1885 Const. 1/C William Hird — struck with an axe during an affray

3 Jun 1889 Const. David Sutherland — shot by an offender

11 Jan 1890 Sgt James Beatty — stabbed by an offender

4 Oct 1897 Sen Const. Henry Murrow — assaulted while effecting an arrest

25 Dec 1900 Sen Const. James Murdoch — illness while fighting bushfires

2 Jan 1901 Insp James Bremner — struck by a bolting military horse

19 Jul 1902 Const. 1/C Denis Guilfoyle — shot while effecting an arrest

19 Jan 1903 Const. Samuel Long — shot while effecting an arrest

8 Mar 1905 Const. 1/C William Justin — horse riding accident while on patrol

11 Feb 1906 Const. 1/C John Wallace — shot by an offender

11 Oct 1908 Pro Const. William Adie — thrown from horse while on patrol

19 Apr 1910 Sen Const. Thomas Smith — thrown from horse while on patrol

26 Dec 1911 Sgt 2/C James MacDonnell — shot while effecting an arrest

2 May 1913 Sgt 2/C Edwin Hickey — shot while effecting an arrest

2 Mar 1916 Sgt 1/C William Bowen — assaulted while effecting an arrest

26 Sep 1916 Const. George Duncan — shot by two offenders at Police Station

11 Dec 1917 Sgt 2/C Ramsay Dobbie — injured while effecting an arrest

19 Oct 1918 Det Sgt 2/C William Robertson — thrown from horse while on patrol

6 Nov 1919 Const. 1/C Joseph Hush — motor vehicle accident while on patrol

17 Dec 1920 Const. 1/C Frederick Mitchell — shot by an offender

21 Jan 1921 Const. Frederick Wolgast — shot by an offender

1 Jan 1923 Const. Frank McGrath — fall from motor vehicle on prisoner escort

9 Mar 1924 Const. James Flynn — shot by an escaping prisoner

28 Aug 1926 Sgt 2/C Edgar Williams — motor vehicle accident returning from court

27 May 1927 Const. Owen Bell — struck by a motor vehicle while on patrol

17 Feb 1928 Const. Laurence Alpen — drowned in a flooded creek

3 Jan 1931 Const. Norman Allen — shot while effecting an arrest

3 Jan 1931 Const. Ernest Andrews — shot and stabbed by an offender

25 Mar 1931 Sgt 3/C George Whiteley — struck by an object at a fire scene

19 Apr 1931 Sgt 3/C Patrick Carmody — injuries received in 1926 search

5 Aug 1932 Const. Joseph McCunn — struck by motor vehicle at a vehicle stop

5 Aug 1932 Const. Clifford Bush — struck by motor vehicle at a vehicle stop

9 Apr 1933 Const. 1/C George Stephenson — struck by motorcycle on patrol

2 Apr 1937 Const. George Boore — motorcycle accident while in pursuit

3 Dec 1938 Const. 1/C Frederick McLaughlan — injuries received in 1922 affray

2 Feb 1939 Const. 1/C Harold Sturgiss — motorcycle accident while on patrol

27 Feb 1939 Const. Lionel Guise — shot while effecting an arrest

28 Feb 1939 Const. Nicholas Smith — motorcycle accident at a vehicle stop

28 Feb 1939 Const. Alistair Osgood — motorcycle accident at a vehicle stop

6 Jun 1939 Det Sgt 3/C Cornelius Carroll — struck by motor vehicle on patrol

25 Apr 1940 Det Const. 1/C John Dunn — shot while effecting an arrest

3 Jun 1940 Const. William Webb — injuries from 1923 motorcycle accident

27 Sep 1940 Const. 1/C Duncan Murphy — injuries received in 1938 arrest

22 Aug 1941 Const. Henry Lees — horse riding accident while on patrol

9 Nov 1942 Const. 1/C John Marsh — motorcycle accident while on patrol

31 Jul 1943 Const. George Matthews — assaulted while effecting an arrest

12 Jan 1945 Sgt 3/C Eric Bailey — shot while effecting an arrest (posthumously awarded the George Cross)

23 Jun 1945 Const. 1/C Alfred Henwood — motorcycle accident while on patrol

12 Jul 1945 Sgt 1/C Allan Eisenhuth — collapsed after effecting an arrest

13 Sep 1945 Sgt 3/C Lawrence Newell — collapsed while effecting an arrest

20 Jul 1946 Const. 1/C Reginald Williams — illness following 1943 incident

11 Aug 1946 Det Const. 1/C Victor Ahearn — shot by escaping prisoners

19 Sep 1946 Sgt 3/C Noel Porter — disease contracted while recovering a body

7 Feb 1947 Const. Clement Bloomfield — motorcycle accident while on patrol

1 May 1947 Const. 1/C John Malone — motorcycle accident while on escort

25 Oct 1947 Const. Lawrence McNeil — motorcycle accident while on patrol

19 Oct 1948 Sgt 3/C Edwin Pratt — struck by a motor vehicle while on point duty

5 Feb 1949 Const. Allen Patch — motorcycle accident while on patrol

25 Jun 1949 Const. 1/C Raymond Morely — injuries received in 1947 arrest

1 Sep 1951 Sgt 1/C William Smith — injuries sustained while effecting an arrest

6 Dec 1951 Sen Const. Frank Mills — struck by motor vehicle at a vehicle stop

1 Jun 1953 Const. Garnet Mortley — motorcycle accident while on escort

11 Aug 1953 Const. Evan Williams — motorcycle accident while on patrol

26 Nov 1953 Const. Frederick Martin — motor vehicle accident returning from court

20 May 1954 Const. Reginald Sutherland — motor vehicle accident while on patrol

2 Jun 1954 Const. Cecil Sewell — motorcycle accident during a pursuit

21 Oct 1954 Const. Edward Dilks — motor vehicle accident while on patrol

26 Feb 1955 Const. Bernard Orrock — electrocuted during flood rescue duties (posthumously awarded the Queen’s Police Medal for Gallantry)

29 Apr 1956 Sgt 2/C Cecil Ellis — injuries sustained while effecting an arrest

22 Aug 1956 Sgt 3/C Allen Nash — shot by an offender (posthumously awarded the Queen’s Police Medal for Gallantry)

15 Mar 1957 Det Sen Const. Alexander Strachan — illness from 1953 investigation

16 May 1957 Const. 1/C Trevor Dodds — motorcycle accident while on patrol

21 May 1957 Sen Const. James Gregory — collapse following a body recovery

30 Jul 1957 Const. 1/C Kenneth Coussens — private residence bombed (his wife and baby child were also killed in the explosion)

28 Aug 1957 Const. Jack Harman — motorcycle accident en route to duty

15 Sep 1957 Const. 1/C Neville Jury — motorcycle accident while on patrol

23 Apr 1958 Const. John Graham — injuries from 1948 motorcycle accident

26 Apr 1958 Const. 1/C Athol Johnson — stabbed while effecting an arrest

24 May 1958 Const. 1/C Stanley McInerney — collapsed after effecting an arrest

14 Nov 1958 Const. Brian Boaden — motorcycle accident during a pursuit

23 Dec 1958 Const. William Lord — motorcycle accident during a pursuit

31 Jul 1959 Const. James Clifton — motorcycle accident while on patrol

11 Sep 1959 Sgt 2/C Raymond McLean — collapsed after restraining a prisoner

2 Oct 1960 Const. William Green — motorcycle accident while on urgent duty

13 Oct 1960 Sen Const. Clarence Pirie — shot while effecting an arrest

20 Jan 1961 Const. Frances Burke — drowned while attempting a rescue at sea

15 Apr 1961 Const. Ronald Sommerville — motorcycle accident while on patrol

2 Sep 1961 Const. 1/C Douglas Harries — struck by a motor vehicle on point duty

14 Oct 1961 Const. 1/C Graham Ponter — motorcycle accident while on patrol

14 Oct 1961 Const. James Kinnane — motorcycle accident during a pursuit

18 Apr 1962 Const. Eric Oliff — motorcycle accident while on escort duties

21 Oct 1962 Const. Peter Hardacre — motorcycle accident while on patrol

5 Jun 1963 Const. David Murray — motorcycle accident while on patrol

7 Sep 1963 Const. Colin Robb — motor vehicle accident during a pursuit

20 Dec 1963 Sgt 3/C Cyril Howe — shot while effecting an arrest (posthumously awarded the Queen’s Police Medal for Gallantry)

11 May 1964 Const. Allan Shaw — motor vehicle accident while on urgent duty

21 Apr 1965 Sen Const. Oswald Watts — injuries from 1955 motor vehicle accident

8 Jul 1966 Sgt 2/C William McKie — injuries sustained in 1964 arrest

5 Oct 1966 Const. Peter Mahon — motorcycle accident while on patrol

6 Nov 1966 Const. Colin Hollingsworth — motor vehicle accident en route home

27 Dec 1966 Pro Const. Geoffrey Daley — motorcycle accident while on patrol

23 Mar 1967 Const. 1/C Paul Bains — collapsed after effecting an arrest

12 May 1967 Const. Colin Roy — motorcycle accident en route home

8 Oct 1967 Const. Edward Stephen — motorcycle accident en route home

8 Oct 1968 Sgt 2/C Adam Schell — shot while effecting an arrest

30 Oct 1968 Pro Const. Warren Burns — motorcycle accident while training

19 Mar 1969 Const. Raymond Paff — injuries from 1953 motor vehicle accident

15 Apr 1969 Const. 1/C Robert Turnbull — motor vehicle accident while on patrol

21 Dec 1969 Const. David Reiher — motorcycle accident during a vehicle stop

9 Feb 1970 Const. 1/C Warren Sargent — motor vehicle accident while on patrol

25 Apr 1970 Sgt 3/C Ronald McGowan — motor vehicle accident en route home

2 Oct 1970 Det Const. 1/C Denis Ware — accidentally shot during a stake-out

13 Aug 1971 Sen Const. William King — shot by an offender at Police Residence

29 Aug 1971 Const. 1/C Patrick Hackett — motor vehicle accident UN duty Cyprus

30 Sep 1971 Sgt 1/C William Riley — shot while effecting an arrest (posthumously awarded the Queen’s Police Medal for Gallantry)

30 Sep 1971 Sgt 3/C Maurice McDiarmid — shot while effecting an arrest (posthumously awarded the Queen’s Police Medal for Gallantry)

23 Jan 1972 Const. Joseph Gibb — accidentally shot while effecting an arrest

27 Feb 1972 Det Sgt 2/C John McEntee — disease occasioned by duties

12 Nov 1972 Sen Const. Neville Parker — motor vehicle accident while on patrol

24 Mar 1973 Const. Robert Thomson — motorcycle accident while on patrol

15 Apr 1973 Const. Clifford Wadwell — motorcycle accident en route home

12 May 1973 Sgt 2/C John Gill — collapse en route to duty

22 Sep 1973 Const. 1/C Christopher McIntosh — motorcycle accident on patrol

16 Feb 1974 Const. 1/C Robert Dominish — motor vehicle accident en route home

24 May 1974 Const. James Martin — struck by a motor vehicle at a vehicle stop

13 Jul 1974 Det Sgt 3/C Dallis Kemp — collapse while undergoing training

14 Aug 1974 Const. Edward Devine — motorcycle accident while on urgent duty

12 Nov 1974 Const. 1/C Class Ian Ward — landmine explosion UN duty Cyprus

22 Mar 1975 Sgt 3/C Robert Lynch — motorcycle accident en route home

7 Jul 1975 Det Sgt 1/C Stephen Powell — collapse while undergoing training

2 Dec 1976 Const. Terry Moncur — motor vehicle accident during a pursuit

30 Apr 1977 Sen Const. Douglas Eaton — shot by offenders (posthumously awarded the Queen’s Police Medal for Gallantry)

3 May 1977 Sen Const. Alan Thompson — motor vehicle accident while on patrol

3 May 1977 Sen Const. Raymond Scorer — motor vehicle accident while on patrol

15 Oct 1977 Sen Const. Lindsay Gilfeather — motor vehicle accident on patrol

22 Feb 1978 Const. 1/C Paul Burmistriw — bomb explosion at CHOGM Sydney

23 Jun 1978 Det Sgt 3/C John Walton — motor vehicle accident while on patrol

10 Jan 1979 Const. Gordon Patrech — motor vehicle accident en route home

11 Mar 1979 Sgt 1/C John Colbert — struck by motor vehicle at a vehicle stop

19 Jan 1980 Det Sgt 1/C Reginald Stevenson — injuries sustained when shot by an offender in 1974 (awarded Queen’s Commendation for Brave Conduct)

2 Feb 1980 Const. 1/C Kevin Coulson — injuries from 1960 motorcycle accident

5 May 1980 Sen Const. Ronald Burley — motorcycle accident en route home

24 Nov 1980 Sgt 3/C Keith Haydon — shot by an offender

13 May 1981 Sgt 3/C Lindsay Spence — motor vehicle accident while on patrol

4 Mar 1982 Const. 1/C Mark Kohutek — motorcycle accident while on patrol

17 Nov 1983 Sen Const. John Hutchins — motorcycle accident en route to duty

26 Dec 1983 Pro Const. Wayne Lee — motorcycle accident en route to duty

20 Feb 1984 Sgt 1/C Rhoderic Lindsay — injuries undertaking a rescue at sea

4 Apr 1984 Const. Pashalis Katsivelas — shot by an escaping prisoner

3 Jan 1985 Const. 1/C Wayne Rixon — motor vehicle accident during a pursuit

25 Jul 1985 Det Const. Steven Tier — motor vehicle accident during a pursuit

12 Sep 1985 Sgt Ralph Lloyd — illness occasioned by duties

30 Mar 1986 Sgt 3/C Paul Quinn — shot by an offender following a pursuit

22 Apr 1986 Det Sgt 3/C Jillian Hawkes — injuries sustained during 1977 arrest

17 Jul 1986 Sgt 3/C Harold Evans — motor vehicle accident while on patrol

1 Sep 1986 Sgt 3/C Ross Jennings — collapse while undertaking fatigue duties

10 Sep 1986 Sen Const. Warren James — motor vehicle accident while on patrol

23 Jan 1987 Const. Mark Postma — collapse following completion of duty

17 Apr 1987 Pro Const. Dana Heffernan — motor vehicle accident en route to duty

7 May 1987 Sgt 2/C Stewart Cook — motor vehicle accident en route home

3 Jun 1987 Pro Const. Andrew Dixon — self-inflicted occasioned by duties

21 Jun 1987 Sen Const. Gregory Earle — motorcycle accident on urgent duty

20 Oct 1987 Pro Const. Themelis Macarounas — motor vehicle accident in pursuit

25 Dec 1987 Sen Const. Ronald Roe — illness occasioned by duties

16 Mar 1988 Const. 1/C Craig Zucchetti — motor vehicle accident while on patrol

17 Mar 1988 Const. 1/C Mark Burns — motor vehicle accident while on patrol

8 May 1988 Const. Kurt Schetor — motor vehicle accident while on patrol

24 Aug 1988 Const. 1/C Peter Carter — motorcycle accident during a pursuit

29 Aug 1988 Const. Gregory Ashworth — motor vehicle accident on urgent duty

25 Oct 1988 Const. Brett Sinclair — injuries sustained while effecting an arrest (posthumously awarded the Commissioner’s Valour Award)

30 Nov 1988 Pro Const. Sharon Wilson — accidentally shot at Police Station

2 Jan 1989 Det Sen Const. Risto Baltoski — motor vehicle accident on patrol

17 Mar 1989 Const. 1/C John Ward — motorcycle accident en route home

23 Mar 1989 Const. 1/C Andrew Murray — drowned attempting a rescue at sea (posthumously awarded the Commissioner’s Valour Award)

27 Apr 1989 Const. John Burgess — motor vehicle accident on urgent duty

5 May 1989 Const. Allan McQueen — shot while effecting an arrest (posthumously awarded the Star of Courage)

13 Jun 1989 Const. 1/C Peter Figtree — motor vehicle accident during a pursuit

14 Jun 1989 Sen Const. Glenn Rampling — motor vehicle accident during a pursuit

29 Oct 1989 Sgt Paul Kilkeary — injuries occasioned from undergoing training

1990 — NSW Police Service (change of name from NSW Police Force)

13 Jan 1990 Sen Const. Grant Eastes — self-inflicted occasioned by duties

11 Mar 1990 Sgt Warren Hobson — injuries arising from 1989 accident

11 Jul 1990 Const. Kenneth Short — motor vehicle accident on urgent duty

14 Aug 1990 Det Const. 1/C David Oakley — injuries sustained in 1988 arrest

7 Dec 1990 Sen Const. Peter Tickle — self-inflicted occasioned by duties

29 May 1991 Det Sgt Leonard Dean — illness occasioned by duties

28 Sep 1991 Det Sgt Richard Whittaker — illness occasioned by duties

31 Oct 1991 Det Const. 1/C Bradley McNamara — collapse undergoing training

30 Nov 1992 Const. 1/C Juan Hernandez — accidentally shot while instructing

22 May 1993 Sgt John Proops — collapse while effecting an arrest

15 Aug 1994 Sen Const. Dallas Tidyman — motorcycle accident while instructing

17 Mar 1995 Det Sen Const. Jack Nugter — motor vehicle accident while on patrol

30 May 1995 Insp Paul Daley — collapse undergoing training

8 Jun 1995 Sen Sgt Wayne George — motorcycle accident while on patrol

15 Jun 1995 Sen Const. Peter McGrath — self-inflicted occasioned by duties

9 Jul 1995 Sen Const. Peter Addison — shot by an offender (posthumously awarded the Commissioner’s Valour Award)

9 Jul 1995 Sen Const. Robert Spears — shot by an offender (posthumously awarded the Commissioner’s Valour Award)

18 Apr 1997 Const. David Carty — stabbed during an affray

28 Feb 1998 Const. Peter Forsyth — stabbed while effecting an arrest (posthumously awarded the Commissioner’s Valour Award)

10 Jun 1998 Sen Const. Ronald McGown — illness occasioned by duties

13 Jul 1998 Sen Sgt Raymond Smith — motorcycle accident en route to duty

7 Jan 2000 Const. Matthew Potter — shot at Police Station

14 Jan 2001 Sen Const. James Affleck — struck by motor vehicle while deploying road spikes (posthumously awarded Commissioner’s Valour Award)

2002 — NSW Police (change of name from NSW Police Service)

1 Feb 2002 SPO Robert Brotherson — motor vehicle accident on patrol

3 Apr 2002 Const. Glenn McEnallay — shot by an offender following a pursuit (posthumously awarded Commissioner’s Valour Award)

13 Apr 2002 Sen Const. Christopher Thornton — motor vehicle accident in pursuit

3 Feb 2003 Const. Kylie Smith — motor vehicle accident en route to duty

15 Sep 2003 Det Sgt Mark Speechley — collapse while on duty

14 Nov 2003 Det Insp Andrew Day — illness occasioned by duties

19 Jun 2004 Const. Shelley Davis — motor vehicle accident on patrol

4 Apr 2005 Const. Graeme Lees — motor vehicle accident en route to duty

14 Jun 2006 Policing Student Steven Roser — collapse undergoing training

28 Sep 2006 Sgt Colin McKenzie — collapse while on duty in ACT

11 Nov 2006 Sen Const. Gordon Wilson — struck by motor vehicle at a vehicle stop

15 Nov 2006 Sen Sgt Loreto Finucci — collapse while on duty in ACT

9 Sept 2010 Det Const. William Arthur George Crews — shot during the execution of a search warrant in Bankstown NSW. (Posthumously awarded Commissioner’s Valour Award).

2 Mar 2012 Senior Constable David James Rixon — shot while conducting a traffic stop in Tamworth NSW. (Posthumously awarded Commissioner’s Valour Award).

6 Dec 2012 Det Insp Bryson Charles Anderson — stabbed at a siege in Oakville NSW. (Posthumously awarded Commissioner’s Valour Award)

Tony Abbott first interview since leadership coup with Ray Hadley.

Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott interviewed by Ray Hadley

Lanai Scarr National Political Reporter
The Daily Telegraph
September 29,2015.

TONY Abbott is confident he would have won the next election had he been left as Prime Minister.

The dumped PM, who lost his job to Malcolm Turnbull in a coup two weeks ago, this morning dismissed negative opinion polls and said he had never done well in public opinion polls.

“I am confident that if I had continued at head of this government that’s what we would have had (a victory),” Mr Abbott told 2GB’s Ray Hadley.

“If you look at my polling I’ve always done badly in the polls.

“You can be not popular in the ratings and at the same time lead a very effective opposition and government.”

Mr Abbott said internal party polling in the lead up to the Canning by-election showed the Liberal party would have won 57 per cent of the vote which is about what the final result was on the day.

He said the timing of the leadership spill was carefully coordinated to ensure a challenge was successful.

Turnbull wins Liberal leadership

“Because a strong result in Canning would have put paid to this notion that somehow I wouldn’t survive the next election,” Mr Abbott said.

He said he was doing OK after losing the nation’s top job, however was still not yet ready to make a decision on his future.

“57-years-old is still young,” he said of his age.

“I’m not ready to retire and I still have a lot to contribute to public life.”

Mr Abbott also lamented that he never watched his back while Prime Minister which may have led to his demise.

“I never believed in watching my own back,” Mr Abbott said in his first public interview since being rolled.

“Any leader who is watching his back is not focusing on the main job at hand. If the leader ever starts to play internal politics than the leader is in trouble.

“I always knew that politics was a brutal bruising business. It is a game of snakes and ladders and I’ve got a snake at the moment.”

Mr Abbott urged voters to stick with the Coalition at the next election and Malcolm Turnbull as Prime Minister.

“I can appreciate there are a lot of people out there who are dismayed by what has happened,” he said.

“But it would be even worse if we end up with the sixth prime minister in six years.”

Mr Abbott also denied that he ever thought about cutting loose former Treasurer Joe Hockey and his chief-of-staff Peta Credlin in order to placate any push for a change of leader.

“The idea that those people hungry for advancement would be mollified by if Joe went or my chief-of-staff is just wrong,” he said.

“They were not going to be put off if they were thrown a few human sacrifices and it is wrong to feed this beast.

“Joe and I were blood brothers when it comes to economic policy. The idea that I would have sacrificed Joe to save myself is just dead wrong.”

Mr Abbott also refused to weigh in on if he felt betrayed by his former deputy Julie Bishop and close ally Scott Morrison.

“I’d rather focus on the good work that they did,” he said.

“In the end all of us have got to answer to God and our consciousnesses and I am not going to get into who should have said what.”

On Scott Morrison in particular, Mr Abbott said: “At some point in time I’m sure we’ll have a conversation and we will resolve these things.”

Mr Abbott also urged politicians to stop the revolving door of prime ministers for the sake of the nation.

“This is a real problem for our country. The government can’t do what is necessary if you are subject to death by polls,” he said.

“We’ve had five prime ministers in five years. We are worse than Italy and only just better than Greece.

“For a country that has always had stable and effective government this is hardly the face we want to put to the world.”


Malcolm Turnbull acted when he did because he knew Canning by-election would strengthen Tony Abbott

Daniel Meers
The Daily Telegraph
September 29 2015.

FORMER Prime Minister Tony Abbott says Malcolm Turnbull executed him the week before the Canning by-election because he was on track for a strong result at the Canning ballot box.

In a 30 minute interview with Radio 2GB host Ray Hadley, aired live on television, Mr Abbott said his executioners were aware internal polling in Canning showed the government was on track for 57 per cent of the vote.

“One of the reasons why the ballot had to be brought on the week it was brought on by the proponents of a ballot was because a strong result in Canning, which is what we were going to get, would have put 

paid to this notion that somehow I was unelectable because of the polls,’’ he said.

-------------------------------------------

The Truth about Tony Abbott............

Loss of Tony Abbott as prime minister is a time of sorrow

Andrew Bolt
The Daily Telegraph
September 28 2015

NOW Tony Abbott is gone I can finally tell the truth about him. Folks, you made a big mistake with this bloke.

No, no. The mistake wasn’t that you voted for him.

In fact, you got one of the finest human beings to be Prime Minister.

In many ways he seemed too moral for the job, yet he achieved more in two years than the last two Labor prime ministers achieved in six.

Compare. Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard left us with record deficits after blowing billions on trash — on overpriced school halls, “free” insulation that killed people, green schemes that collapsed, “stimulus” checks to the dead.

They meanwhile opened our borders to 50,000 illegal immigrants and drowned 1200. They hyped the global warming scare and forced us to pay a job-killing carbon tax just to pretend they were saving us.

But Abbott? I won’t go through the whole list: how he stopped the boats, curbed spending, scrapped the useless carbon and mining taxes, led the world’s defiance of deadly Russian strongman Vladimir Putin and made us safer from terrorism.

He even signed three free trade deals to secure jobs for our kids — including one with China that the last three governments couldn’t clinch.

And he did all this in the face of astonishing heckling and even vilification from our media class, and despite often feral opposition in the Senate.

But your mistake was not to care about all that. Deeds didn’t count with you. Image was all.

And so you told the pollsters you didn’t like Abbott. You believed the vicious crap written about him, until his MPs finally panicked and dumped him.

Your mistake was that you couldn’t look behind the flim flam — the way Abbott looked, the way he spoke, the way he walked, the way he ate an onion — to see what he’d actually done for you and for your country.

You even laughed at some of his finest qualities and emblems of his public service. Journalists ridiculed his work as a lifesaver by mocking his costume and body hair. They dismissed his fire fighting service as just a photo-op. Wrote off his patriotism as bigotry.

When he defended women, he was called insincere. When he warned that our finances were in strife or that terrorism menaced us, they called him a scaremonger.

And you believed them. You let people treat like absolute dirt a man who had a record of volunteerism no prime minister has equalled — working in Aboriginal communities, lifesaving, firefighting, helping people in natural disasters, and raising money for women’s shelters and a hospice for dying children.

And none of it was done just to puff his CV for an election pamphlet.

The only reason I know Abbott helped people secure their homes after one Sydney storm is that my wife’s uncle asked the head of the team getting the tree off his house if that really was Abbott over there, helping to cut it away.

Shush, said the captain. He doesn’t like people knowing.

Now, I must declare straight up — I call Tony Abbott a friend.

So you’ll call me biased. You’ll laugh that I can write this massive praise of him when almost everyone else is horse-laughing. And you’ll say that’s why I see more qualities in Abbott than are actually there.

BLOG WITH ANDREW BOLT

But you’ll just be making another mistake.

See, I don’t think Abbott is a great man because he’s my friend. He’s my friend because he’s a great man. Greater than the people who tore him down.

He’s my friend especially because he’s not those things that so many journalists wrote — including some who must have known what they wrote were lies.

Truth is that Abbott is not a thug, bully, racist, fool, liar, woman-hater, homophobe or bigot. He’s not cruel or lacking compassion.

If he were any of those things he would not be my friend. Those are deal breakers for me. Those I love best are people of honour, warmth and kindness.

Tony Abbott is one such man, and that he has been betrayed and deposed doesn’t just break my heart. It makes me fear for this country. I can only hope that Australians will one day wake up to what they’ve tossed away.

Sorry to sound so melodramatic, but here are some glimpses of the man I know — ones that put the lie to the trash that even big-name correspondents peddled about him.

A woman hater? Ask his daughters or female chief of staff. Ask the many women on his staff, so loyal that he had one of the lowest turnovers of modern prime ministers.

A crash-through insensitive bully with no people skills? Ask my children how gentle he was when he called around. Ask one of my 2GB listeners, Pat, who rang in to say how moved he was that Abbott, on the way to a crucial Question Time on the day the carbon tax was repealed, still had the time to ring Pat’s dying brother.

Or consider this: just minutes after Malcolm Turnbull told Abbott he was challenging for his job, Abbott still honoured a promise to meet girl guides, rather than hit the phones to save himself.

Too loyal? Well, true, yet when I once asked why he wouldn’t buy off his critics by sacking Joe Hockey as Treasurer, Abbott told me he knew Hockey actually had the talent to be great, and would be if given another chance.

A homophobe? Abbott actually had a deep friendship with one of my friends, too, the out-and-proud gay commentator Christopher Pearson, and even helped carry the coffin of this much-missed man.

In fact, when one Fairfax writer this year accused Abbott — on entirely fictitious evidence — of having had a “possibly homophobic” moment, a gay adviser on Abbott’s staff texted me in rage: “If PM was so homophobic he wouldn’t be sharing the C1 car with me.”

Every Prime Minister thinks they don’t get the press they deserve. But I bet Abbott’s friends would agree that none could have been so different in the flesh from what you read in the papers — and so much better. Shame on the journalists responsible for this great slander.

Yes, I know Abbott made mistakes, and I was hard on the worst. I know he was too stubborn. And I know he was clumsy in selling himself.

I admit I even quarrelled with him privately when he too-nobly refused to whack Labor leader Bill Shorten over some detail of national security.

No, the country before politics, he declared. I could have shaken the silly bugger, who played politics like it was cricket when everyone else was cage fighting.

God, he wouldn’t even do the populist thing and just promise to build our next submarines in Adelaide, and to hell with the cost or national interest.

But that was Abbott, and for me character always counts in the end.

That’s why I say: this country has despised and rejected a great servant. It is a time of sorrow.

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The Bolt Report: September 27 2015.

Germany's Poor and Homeless demand to be thrown out of Public Housing to make way for 87% Muslim Males

Via http://www.barenakedislam.com/

Just when WILL Sydney's Rev. Bill Cruise (of 2gb.com) lean on his followers and demand that they live on the streets and under bridges so as to welcome HIS Muslim Male friends?