CJC recovers mystery flyer

by Chris Griffith
Published 2 June 1996 in The Sunday Mail

 

my face

 

The Criminal Justice Commission has located a mysterious flyer among the two files it recovered from a computer diskette seized during its controversial raid of Police Union offices on May 21st.

And in a bizarre twist, the diskette the CJC seized was labelled as belonging to a police officer who represents the industrial interests of police stationed at the CJC.

The two files were found on an otherwise 91.6 percent blank 3.5 inch Police Union blue Verbatim diskette labelled "Lewis".

The first document recovered listed the demands later included in the Police Union's Memorandum of Understanding with the state government.

But solving the mystery of who wrote the anonymous two-page flyer headed "Outrage!" (pictured), and why it was on a Police Union computer diskette has triggered a CJC investigation.

The anonymous flyer attacks a proposal by south-east Queensland's Logan City Council to rezone a 600 metre region around the Logan Hyperdome which would allow six-story high town houses and unit blocks.

"Will the Eastern tollway be resurrected with an itinerate population in the area?" it says.

The flyer asks residents to contact Logan Councillor Susan Hancock, but notes "this message has been prepared by concerned ratepayers NOT Susan Hancock".

There are no other names or organisations listed apart from Cr Hancock.

Last week CJC officers interviewed Cr Hancock.

She later told The Sunday Mail the flyer was one of many attacking the proposal distributed anonymously in her division six electorate this year.

She had nothing to do with the flyer's production or distribution, and she had not discussed any campaign with the police union.

But she said union president Gary Wilkinson lived in her division six electorate and had attended a council-initiated meeting to discuss the proposal.

Mr Wilkinson yesterday said he did not know anything about the CJC's evidence.

"The case is before the inquiry; I can't comment," he said.

When asked why the diskette was labelled "Lewis", Police Union secretary Bob Brummell yesterday said the diskette had probably belonged to union executive member Snr Sgt Russell Lewis, "not Terry Lewis!!".

In a statement to the Carruthers Inquiry dated April 16th, Snr Sgt Lewis said he was the police union's executive member representing headquarters, state crimes operations, the Queensland Police Academy, and police at the Criminal Justice Commission.

"I am also the editor the Queensland Police Union journal."

He said in March last year, the union had begun a letter box drop campaign in Logan to advise the community of policing problems especially insufficient police numbers there.

Logan has been a region which has attracted police to become involved in political activity and to seek political office.

In 1991 Mr Wilkinson's deputy, Merv Bainbridge, was the ALP's candidate for the council's division four ward -- which adjoins Cr Hancock's Shairler Park ward.

And former Logan City crime coordinator Neil Conway unsuccessfully contested the state seat of Waterford West against Labor's Tom Barton at the 1992 state election.

Mr Conway later was jailed for "misappropriating" an $18,000 toolbox discovered during the 1993 police raid of the infamous "house of hash", which netted 3000 marijuana plants at an estimated street value of $6 million.

Logan police were also among the first to condemn the CJC's raid on May 21st.

Union members at Logan and Beenleigh passed a motion asking all branches for "their support for unprecedented industrial action, should any member of the Union Executive or General President be charged with any offence arising out of the current Carruthers Inquiry".