100 Days as Chief Police Officer
Ali Drower - Southern Cross Ten Interview with Chief Police Officer Audrey Fagan
Sunday 16 October 2005
Ali Drower: Hello and great to have you along to this Sunday morning edition of State Focus. It is terrific to finally welcome our next guest to State Focus. It has been just over 100 days since she took up her role as the ACT Chief Police Officer and Audrey Fagan, lovely to have you on board, thank you for coming in.
Audrey Fagan: Thank you very much.
Ali Drower: Now let's talk about your role. It would have its challenges.
Audrey Fagan: I think any role in this service has its challenges. 100 days have now passed, I've had a lot of time going out to the community and meeting a few officers in Canberra, learning what they're doing particularly well and what we might do in the future to improve policing here in Canberra.
Ali Drower: All right let's talk about policing now, which seems to be always in the news. Do we have enough police in the ACT?
Audrey Fagan: We're currently funded for 796 full time equivalents which is a number that we're budgeted for. That falls from the ACT Government announcing in the last budget an extra 30 police. That level gives us an ability to meet our performance indicators of which there are 37 so I'm quite satisfied with where we're at.
Ali Drower: And you're happy with the fact that we are getting enough police on the front line? We're getting enough police out on the highways with such a high road toll?
Audrey Fagan: It's really important for me that we have visibility and with policing, developing a partnership with the community. There is a joint study in place as well that has been looking at the resourcing for ACT and that's being considered by Government at the moment. Now obviously I can't go into the detail of that until the Government response is articulated. But the community needs to rest assured that we're out there fighting crime and preventing crime wherever possible on all fronts.
Ali Drower: You know with Canberrans, I was reading a survey recently that still rates drugs as one of the major concerns, you know, the drugs on the street. Do you believe that that's still an area that we need to focus on?
Audrey Fagan: The 100 days have actually taught me to be across all the crime types and for me, the challenge of my executive team is not to focus in on one particular thing. Just last weekend we had an operation with NSW Police and we dismantled an alleged drug distribution network there so it's important that we work well in conjunction with the national and international trends, and urging an even greater focus on crime prevention.
Ali Drower: And this is where Crime Stoppers just works beautifully.
Audrey Fagan: Precisely, and education. If you look at Crime Stoppers, in the last nine years through this hotline we've actually seized 15 million dollars worth of drugs. And it's people taking the initiative and making a phone call where one little piece of information can lead to something that we can investigate and we will do that.
Ali Drower: Let's have a talk about feeling safe in Canberra, because we are a big city now, with big city issues like we've just been talking about. It's about going out, you know, to Civic at night and not feeling that fear. With the CCTV cameras, have we got it all covered, could we do any more?
Audrey Fagan: With the CCTV cameras issue we've just actually been working on a review with the Chief Minister's Department and we welcome CCTV as an important investigative tool. It's not the complete answer. I think seeing some police out on the beat, walking around, actually helps to aid that awareness. Also encouraging people having self awareness about their own safety as well. I think it's a mixture of strategies that you have to have in place.
Ali Drower: Do you feel okay going out and walking through Garema Place on a Saturday evening?
Audrey Fagan: I have walked around Garema Place on a Saturday evening and our City Beats particularly are out there working with the community. The problem is we want to have fun in our city, keep it vibrant, and police it so it's safe, and that's something that we're constantly adjusting and working towards in Canberra.
Ali Drower: Let's talk just quickly now about yourself, as a woman and the career of Audrey Fagan. Do you, did you, ever envisage yourself being the top cop?
Audrey Fagan: It's probably safe to say I didn't. When you start you have an idea or a notion. Often with police, when I talk to my colleagues, joining up is about helping and serving the community. The journey I've had has been fabulous, just to be able to serve both overseas and here and to now be in this role is very satisfying.
Ali Drower: So what's been your finest policing moment?
Audrey Fagan: There are so many. I think today in this role, the last 100 days, has been probably the most rewarding. I've had opportunities where I've worked up in Federal Parliament for three years, I went to the Christmas Islands community, and worked as a detective here in Canberra.
Ali Drower: And that's all very important to bring to the role you have now.
Audrey Fagan: I think it is because community relationships and the partnerships that we have, that trust and respect that the community has for police, that's ever present and something that I really want to improve upon.
Ali Drower: And just wondering: is it true, I read somewhere, that you actually experienced capsicum spray?
Audrey Fagan: Yes, I have.
Ali Drower: And what does it feel like? Uncomfortable?
Audrey Fagan: It is uncomfortable.
Ali Drower: But that was just part of your process and knowing as much as you could.
Audrey Fagan: I've recently requalified, as all our sworn officers are qualified, with that. It goes from talking to people, if they're escalating the situation, to your firearms qualification. And it's voluntary. But with Oleoresin Capsicum spray or OC spray, you can be exposed to it during normal duties. So recruits that we've got in training at the moment, they've just qualified and did it, and I thought "Well, I should do that too because I've never experienced it". The effects are quite obvious and it's important to understand that, I think, in having that as an option.
Ali Drower: Chief Police Officer Audrey Fagan, good luck with the next three years. Thank you very much.
Audrey Fagan: Thanks Ali.
Ends//