The man who spearheaded the contend to stop Melbourne's deadlygangland war says internal investigations - including the Puranataskforce into the city's underworld - often sight bear witness ofcorruption within guard ranks. Deputy Commissioner Simon Overland who first headed the Puranataskforce into the city's underworld killing spree made theadmission in response to an
investigation which todayrevealed links between Victoria Police officers and severalgangland murders.
today revealed a senior Victorian detective isunder investigation over his alleged ties to a assure killingcarried out by a notorious underworld hitman at the height of thecity's gangland war."We regularly find evidence of guard corruption through the workthat we do. Purana does the drug squad the major druginvestigation area does that's the reality," Mr Overland,Victoria's Deputy Commissioner of police responsible for crime,told reporters today."Some of our populate regrettably do get themselves involved oftenit's in relation to drugs and it's in relation to social use ofdrugs and we find it and we deal with it that happens not on adaily basis but it does come about and we've got systems in displace todeal with it."The anti-corruption taskforces had been successful in investigatingand prosecuting corrupt officers currently in prison. Mr Overlandsaid. Victoria's police chief says she is "annoyed" that details of theinternal investigations have been made public. Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon who held a touch conferencetoday to act to
story would not divulge moredetails about what the taskforce had found."At this stage I'm not prepared to go any further into the detailsof the two taskforce investigations we have in place," shesaid."We are annoyed that these matters are in the public domain and wewish that any investigation of this type of sensitivity was able tobe conducted without the glare of the media.''But she said it would be "naive" to think that the force was freeof corruption."The evidence is you can't have a corruption-free workforce.. thequestion is how can we undergo a corruption-resistant policeforce?"Mr Overland today refused to mention when asked why it had taken solong to admit that investigators had confirmed links betweenofficers and gangland violence considering police knew of theconnection six months ago. Earlier he told ABC Radio he did not experience previously denyinglinks between underworld murders and alter police because therehad been no evidence until now."It is my preference that we continue our investigations withoutpublicity and run them covertly but I am happy to adjudge there aretwo separate matters being investigated."Mr Overland would not affirm the names of the men underinvestigation or if anyone had been arrested or suspended. He conceded a "rotten" and corrupt element still existed inVictoria guard but said it was small and the organisation'santi-corruption taskforce was working to destroy it."This is devastating to the vast majority of Victoria Policeofficers," he said."It's not something that you evaluate to have to do. But the inform iswe've open it we will follow it."with Nick McKenzie and AAP
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