Arthur Raymond HAY

Former scourge of authority now a would-be politician

By MALCOLM BROWN

Members of the Gosford Drug Unit were recommended for a Commissioner’s Commendation in 1991 when some of the unit were suspected of receiving all or part of $300,000 from a huge amphetamine ring, the Police Royal Commission, has heard.

The commission has been told that after allegations were first raised by drug dealer John Barrie Oldfield, members of the unit, headed by Detective Sergeant Wayne Eade, had been advised by an assistant commissioner to vigorously deny the allegations.

The commission has heard members of the drug unit received full support from their line commanders.

The Police Commissioner, Mr Lauer, decided in March, 1992 to award the commendations even though a deputy Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr Mr C.A. Luland, QC, had written to the Assistant Commissioner, Professional Responsibility, in January that “evidence is highly suspicious of the police officers being involved in a conspiracy to pervert the course of justice”.

The royal commission has heard evidence from a middleman in the alleged bribe that he received $300,000, kept $100,000 and passed the rest to the drug unit, whose members included Detectives Eade, Ian Ison and Greg Vicary.

Mr Arthur Raymond Hay, former detective inspector, supervisor of the north region drug units from 1987 until his retirement last year, has told the commission he was aware of allegations against members of the drug unit. Members of the unit had told him in 1990 that there was an Internal Police Security Unit (IPSU) inquiry into them and they were “very upset”. ” I saw it as my role to try and support them and help them get back to work because it hit ( Royal Commission ) them pretty hard“ he said. He had noted that an assistant commissioner had advised that the drug unit members attend the IPSU, deny everything and engage in no further discussion. He did not know whether the assistant commissioner had any basis at all for knowing whether the allegations, were true or false.

Ms Virginia Bell, counsel assisting the commission, asked: “At the outset the attitude from the line command, as best you could judge, was unquestioning support for the officers at a time when line command had no knowledge of the strengths or otherwise of the allegations?“; Mr Hay: “That’s my view of it.“;

At the end of Oldfield’s trial in September, 1991, the trial judge, Justice Allen, made remarks favourable to officers of the drug unit and had said: “It is a twist of fate that honest detectives are accused by criminals of corruption and suffer the heartache and indignity of an internal affairs inquiry.” Mr Hay agreed that on October 31, 1991, he had prepared a report supporting the award of a Commissioner’s Commendation and had said success of Operation Hurricane had been due to the “diligent and outstanding effort of the Gosford Drug Unit who conducted the operation with utmost  integrity and professionalism“.