Reporting Child Abuse Claims "Not My Role', Says Police Inspector

Sydney Morning Herald
October 17, 2014

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/reporting-child-abuse-claims-not-my-role-says-police-inspector-20141017-117q7o.html

A NSW Police Inspector learnt about scores of child sex abuse cases while on a Catholic Church advisory committee but did not report any of the information back to the force, the police watchdog has heard.

The officer told the NSW Police Integrity Commission on Friday that her role was that of an "adviser or liaison" not as an "investigator or conduit of information".

The Commission is investigating whether police engaged in misconduct through their participation in the Catholic Church's professional standard's research group – a body set up to advise the church as it dealt with complaints of clergy abuse through its controversial "towards healing" program.

On Friday, the sole police representative on the research group, Inspector Elizabeth Cullen – who was a senior sergeant at the time of her involvement – told the Commission that she saw numerous case summaries setting out allegations of child sexual abuse, but never took them back to her police colleagues.

This included one case summary, from June 2001, where a member of the clergy was referred to as "likely to be a serious, serial offender".

"Did you ever report something from the case summaries to the NSW Police Force," counsel assisting the commission, Kristina Stern, SC, said.

"No," Inspector Cullen replied.

"Did you ever report anything you learnt on the professional standards research group to anyone on the police force?" Ms Stern continued.

"That wasn't my role…I regarded myself as an officer but I didn't regard myself as acting on behalf of the police force," Inspector Cullen said.

The officer continued, saying her role "wasn't as the police liaison officer or the conduit of information".

The Commission heard that Inspector Cullen also had a central role in the process of "blind reporting" whereby the Catholic Church would report abuse allegations to police excluding any information that might identify the victim, if the victim was unwilling to speak to police.

This practice contravened the NSW Crimes Act, which required all pertinent information be provided to police in the case of serious offences.

Inspector Cullen facilitated the blind reporting process by drafting the form that the church used.

The officer conceded on Friday that she knew blind reporting might be in contravention of the law, but did not say anything to the church because "it wasn't appropriate for me to do so".

She also conceded that she did not check whether any victims of abuse had made informed decisions not to speak to police as the church had claimed, and that she took no steps to ensure that efforts were being made to persuade victims to speak to police.

Inspector Cullen said she did have discussions in the research group about the need to encourage victims to come forward.

"There was an over-arching factor that their wishes be respected," Inspector Cullen said, breaking down in the witness box.

"What right do we have to presume that they can't make an informed choice on their own?"

The hearing has now concluded, and Commissioner Bruce James is set to hand down his findings in the coming months.