TOP POLICE SUE OVER 'SMEAR'

A dozen of the State's former top police investigators are suing the NSW
Police Service and Police Commissioner Peter Ryan in a multimillion-dollar
class action.

The former members of Task Force Bax, an elite investigative group
disbanded in disgrace at the height of a police corruption inquiry, filed a
representative suit in the District Court last week claiming $750,000 each
in damages due to negligence.

Task Force Bax was set up in February 1996 to investigate drug activity in
Kings Cross and other matters arising from the Wood royal commission into
police corruption.

But in December 1997 Mr Ryan held a news conference to announce that a
secret investigation called Operation Gymea had made dawn raids on drug
premises and flushed out corrupt police, including members of Bax.

Mr Ryan sat at College Street headquarters next to Assistant Commissioner
Mal Brammer, the Internal Affairs Branch commander and Mr Ryan's right-hand
man on Operation Gymea. The Police Integrity Commission subsequently found
some officers in the task force had been involved in misconduct, improper
practices and corrupt activities.

One former member of Bax, Bob Irwin, was jailed, while others resigned or
were charged with official corruption during PIC hearings over the past two
years.

The Gymea exercise drained the NSW Police Service of much of its
investigating expertise and several senior officers, one of whom was
subsequently cleared by a court.

A number of the officers involved in the District Court action will claim
wrongful dismissal and seek damages, complaining that the investigation treated

every member of the task force like a criminal and did not use sufficient
care to avoid smearing innocent officers.

The officers, backed by the NSW Police Association, will say their careers
and reputations have suffered as a result of being part of the Bax group.

The police lawsuit is not the only forthcoming re-examination of Internal
Affairs' investigations.

The police service has ordered a secret new task force, headed by Detective
Chief Superintendent Brian Reith from Crime Agencies, to review all the
integrity tests conducted by Internal Affairs.

One of these tests relates to a sting operation of police and drug dealers
in the town of Young, with allegations that an Internal Affairs officer may
have lied to Supreme Court judges to get authorisation for listening devices.