POLICE WERE SO CLOSE TO NABBING DRUG BOSS: CLAIM

WA TAXPAYERS have lost a golden opportunity to catch the boss of a
suspected heroin syndicate, a former undercover police officer claims.

The former officer infiltrated the syndicate over three years as part of
the Red Emperor investigation into the suspected big fish of organised
crime. He quit as a policeman after former police commissioner Bob Falconer
axed Red Emperor at short notice in 1997.

Police documents reportedly showed the main target was suspected of
importing, distributing and supplying drugs, including heroin, cannabis and
ecstasy.

The claims were due to be aired on ABC's Four Corners program tonight.

The program said police files seen by its reporter showed that the
Australian Tax Office estimated the target had an income of $1.28 million
between 1987 and 1993 but stated he had earned $15,251 in that time.

Other police inquiries indicated that the target spent more than $200,000
during 1993-94. He entered into financial ventures worth more than $3
million in 1994-95, the program said. It said a December 1997 police report
said the man did not hold any bank accounts in Australia under his own name.

The former officer told Four Corners the investigation was a waste of time.

"It's the people of WA . . . who will suffer for some pretty bad
decisions," he said. "No one will get close to him for years. It was an
absolutely golden opportunity."

The former officer, recruited from Victorian police, fears for his life. An
actor spoke his words and he was not named.

In 1998, Red Emperor leader Det-Sgt Peter Coombs told the parliamentary
committee which oversees the Anti-Corruption Commission about other
evidence gathered by the officer. But the committee did not question the
officer.

The former officer told the ABC that he had rejected an approach to be a
prosecution witness after Red Emperor was scrapped. "We would have exposed
our methodology and the people who introduced us to the syndicate," he said.

ACC chairman Terry O'Connor QC said last night that the corruption watchdog
had not been involved in the Red Emperor operation. "But what I have been
told by senior police is that this so-called undercover officer . . .
refused to provide a statement to police and indicated that if he were
required to he would not give evidence," he said.

"So I don't know what he's talking about."

Mr O'Connor said the ACC was compiling reports on corruption in the WA
Police Service to table in State Parliament.

He would not give details but said he stood by his comments in May that a
"not insignificant" number of detectives were corrupt.

Mr Falconer told the ABC that officers working in the "mud, blood and beer"
often over-reacted to managerial decisions they did not like. "That's
life," he said of his decision to axe Red Emperor.

Police Commissioner Barry Matthews has upheld the axing of Red Emperor. He
said the former officer's cover had been blown and the target was leading
detectives by the nose.