Progressing Towards Conservatism A Gramscian Challenge to the Conceptualisation of Class, Agency, Corruption and Reform in ‘Progressive’ Analyses of Policing by Michael Hartley Kennedy A thesis presented to the University of Western Sydney in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy November 2004 © M H Kennedy 2004 Acknowledgements Thank you to my friend and academic supervisor Dr Elizabeth Watson. Also many thanks to comrades Lorraine Murphy, Dr Kelvin McQueen and my colleagues Dr Abbas Brashi, Dr Ru Ying and Jianle (Frank) Ni from Nantong Medical College. It is very important to me that I pay a special tribute to some departed friends who contributed enormously to my work. My dear friend Joan Locke a lawyer who I first met as a detective under cross-examination died in 2003. Another good and kind friend Robert Lowe died in December 2003. My Colleague Captaine Pierre-Yves Le Bivic from the Brigade de Protection des Mineurs in Paris died in March 2004. He insisted that Paris was the seat of all revolutions, a considerable concession for a Breton. Lastly Tony Brizzi a friend from the other side of the fence, so to speak. A serious gangster and a man of his word who died on 28th October 2004. I also thank the Monjo’s, Steve and Kris, Paul and Enza, Vaughan Bowie, Dr Griff Spragg, and Comrade Rod Settle. My old colleagues Det Sgt Kristina O’Hagen, Det Ch Insp Nick Bingham, Det Sgt Garry Heskett and Det Ch Insp Adrian Allingham who are both retired. A special mention to mon ami et collègue Patrick Yvars his wife Agnes and Captaine Philippe Mora et Qui est avec la force de police de Judiciare à Paris. Also mis buenos amigos y camaradas Francesc y Stefanie from Barcelona. Unfortunately ethical restraints mean that I can only thank the rank and file police who participated in this research by their aliases—to ‘Athol’, ‘Lazlo’, ‘Barney’, ‘Doc’, ‘Arnold’, ‘Kim’, ‘Sandra’, ‘Dianne’, ‘Dirk’, ‘Greg’, ‘KD’, ‘Gabby’, ‘Julie’, ‘Kath’, ‘Svetlana’, ‘Vlad’, ‘Joe’, ‘Gonzo’, ‘Charlie’, ‘Dwayne’, ‘Brett’, ‘Techa’, ‘Larry’ and ‘Max’, thank you all very much. My good friends from the Solomon and Patchett families can either accept part of the blame or take most of the credit for the ‘academic’ shove. Finally, thank you to my wonderful wife Narelle. ii Statement of Authentication The work presented in this thesis is, to the best of my knowledge and belief, original except as acknowledged in the text. I hereby declare that I have not submitted this material, either in whole or in part, for a degree at this or any other institution. ………………………………………………. Michael Kennedy iii Table of Contents Abbreviations.......................................................................................................................... vi Abstract.................................................................................................................................. vii INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................... 1 Research Methodology ...................................................................................................... 12 The Data........................................................................................................................12 Research Subjects.......................................................................................................... 13 List of Research Participants......................................................................................... 14 The Interviews............................................................................................................... 14 The Thesis Structure.......................................................................................................... 16 CHAPTER ONE: Theorising Policing: Policing, the Police and the Policed........................ 19 The ‘Right’, the ‘Left’ and the ‘Progressive’ Middle........................................................ 19 The ‘Conservative’ Standpoint...................................................................................... 19 The ‘Liberal’ Standpoint ............................................................................................... 25 The ‘Radical Left’ Standpoint....................................................................................... 32 Rebels Without a Cause..................................................................................................... 36 The Educational Divide................................................................................................. 42 The Subalterns of the State............................................................................................ 47 Developing a Radical Account of Policing ....................................................................... 48 The Contradiction of Rank-and-File Police .................................................................. 49 Corruption, Misconduct and Resistance........................................................................ 51 ‘Divide and Rule’: The Subaltern’s Role in Social Control.......................................... 53 CHAPTER TWO: We had a Revolution About that Sort of Thing....................................... 59 The Police and the Policed ................................................................................................ 60 Do What I Say Not What I Do........................................................................................... 70 Leaders of the Pack ....................................................................................................... 73 Managing the Menagerie: Meat Eaters, Grass Eaters and Birds................................... 74 Inaugurating a New Reign of Terror ............................................................................. 78 Defining ‘Corruption’ ................................................................................................... 79 The Code of Silence ...................................................................................................... 81 Reporting Corruption .................................................................................................... 84 Blind Justice ...................................................................................................................... 89 Changing Police Culture ............................................................................................... 92 The View from Above .................................................................................................. 94 CHAPTER THREE: The Politics of ‘Reform’ ...................................................................... 99 Crusading Against ‘Corruption’: Pickering, Hatton and the ‘White Knights’ .................. 99 Do What I Say Not What I Do .................................................................................... 104 Stretching the Political Truth ...................................................................................... 106 The Struggle for Political Power Between State and Federal Police .......................... 108 The Reforming Power of the Half-truth .......................................................................... 112 The Coercion of Political Power and the Consent of Rhetoric ................................... 116 iv CHAPTER FOUR: I am a Team, Aren’t We?..................................................................... 120 The Policing Business Plan ............................................................................................. 120 Yes Minister................................................................................................................ 123 Accountability at an Arms Length................................................................................... 126 Political Advisors The Divine Right of the Chosen Few ............................................ 128 ‘Policing the Police’: The Federal Model of Progressive ‘Reform’............................ 132 Enter the Graduate School of Management ................................................................ 137 The Impact of ‘Progressive Reform’ on the Police and Policed ................................. 140 The Crumbling Solidarity of Operational Police ........................................................ 147 Who are the Outsiders?.................................................................................................... 158 CHAPTER FIVE: The Narrowing Possibilities of the Closed Mind................................... 166 Exposing Corruption........................................................................................................ 167 Defining Corruption ........................................................................................................ 171 Straight from the Horse’s Mouth ................................................................................ 174 Judging the ‘Culture of Corruption’............................................................................ 189 The Slippery Slope from McDonalds to Politics......................................................... 194 The View from Below ..................................................................................................... 201 Justice for All?................................................................................................................. 211 CHAPTER SIX: Us Down Here, Them Up There .............................................................