Cops present at bashings of tourists by fellow cop still working

They would be home free if not for the publicity

THREE police officers present when horrific footage was taken of an Airlie Beach cop brutally bashing offenders are still working in the force. The damning footage from the Whitsundays watch-house which shows officer Benjamin Price – who has since been jailed – attacking a civilian while his colleagues watched on.

Assistant Commissioner Peter Martin from the Ethical Standards Command addressed media at a press conference in Brisbane today. "There are currently at least three officers that we are looking at with respect to disciplinary matters and they are current officers," he said. "There are people depicted in the vision that are still members of the service that are subject of those investigations."

Mr Martin would not specify which officers are still members of the force and under investigation. He said the three officers being investigated for internal disciplinary matters had their faces blurred in the video footage because they matters remained "unresolved and not finalised".

Mr Martin said it would be unlikely the officers would be charged with criminal offences. [Why are they not charged with being accessories during and after the fact?]

Five officers including a sergeant, senior-constable and three constables have since resigned from the police service.

The footage was uploaded on to the Queensland Police YouTube page on Tuesday, just one day after officer Price was sentenced to 27 months jail for his assaults on handcuffed tourists.

Three complaints were made about Price including one by a victim in January 2008, then another complaint by first-year trainee constable Bree Sonter in May of the same year. The third complaint was from a victim also made in May 2008.

Mr Martin commended Constable Sonter for her actions said she was "heroic" in coming forward and making a complaint against Price.

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