Television - Television Current Affairs Reporting (less than 20 minutes) - Winners

Frank McGuire and Adam Shand, Sunday, Nine Network, "Force Within a Force"

Producer Frank McGuire and reporter Adam Shand presented a deep investigation into the culture of corruption and threats within the Victorian police force.

They exclusively exposed The Police Association (TPA) secretary Paul Mullett as having pushed through a quarter of a million dollars to fund the legal defence of corrupt former detectives, contrary to the organisation’s articles of association.

Exclusive interviews with the whistleblower and former TPA executive member Peter Kos revealed the level of corruption within the TPA and Kos’s fears for his and his family’s safety after threats from the organisation. The story sparked inquiries into the TPA that are still continuing.

McGuire has doggedly scrutinised Victoria Police for almost two decades. In 1993 he received a Walkley for investigative journalism following his pursuit of accountability over fatal police shootings. McGuire’s investigation stretched for more than four years, from
Channel Ten News to The 7.30 Report, and culminated in the "Deadly Force" program for Four Corners.

In 1995 McGuire won a Human Rights Media Award for continuing to pursue fatal police shootings that helped raise the issue to international prominence.

After years of denying they were part of the problem, the Victoria Police retrained their entire operational force in the use of firearms.

Adam Shand began his career as a cadet on The Australian before joining the Nine Network in 1991. He reported from Africa in the mid 1990s and worked for The Australian Financial Review before returning to Nine’s Sunday and The Bulletin at ACP.

Judges’ comments

This forensic examination of a brutal tribal culture was an important contribution to public debate on police corruption in Victoria. Shand and McGuire used their access to penetrate below the surface of the factionalism. The program led viewers through a complex story and legally fraught layers of fact and allegation using simple and effective storytelling and production. Aspects of the story continue to resonate through the official inquiries it helped prompt.