Dirty Work

Dirty Work

Corruption Exposed: The Police Underworld
A True Story by Glen McNamara

The disturbing truths about the dark past of Sydney's Kings Cross and the unsettling events that continue to haunt the NSW Police have been exposed in a new book by former policeman, Glen McNamara.

Stationed to the Detective's office of Kings Cross Police Station during the decadent and drug-fuelled late 1980's and 1990's - the heyday of 'the cross' - Glen found himself in the middle of a corrupt force being paid off to protect drug dealers and paedophile rings.

Going undercover on the inside, Glen went along with the free lunches, bribes and drug deals to gather evidence to eventually expose the corruption. From there he found himself part of the protection racket covering notorious Sydney paedophiles Dolly Dunn and Colin Fisk, kept safe from prosecution so long as they produced enough drugs to keep the pockets of the corrupt officers brimming with dirty money.

Despite turning to the NSW Police Internal Security Unit (ISU) for backup, shocking mishandling of the situation and an obvious leak from within the unit (that was never uncovered) led to Glen's coverbeing blown and he found himself on the run from his corrupt colleagues, now wanting him dead. Even after fleeing to the US with his wife, Glen soon learned that his location had been leaked and a hit order placed by corrupt officers to have him killed while on American soil.

In a shocking betrayal of justice by the Australian legal system, Glen returned to Australia to find himself publicly unsupported by the force and spurned by the legal system, his evidence treated with contempt.

Despite the 1994-97 Wood Royal Commission that investigated entrenched corruption within the NSW Police, as recently as 2007 Glen discovered that his police record had been doctored to indicate he had committed an armed robbery. While he successfully sued the NSW Government for defamation and had his record corrected, he says this is the result of corruption continuing.

At a time when drug-related corruption within Australian police departments once again dominates headlines, Dirty Work is a poignant account from the inside that will have you reeling.

"All crime revolves around the financial powerhouse that is the drug trade. And drugs and paedophilia go together like a hand in a glove." -Glen McNamara Dirty Work

New Holland
Author: Glen McNamara
Price: $29.95

Interview with Glen McNamara

How did you become involved with the case?

Glen McNamara: I was sent to Kings Cross to work as a Detective. As soon as I arrived at Kings Cross I was amazed about the large amount of people around the streets of Kings Cross and Darlinghurst who appeared to be heavily under the influence of drugs. For instance they mostly seemed to be younger people aged between 18 and 40 years, they were often dirty and smelly and I saw them passed out on bus seats, in telephone booths, parks and other public places. The Police at Kings Cross were not doing any normal Police work in finding out why there was such a large population of drug addicts on their beat. I started to do that and as I did all the leads led me back to the Detectives that I was working with, in particular Larry Churchill and Graeme 'Chook' Fowler. So in the beginning whilst I had suspicions about these Police and their cohorts being involved in drug dealing in Kings Cross it was a lot of work and a matter of collecting evidence before I was able to take definitive action.

How long did this corrupt ring of drug dealers and pedophiles go unnoticed for?

Glen McNamara: I worked on obtaining evidence to link the Detectives with drug dealers and pedophiles for two to three years. But during the course of my investigation I found out through the pedophile 'Dolly' Dunn advising me that the Police had protected pedophiles and their activities from prosecution for a period of twenty years. By way of explanation that period is from the 1970's through to the 1990's - but I suspect it was a longer period of time.


How did it feel knowing people wanted you dead?

Glen McNamara: It can be somewhat demoralising to realised and then reflect upon people who want you dead. You can be stuck in great despondency if you choose to be stuck their and ultimately that is a choice made by the individual. My choice was to defend myself and to ensure that the Police and paedophiles who wanted me dead did not succeed. Whilst I was engaged in the effort to keep myself alive I tended to move quickly from despondency to resoluteness. These are the benefits of being occupied and thinking clearly.


How did you manage to come out of all this alive?

Glen McNamara: I arranged my own security through the aid family and trusted close friends. All the while I continued to make inquiries which uncovered further criminal links between these Detectives and the paedophiles. When I possessed that evidence I agitated at a political level with some success and at a judicial level with less success for action to be taken. The effect of doing this turned the pressure back onto these corrupt Detectives and the paedophiles. Being cowards they did not handle the pressure or the public scrutiny my activism put them under nearly as well as I handled their pressure. I enjoyed watching them fall one by one and be sent to prison.


What feedback have you had from your book, so far?

Glen McNamara: I have been flattered and humbled with the remarks about 'Dirty Work' so far. A number of successful authors and journalist experienced in the true crime genre have told me variously that they could not put the book down and they found it to be a harrowing but astonishing story. So, so far, so good.