Senior Constable Ray Wright joined the WA Police Force in 2003 after a 19-year career in banking and finance. Now 58, Ray has spent most of his time on frontline general duties with WAPOL.
In October 2020, Ray was involved in a pursuit of a stolen vehicle, a task he had performed many times throughout his career. During the pursuit, the assailant was observed veering onto
the wrong side of the road. Ray and his partner conducted a risk assessment and determined that the driver demonstrated overall good control of the vehicle and was not posing an unacceptable danger to the public, so they chose to continue following him.
Eventually, a tow truck intervened and attempted to block the driver, but the driver swerved around it and collided with another car. The suspect was apprehended and arrested, with the collision causing no injuries to either party and minimal damage to both cars.
Believing that this issue was resolved, Ray told Police News he was shocked to be approached at the scene by an acting Traffic Sergeant, who attempted to use his Body Worn Camera to conduct a field interview without demand nor formal caution.
“He referred to the incident as a ‘serious crash’, which it wasn’t because nobody was injured. He also called it a police crash, but we didn’t crash into anyone,” Ray told Police News.
“As soon as we got back to the station carpark the acting OIC marched over to our vehicle and demanded my dashcam. Because police cars don’t usually have a dash cam, I had put
one in at the start of the shift, which he demanded and seized without giving me a receipt.”
A short time after the incident, Ray started hearing rumours that the pursuit was being investigated. Frustrated and confused at the lack of communication, he contacted Professional Standards who confirmed to him that there was in fact an investigation being conducted.
“In February of 2021 I tore my shoulder while arresting an offender which resulted in surgery. While recovering, my body had an adverse reaction to a COVID-19 booster shot and I developed autoimmune hepatitis,” he said.
“After spending a considerable amount of time in and out of the hospital, I finally began a gradual return to work. However, on one of my first days back and nearly a year after the incident, I received a text from the OIC instructing me to report to internals upon my arrival.”
Concerned, Ray’s first action was to call the WA Police Union where he spoke to Filed Officer Gary Keenan, who made some calls and advised Ray that Internals had decided to charge him with reckless driving.
Believing he was going to get a summons; Ray followed his orders and upon arrival was brought to an interview room where he was immediately told he was under arrest on suspicion of reckless driving. Taken to be fingerprinted and photographed, Ray told Police News he felt deprived of his liberty.
“I wasn’t afforded my rights to contact a lawyer. When I was leaving, I asked for my summons, of which they hadn’t yet compiled. I then asked for it to be sent to my home address, which they rejected and eventually hand served it to me personally at the Morley Police Station on a Thursday,” said Ray.
“The court appearance was listed for the following Wednesday, so I had just four days to prepare legal representation. I contacted the Union asking for help and they were quick to respond, lining up a lawyer with short notice.”
This was the start of a long legal process that involved days of court appearances and eventually resulted Ray Wright being convicted of reckless driving in March of 2022, which included a six-month suspension off the road, $2,500 in fines and over $11,000 in legal fees.
“During the court process, the magistrate and state solicitor accepted the evidence of a so-called Police expert despite our objections and in conflict with a Supreme Court ruling., which had a large impact on the proceedings,” said Ray.
“During this time, I underwent four shoulder surgeries and surgery on my hand so it was difficult. My wife and I started looking into the trial and what went wrong for us, especially regarding the expert witness. Eventually, with the support of the WA Police Union, we decided to lodge an appeal with the supreme court.”
The Supreme Court Justice determined that the Magistrates Court’s decision resulted in a miscarriage of justice. She concluded that there was insufficient evidence for a conviction and remitted the case back to the Magistrates Court. Following a lengthy process to confirm a trial date, Ray Wright was acquitted of his reckless driving charge in March of this year.
“After nearly four years of court proceedings and thousands of dollars in legal fees, I was acquitted. At this time, I had already served five out of the six months for my off-road suspension and paid over a thousand’s dollars of my fine, which I’ll get back. What I will never get back is that time off the road, nor the time wasted worrying,” Ray said.
Admitting he was often frustrated about the multiple court appearances and the toll it took on him, Ray cites the support from his family, good friends in WAPOL and the Union on getting him through this ordeal.
“I always tell everyone that if they have an issue, to immediately go to the Union because situations can turn serious when you don’t expect it. WAPU was with me every step of the way, supporting me through the initial conviction and my appeal,” said Ray.
Now, due to his shoulder injury, Ray is nonoperational and won’t ever perform a car pursuit again. Hopeful his experience can have an impact in ensuring a similar experience doesn’t happen to another officer, he urges people to reconsider putting themselves in dangerous situations.
“You are putting yourself at risk when you perform car pursuits and the policy around it is very grey. I’d really like to see the policy written in black and white so it’s not as open to interpretation as it currently is and combined with legislation giving full protection to Police. That would be very helpful to people who find themselves in the position I did,” he said.
“Other specialist areas receive compensation for the additional risk, knowledge and stress caused by that work. But pursuing vehicles, one of the mast dangerous activities this line of work throws at you, brings no compensation at all. Should something untoward happen and the WAIC fails to cover you with third party insurance, you could find yourself civilly liable and lose your home.”
Retrials Finds ‘Not Guilty’ Verdict
We are pleased to share a significant update regarding Senior Constable Ray Wright. Ray was convicted last year for reckless driving for an on duty incident. Supported by WAPU, Ray’s conviction was successfully appealed and a retrial was ordered by the Supreme Court.
The retrial resulted in a finding of ‘not guilty’.
We are thrilled with this result and for Ray, who has endured significant stress and anxiety during this challenging time. While his exoneration is a relief for him, it also symbolises a win for all Union Members, showcasing our unwavering unity and determination to uphold what is just.
The WAPU team and our legal partners remain committed to standing by our Members where and when we can ensuring the rights of our Members are upheld.