Police force lose Clews

It was the early 1970s when Peel District Inspector Phil Clews decided he wanted to serve the community for the greater good.

Now, after a 42-year career with WA Police, he said it was time to hang up his hat.

“I have enjoyed it, I’ve enjoyed the bumps in the road, I’ve enjoyed the stresses the organisation and the work you do brings with it and it is just time — I’m ready,” he said.

The 58-year-old said his latest role was overseeing Rockingham, Kwinana and Mundijong stations and working in governance and traffic management.

Over the years, his stations and ranks have varied, taking him back and forth across WA from Ravensthorpe, to Broome, the Wheatbelt, isolated mining towns and “every other place in between”.

Insp. Clews said he realised, as a youngster, school was not his forte, and he was choosing between a career in the military and police force.

Inspired by his father, who was a police officer and later retired as assistant commissioner, he pulled on the blue uniform in 1972 as a 16-year-old cadet filing criminal records.

Insp. Clews said up until the late 1990s, policing was a much more physical job and he had copped his fair share of broken ankles, busted fingers and split lips.

“It is the war we used to fight,” he said.

“I’ve been in jobs where there has been just me and the boss, we were in a major punch up back in the late 1970s and it was us against 60 to 70 people trying to take pieces out of us.

“Back in those days we had a baton and a set of handcuffs.

“Today our troopers are geared up... which means they no longer need to be punching bags.”

Looking back on his career Insp. Clews said his strong personality and size had often intimidated people, but working on his communication skills had helped him better understand the effect he had on others.

“The one thing I want to pass on to my troopers is the importance of communication,” he said.

Last Thursday was Insp. Clews final day, and he said his greatest reward was knowing he had helped his junior officers become the “best coppers they could be”.

“I feel as I go from the job, the job is in a very good place with some very good people to jump into the puddle that I get out of.

“I think they will be very competent officers and they will fill my shoes admirably.”