In the month of May 1998 The Ombudsman of Victoria of Police Complaints, Mr. Barry Perry, tabled in the Victorian Parliament a final report called “Operation Bart”. It was the first such report in Victoria’s history which outlined wide spread corruption within the Victoria Police. In this document, Constable Karl Konrad was accredited with being the sole person responsible for starting the events, which directly led to the largest police internal investigations Victoria and indeed the whole of Australia had ever seen.

This report identified that some 550 police officers were charged with disciplinary offences and dozens subsequently resigned before the hearings were held. Two police officers and a number of businesses were charged with criminal offences.

Mr. Konrad was also publicly accredited as the person who began the changes, which led to the disbandment of the old Internal Investigations Unit. The subsequent replacement was called the Ethical Standards Department within the Victoria Police. The previous Internal Investigations Unit came under serious criticism by Mr. Perry’s office after Constable Konrad made his initial written report back in April 1995 regarding police corruption.

After the media learnt about the actions of Constable Konrad, the news became front-page headlines. Subsequent Operation Bart investigations over the next three years ensured his name became a prominent symbol as individual who believed in standing up and fighting for what is right.

When Mr. Konrad was preparing to leave Victoria in May of 1998 and move to NSW to work, Jon Faine of ABC Radio Melbourne called him during his show and publicly said “On behalf of the people of Victoria I thank you for all you’ve tried to do for the standards of policing in this state”.

As the former Victorian Police Constable, this was the last radio interview Mr. Konrad made whilst in Victoria and it was effectively near the end of a very public and intense three-year media commentary about his service within the Victoria Police. To date there has been no other serving police officer in Australia who has held a similar number of television, radio and newspaper interviews about a story that would capture the public’s imaginations and hearts, not only in Australia but also around the globe.

All of Constable Karl Konrad’s experiences are of a matter of the public record. Some of the media press have written stores about him describing him as, a “Shining White Light”, “The Making of a Maverick”, “The Crucifixion of Constable Konrad”, “A Rare Officer Prepared To Take The Flack”. There are numerous television interviews on record with the “7.30 Report”, “A Current Affair”, “Today Tonight” and the “Today” show. In total, they add up to hours of Airtime. His story caught the attention of the world’s media as well and he has given interviews with London’s BBC and some American shows.

The most influential media event of them all and a rare demonstration of public support for a serving police officer came from Victoria’s most prominent newspaper, “The Age”. On Saturday the 23rd November 1995, Karl Konrad became the first police officer in Victoria’s history to be the subject of an Editorial Opinion. It was titled, “The Trials of an Honest Cop”. This editorial sent shock waves through the police establishment and the government of the time and galvanised the public’s opinion that it was time for a change of culture within the Victoria Police.

Today Karl Konrad enjoys a quieter life as a Migration Agent and spent his time over the last ten years to ensure his firm has become one of Australia’s largest agencies for Skilled Migration applications. In the last financial year, he has been responsible for lodging over 600 EGSM applications alone. With only 1% of all MARA registered agents lodging more that 100 applications a year, he is one of Australia’s most successful agents.

Over time, he has been happy to be responsible for thousands of applicants obtaining their permanent residency in Australia. The formula of his success comes from the same devotion to honesty and integrity he demonstrated in the Victoria Police, subsequently rewarded with public acclamation.