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Allegations
of Sexual Abuse in NZ |
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I met a police officer
this week whose life has been devastated. Until recently he was working in the
Auckland gang scene, passionate about his work and doing extra hours without
pay. These days he stays at home most of the time - after being accused of
something he did not do and stood down indefinitely. The way he has been
treated by the force he loved is just plain wrong. And if we're going to
talk about police culture, about bad cops who do bad things, we should also
talk about good cops, especially good cops who are falsely accused and who
find themselves with little or no support from their senior officers. It is a good thing that
historical cases of wrongdoing are being investigated and that sleazy or
bullying behaviour by the boys in blue is no longer acceptable. But, unfortunately,
those high up in the chain of command are now so keen to present a squeaky
clean image to the public that sometimes it seems they would prefer to see a
man go down quietly than to fight for the truth on his behalf. Adam, as I shall call
him, is in his early 40s and has been in the force more than a decade. But at
a party a few months ago, he ended up in bed with a woman consensually - who
accused him the next day of sexual assault. "I felt like
vomiting," he said, recalling the initial call from a detective about
the complaint. "I could see my life just going down the toilet." This sort of complaint
is common and, normally, would be investigated quickly and discarded in a
couple of days if found to be false. Conversely, if wrongdoing appeared
likely, the investigation would be complete and charges laid within a week or
two. But because Adam was a
police officer, or so it seems, different rules applied. Several months have
gone by and he is still off work, although no charges have been laid and
despite widespread belief among his colleagues that he is innocent. "If I were an
ordinary member of the public, this would never have happened," Adam
says. Sadly, his is not an
isolated incident. Here in Tauranga at least one case involving a cop has
lately proceeded to trial "to let the people decide", even though
the investigating detectives concluded it should be dropped. Sometimes
officers are stood down for more than a year before a case goes to court. Obviously no one wants
to charge an officer prematurely, and justice must be seen to be done, but
people's lives and careers are at stake here. Complaints involving
police should be investigated as quickly as any other; and such cases should
not go to court just for appearance's sake. Inspectors and district
commanders should not be so concerned about keeping their hands clean that
they fail to support younger officers in trouble. Of course, all of this
does not detract from the fact that today's police culture condones some
seriously dodgy behaviour - hanging humiliating signs around offenders' necks
for example - and that in decades past some appalling crimes have been
committed by members of the force. As a news reporter for
many years, I dealt regularly with police. There was no shortage of sleaze or
macho behaviour; and I was not surprised when I discovered that one senior
sergeant I knew used to arrest prostitutes for soliciting and then let them
off in exchange for sex. The culture of the
force has no doubt changed since then, but there is still room for
improvement. Are some police officers still unnecessarily violent? Probably.
Do some men in uniform think they are God's gift to women? You bet. Are there still some
who are racist and sexist? Absolutely. But it is also wrong to
crack down so hard that the truth is overlooked. "Twenty years ago,
the police were easier on their own, for sure," says Adam. "And
things weren't investigated which would be today. But now, because that's the
public perception and they want to change it, they go for your throat so as
to appear whiter than white. "I've got less
chance than an ordinary citizen of being treated fairly, and that's
wrong." The debate over police
culture also needs to include recognition for the job they do. Aside from
regularly putting their lives at risk, officers are spat on, punched,
scratched, abused and threatened - and that's just on a normal day. I heard the other day
of one incident in which a woman being held in a local station cell defecated
into her hands and then smeared faeces all over a policewoman's face. I am sure the anonymous
police wife who wrote to the Weekend Herald spoke for many when she said:
"I am sick and tired of having to defend my husband's chosen career
because he, with the great majority of police officers, works incredibly hard
doing work that is demanding and often risky and difficult." The bad apples need to
go; and historical wrongs should be dealt with. But the good apples - and
that's most of them - are vulnerable and deserve support from both the public
and their superiors. * Sandra Paterson is a Mt
Maunganui freelance writer. |
