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Allegations
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Police bosses and the Police
Association have hit back at claims that prisoners are routinely photographed
while being humiliated by officers, and have strongly denied a
"sick" police culture. But Green MP Keith
Locke said the practice, which he likened to the photographs taken of
American soldiers torturing prisoners in Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison, could be a
sign of a wider problem within the force and has called for an independent
inquiry. South Auckland senior
sergeant Anthony Solomona was found guilty on Wednesday of assaulting a
17-year-old at an Auckland service station in February last year. During the trial
unusual police practices were revealed, including photographing young
suspects wearing demeaning signs – one read: "I belong to Senior
Sergeant Solomona" – and forcing suspects to write letters of apology. A photograph of a
balaclava-clad person dressed in police uniform holding a machete and an axe
and making death threats was shown. Sergeant John Nelson
told the court it was common practice to photograph prisoners being
humiliated by officers. Judge Bruce Davidson condemned it as
"sick". Mr Locke said the
revelations could be part of a bigger issue – that such behaviour was
tolerated by police officers. "Humiliating
people in photographs like that does illustrate a state of mind that
prisoners don't really have rights, or a state of arrogance and superiority,
and we don't want that in our police force." Police insisted
yesterday the incident was isolated. Counties-Manukau police district
commander Superintendent Steve Shortland said he was "appalled" and
vowed to investigate the incidents. Police Association
president Greg O'Connor said the association "absolutely rejected"
the idea such behaviour was widespread and said Judge Davidson's comments
would have hurt a lot of officers. |
