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Allegations
of Abuse in Institutions |
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"The appalling behaviour
of a few officers in South Auckland who featured in a recent trial will not
be tolerated within Police, the Assistant Commissioner for Crime and Crash
Reduction, Peter Marshall, said today. The initial indications
are that this involves only a small group of officers in the Counties Manukau
District," said Mr Marshall. The District Commander
for Counties Manukau Superintendent Steve Shortland has asked for support
from outside the district to take the lead in the investigation of the
behaviour, to determine its extent and identify those involved. Mr Marshall said this
request would be met and the Acting Commissioner, Steve Long, was in
discussions with the Police Complaints Authority as to how such an
investigation could include an independent component. An announcement on this
will be made within the week. Support is also to be
provided for Mäori, Pacific Island and Asian Liaison staff in South Auckland
who may have concerns about their own standing within their communities over
this misconduct by officers. "This kind of
behaviour affects us all. The vast majority of Police staff are conscientious
and proud to be a member of an organisation serving the public of New
Zealand." "I want to assure
the public that Police will do everything to identify any other culprits and
put an end to this abhorrent kind of behaviour as quickly as possible,"
said Mr Marshall. |
