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Allegations
of Abuse in Institutions |
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The Police Commissioner
has appointed Sir David Tompkins QC to oversee an investigation into the
culture of Counties Manukau police. The investigation came
about following the conviction of Senior Sergeant Anthony Solomona, who was
found guilty of assaulting a 17-year-old at an Auckland service station in
February last year. During the trial,
police practices were uncovered which Judge Bruce Davidson described as
"disturbing." Evidence included
photographs of young suspects wearing demeaning signs and of a balaclava-clad
person dressed in a police uniform holding a machete and an axe. Tompkins, a retired
High Court Judge, will be supported by Inspector Pieter Roozendaal, the
professional standards manager for North Shore Waitakere District. Roozendaal will form a
team to provide any investigative, intelligence, logistical and secretarial
support. The terms of reference
for the investigation will be to determine whether there is evidence of a
police culture that condones or encourages acts of violence or other
inappropriate treatment towards prisoners, suspects or other persons in the
Counties Manukau police district. |
