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Allegations
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An inquiry set up to
examine South Auckland police practices will not question the officer who
sparked the investigation, but other policemen are likely to get a grilling. Former High Court Judge
Sir David Tompkins was yesterday appointed to head the inquiry, which will
examine allegations of a "sick" culture within South Auckland
ranks. The allegations emerged
during the trial of Wiri-based Senior-Sergeant Anthony Solomona. Solomona was found
guilty this month of assaulting a 17-year-old Manukau man in February last
year. During the six-day hearing,
the court heard details of a number of police practices, which included the
humiliation of young suspects forced into being photographed wearing
demeaning signs. The court was also
shown a picture of a machete and axe-wielding policeman posing with a number
of other weapons and a sign saying "RIP to Section 4" (the
emergency response unit headed by Solomona). District Court Judge
Bruce Davidson blasted South Auckland police while giving his verdict on
Solomona, saying the evidence heard in court hinted at a sick police culture.
Announcing Justice
Tompkins' appointment, Police Commissioner Rob Robinson said the inquiry's
terms of reference would 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". Justice Tompkins is at
present out of the country, but his assistant, Inspector Pieter Roozendaal of
North Shore-Waitakere, said Solomona, who has been suspended and is awaiting
sentencing, would not be called by the inquiry, but his colleague, Sergeant
John Nelson, probably would. Mr Nelson claimed
during Solomona's trial to have seen, more than once, the photographing of
young suspects. He claimed it was done as a joke, but was something only
police officers would find amusing. "It would be fair
to say we would be wanting to speak to Sergeant Nelson," Mr Roozendaal
said. The inquiry will be run
from North Shore-Waitakere headquarters, to keep "as much distance as we
can" from Counties-Manukau, he said. It will not pursue any
criminal offending that might emerge from the investigation. That will be
left to the Police Complaints Authority. The inquiry's findings
will go to Mr Robinson. The man in charge ·
Justice Tompkins, 76, is a former partner in Tompkins
& Wake of Hamilton and was appointed a Queen's Counsel in 1974. ·
He was appointed to the High Court in 1983, and has served
on the Court of Appeal, the Privy Council and the Court of Appeal of Tonga. ·
He was made a Knight Commander of the New Zealand Order of
Merit in 1999. |
