The Dominion Post
February 17, 2004
Sex claims about police to be aired in public
by Tracy Watkins
Allegations of
sexual offending by police officers are expected to be aired at public hearings
when a commission of inquiry starts investigating claims of a cover-up.
Prime Minister Helen Clark has announced that High Court judge Bruce Robertson
and top public servant Dame Margaret Bazley will head
the inquiry. Police Association president Greg
O'Connor said the Government could not have appointed anyone better. The
association was confident they would be objective, fair and professional in
handling the inquiry.
Yesterday Miss Clark urged people who believed they had information that might
point to a "systemic" problem within police to come forward as soon
as possible.
"There may well be more (cases) and they must be able to inquire into like
instances because we are endeavouring to see whether there is a systemic
problem here. People should come forward as quickly as possible so the
commission can get on with its work."
Fresh allegations about sexual offending by police officers have surfaced since
The Dominion Post and TV1 reported that Louise Nicholas was alleging she was
pack-raped in 1986 by two former police officers, Bob Schollum and Brad
Shipton, and
Police have reopened a criminal investigation into her allegations.
A second senior police officer, Kelvin Powell, was stood down from all duties
for the duration of the investigation on Saturday. Deputy Commissioner Steve
Long said Mr Powell was an "individual of interest" but would not
elaborate.
Since Ms Nicholas came forward, a second woman has alleged that the senior
police officer who investigated the claims, John Dewar, had earlier engaged in
consensual group sex with one of the policemen he investigated.
Miss Clark said several women had made complaints about sexual assaults by
police officers and the manner in which police handled those complaints.
Another woman, Judith Garrett, has complained of sexual abuse by police in Kaitaia in 1988. A former Rotorua teenager has claimed that
a policeman lured her for sex at the same house where Ms Nicholas alleges she
was raped.
Legislation overhauling the body responsible for investigating complaints about
police, the Police Complaints Authority, has been delayed till the commission
of inquiry reports back to the governor-general on November 1.