Newstalk ZB
March 22, 2004

Snag to Commission of Inquiry

Legal protection surrounding PCA's documentation may prove to be stumbling block in inquiry into police rape complaints

The Commission of Inquiry into the handling of rape complaints against police may have already hit a major snag.

The Commission is holding its first meeting in Wellington.

Justice Bruce Robertson has introduced the inquiry and has appointed lawyers for the police, the Police Association and the Police Complaints Authority.

But he says the stumbling block is the 1988 Police Complaints Authority Act, which protects much of the documentation in the hands of the Police Complaints Authority.

The issue may be a major hurdle in the inquiry reaching its November the first deadline.

There is also concern about conflicts with current police investigations into men at the centre of the inquiry.

The commission will hold its next meeting on April 8.