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Moral Panic
- Child Sexual Abuse |
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Destroyed the careers
and previously unblemished reputations of four well-qualified, experienced
and dedicated child care workers |
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Picture: Howard Broad. Michael Bradley, Getty Images New Police Commissioner
Howard Broad cannot recall another time in his 30-year career when there has
been so much bad publicity about the police and says he is committed to
restoring public confidence. Mr Broad, who yesterday
took over the top police job, said the public's opinion of the force was
arguably even lower than it had been during the 1981 Springbok tour when the
nation had been divided over the role of the police. "Now I think there
is a question about the police, a very fundamental one. Not just whether we
are doing the right role or not, but about who we are." The 49-year-old said he
wanted there to be no doubt that the service the police provided met public
expectations. Public confidence in
the police has deteriorated in the past two years and the organisation has
found itself under fire over a series of problems, including the mishandling
of the Iraena Asher case, the troubled 111 system, the email pornography
scandal and police conduct. Mr Broad acknowledged
this yesterday, saying there were "some things from our past that we
need to own and then move on". He said there had been a big improvement
in the level of public transparency and scrutiny the organisation underwent. "The question for
the police is, are we able to step up to the mark and answer that
scrutiny." Mr Broad, previously
assistant commissioner, is now the highest-paid person on the public payroll
with a package worth $440,000. Mr Broad's classmate at
police college, Rob Pope, was appointed deputy commissioner (operations) and
Ms Lyn Provost was reappointed deputy commissioner (resource management). All
three have been appointed for five-year terms. Yesterday's
announcement ended a six-month search after Rob Robinson announced last
October his intention to retire as commissioner after six years in the job.
Steve Long, who is also due to retire, had been acting commissioner since
December. Mr Broad said he was
taking on the role at an exciting time, and the drafting of a Police Bill,
announced by Police Minister Annette King last month, would allow him to
shape the police into a modern organisation. He said the
Government's commitment to provide 1000 extra sworn officers would be
challenging to fulfil, but believed the staff could be found. "I think one of
the things we have to do is signal to good men and women in New Zealand that
the police is an attractive career." He singled out Auckland
as a pressure point for the police and an area where public confidence in the
organisation was particularly low. Police Association
president Greg O'Connor said police were pleased the top job had gone to a
sworn officer.
·
Age: 49. ·
Years of police service: 30. ·
Previous roles: Assistant commissioner, NZ; assistant
commissioner seconded to Police Standards Unit, Home Office, UK; district
commander, Auckland City. ·
Qualifications: Law degree. |
