Misconduct complaint laid against Northland policeman

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A Whangarei woman has laid a complaint against a Northland policeman who she says failed to act when her former partner breached a protection order.

The police officer had allowed her former boyfriend to remain at her address after she called to say he had broken the protection order, Ulanda Cochrane said.

Whangarei police have confirmed a complaint has been laid against a senior officer in relation to the matter. The police are carrying out an employment investigation and have also referred the matter to the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA). Ms Cochrane said her ex-boyfriend was eventually arrested after she complained about the officer's lack of action to a female police officer. He was charged with breaching a protection order, assault against a female and threatening to kill.

Ms Cochrane, 19, the daughter of farmer Alan Titford, imprisoned for 24 years for arson, rape and the violent abuse of his family said she felt all woman who were scared enough to get protection orders needed to trust they would be acted on.

She laid the complaint alleging misconduct against the officer in January after he failed to arrest the ex-boyfriend who had turned up at her house. "They turned up but they let him stay there," she said.

Ms Cochrane had alleged two other potential protection order breaches. She felt all three scenarios were not taken seriously until she spoke with the woman officer who followed the matter through. That is when she laid the complaint. The ex-boyfriend has been bailed and curfewed to a New Plymouth address awaiting a Whangarei District Court appearance.

The alleged breaches coincided with a campaign by Karen Edwards, the mother of murdered Ashlee Edwards, who has been fighting for harsher punishment for those breaching protection orders. Ashlee Edwards was killed by her former partner Jimmy Akuhata in July 2012. The mother of two had taken out a protection order against Akuhata two years earlier, and had told police of repeated breaches and threats. They failed to investigate and were severely criticised after an investigation by IPCA.

Whangarei police's Sarah Kennett could not provide statistics of how many enforcements local police make regarding protection orders or if similar complaints about mishandling the processes are in the pipeline.