KEY POINTS:
National Party police spokesman Chester Borrows says the police officer demoted because of how he treated a woman informant should be sacked.
Detective Sergeant Peter Govers was demoted to senior constable and transferred to a lower-level desk job, after an internal investigation found him guilty of disgraceful conduct.
He had pestered the woman informant, named only as Tania, for sex and sent her sexually explicit images.
"I think he should go," Mr Borrows said.
After the Bazley report into police conduct prompted by rape and other allegations Police Commissioner Howard Broad said there would be a zero tolerance approach to sexual misconduct.
"This doesn't look like zero tolerance," Mr Borrows said.
"Someone's got to explain why he hasn't got the sack and we haven't heard a why yet."
Police Central District Commander Superintendent Mark Lammas said the demotion happened before the Bazley inquiry. Mr Broad said that if it happened now the likely outcome would be sacking.
But Mr Borrows said the timing did not matter as the code of conduct already existed and publicity about allegations meant there was already zero tolerance in the public's mind.
"All of this stuff came up while the inquiry was under way and nothing in the inquiry brought anything unexpected. To turn around and say this all happened before the findings of the inquiry were released is rubbish," he said.
Mr Lammas said some of the details of the complaint were disputed, and Mr Govers' penalty was only in relation to the parts of the complaint which all parties agreed on.
It had been established that a personal relationship of some sort developed between the two.
Mr Govers was based in Levin as the head of the Horowhenua CIB in 2005 when he approached a solo mother whose partner had just been jailed, to spy on a drug ring.
Tania, yesterday told One News Mr Govers began sending her text messages asking her to send him sexually explicit images, and asking for sex.
Last night she said: "All I wanted to see was him out of the police force."
After she laid a formal complaint, the matter was investigated and Govers was demoted and sent to work in Palmerston North.
No criminal behaviour occurred, but Mr Govers breached his duty of care to Tania, Mr Lammas said.
Police Minister Annette King said all of the Bazley recommendations were being implemented and changes were being made which would make it easier to sack officers.
- NZPA
