Nineteen officers face serious criminal charges

Nearly two dozen of the country's serving police officers are facing serious criminal charges ranging from rape, indecent assault and wounding with intent - and most are still on full pay.

The revelations are another blow for police credibility and come just a fortnight after a female Auckland police officer was "counselled" for moonlighting as a prostitute.

The Office of the Commissioner is playing down the number and seriousness of the charges, saying cases currently pending against serving officers should be taken in the context of a 10,000-strong police force.

But former top cop Ian Holyoake and one of the country's leading QC's Peter Williams disagree. They say the charges are symptomatic of wider problems within the police.

Details of the 23 criminal charges laid against the 19 serving police officers were released to the Herald on Sunday under the Official Information Act and include 11 assault charges, three drink-driving charges, one rape and one indecent assault charge, and one count of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

Some charges carry a maximum prison sentence of 20 years.

Also included among the cases are new charges against suspended Assistant Police Commissioner Clint Rickards relating to alleged sexual offending in the 1980s. Rickards and former officers Brad Shipton and Bob Schollum were acquitted in March of raping Louise Nicholas but were charged shortly after with raping a second woman. Rickards has remained on full pay since inquiries into those matters began two years ago.

As well as the criminal charges faced by police, seven serving officers are currently on serious internal police charges for offences including disgraceful conduct, inappropriate use of a computer, falsifying a document and using unnecessary force. This comes after police were heavily criticised last year after an investigation into pornography on work computers.

Stuart Wildon, a spokesman for the Office of the Commissioner, would not release specific details about any of the criminal and internal charges facing police, saying matters were subjudice, and he had employer obligations to "respect privacy and employer confidentiality". He also would not release the names or ranks of the officers involved or what police districts they worked in.

He confirmed, however, that most police officers facing charges had been suspended on full pay.

"All circumstances must be taken into account and this, of course, includes the nature and seriousness of the charge. Most members remain on full pay unless and until such time that there is good reason to vary the member's pay."

One of those suspended officers is sole-charge Taranaki constable Jonathan Erwood, who was charged last week with drink-driving after failing a breath test while attending a crash that killed two people. However, Erwood is not the only officer facing drink-drive charges, with two other cases currently before the courts.

Meanwhile, six of the assault charges faced by officers related to incidents that occurred while they were on duty, while four involve off-duty incidents - including one case where a policeman was alleged to have assaulted someone with a weapon, in this case his dog. One of the officers charged with assault is also facing an additional charge of perverting the course of justice.

Aside from the charges against Rickards, the most serious involve an officer accused of raping a woman and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and a separate case of a police officer charged with indecent assault.

Wildon said the police force was a 10,000-plus organisation, and the cases against serving police officers related to less than half a per cent of its workforce. He also said that around 44 officers a year ended up in court on criminal charges, a number that had remained stable since 1998. "Seen in that light, the numbers are very small. It is, however, always disappointing to have any of our staff transgress the criminal or disciplinary code," he said.

However, leading Auckland QC Peter Williams disagreed, saying that while it was healthy police were prosecuting their own, the seriousness of the charges was "surprising" and of major concern. He believed the charges were a direct reflection of wider issues confronting police and society in general. "There is a certain element in the police force that needs to be very tightly controlled."

Retired assistant police commissioner Ian Holyoake was also concerned at the number of officers facing charges. During his 30 years in the force, he had not seen police face such a range of serious charges.

"A policeman on a criminal charge 10, 20, 30 years ago was just unbelievable," he said.

However, Police Association president Greg O'Connor said in many cases police were charged over nothing more than an allegation. Most charges didn't stack up but were pursued, to avoid creating an impression that police were easier on their own.

"Because of an absolute fear of being accused of covering up things, police are very quick to put their officers before the courts. Yes, there are police officers who commit criminal offences, but it is a small number," O'Connor said.

"One charge is too many, and we all feel it. That's why it is important standards are kept up."