Number of officers on assault charges shoots up

Two Auckland constables found guilty of a drunken St Patrick's Day attack on students were among 14 police officers charged with assault last year.

Patrick Garty, 32, and Wiremu Bowers Rakatau, 21, unsuccessfully claimed self-defence in the Auckland District Court last week and will reappear in October to seek discharge without conviction.

The pair and the 12 others charged with assault in 2009 more than double in number the five officers charged with assault in 2008 and six the year before, according to figures released under the Official Information Act.

Sixty-six officers faced criminal charges between 2007 and 2009 - ranging from drink-driving, rape and drug supply to incest, fraud and conspiring to pervert the course of justice.

But a police headquarters executive has defended the figures, saying they need to be "kept in the context of five million contacts that police have with the public during the course of a year".

"Our people get into difficult and testing situations as part of their role in protecting the public," said Wayne Annan, general manager of human resources.

"They are selected, trained and equipped to make instant judgment, and most of the time we get it right."

Police Association president Greg O'Connor agreed, saying he wasn't "justifying anything", but police acted as "the coercive arm of state".

"We're dealing with violent situations. That's what we do," he said. "These are not the statistics of an organisation that covers anything up."

The police force was the only organisation that prosecuted itself, so cases "almost invariably" ended up in court, while people otherwise employed might not, he said.

Mr O'Connor said nothing should be read into the sharp rise in assaults from 2008 to 2009, as several of the incidents last year involved more than one officer.

The statistics also show that 14 officers were charged with drink-driving in the three-year period - three last year, compared with seven in 2008 and four in 2007.

Last month, the Weekend Herald revealed that one of these was Sergeant Jason Lamont, who drove at nearly 1 the legal blood alcohol limit in August and was discharged without conviction. The court ruled that his experience and skills as a policeman outweighed the severity of the crime.

A police spokesman said that of the 66 officers prosecuted between 2007 and 2009, two lost their jobs, 20 resigned or retired because of the charges and others were still before the courts.

COPS IN THE DOCK

2007-09:

* Assault - 25
* Drink-driving - 14
* Rape - 2
* Fraud - 2
* Perjury - 1
* Incest - 1