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Police are back in the firing line for accepting discounted goods and services such as cheap home loans and cut-price cellphones.
Although departmental policy clearly states that police officers are prohibited from accepting any form of inducement, the Herald on Sunday has learned some have been routinely taking advantage of special deals offered by the Police Association to attract members.
The issue of police accepting freebies or discounted goods was highlighted in February when it was revealed fast-food joints were offering police officers discounted meals - with some store owners confessing it was a cheap method of providing in-store security.
The official police code of conduct states that "no member of police shall solicit for personal gain, or accept a discount on any goods or services where that discount is offered because that person is a member of police".
Despite that decree, it now appears the practice is far more widespread than first thought.
The National Bank is offering Police Association members a special package deal, which includes around a third of a percentage point off floating flexible home loan rates for mortgages up to the value of $150,000 and half a percentage point off loans of more than $150,000.
The bank offer also waives all home loan application fees and provides $250 toward legal costs.
With both sweeteners, that equates to a saving of nearly $20,000 on a $200,000 mortgage taken out over a period of 25 years.
The National Bank did not return Herald on Sunday calls yesterday.
Telecom has also jumped in on the act with a special offer to association members of either a free or a heavily discounted cellphone, plus cheap calling rates on either a 24-month or 36-month contract.
That deal has been advertised in the April edition of Police News - a magazine produced for association members, who are mostly sworn officers.
Police Minister Annette King told the Herald on Sunday she had not considered whether there was anything wrong with police officers receiving special deals but suggested it was a matter that Commissioner Howard Broad may need to address when establishing a police code of conduct. Asked whether sworn officers who were members of the association should pay less than others for goods and services, a spokesperson for Broad pointed to police regulations, which state that no officer is allowed to take or solicit any discount offered because of their position.
National's police spokesman Chester Borrows criticised freebies and cheap deals for association members, saying police had to remain independent, otherwise they ran the risk of their integrity being compromised.
However, Police Association president Greg O'Connor said there was a distinction between offering deals to police officers and offering them to members of the police union. Discounted mortgages and cheap cellphones were simply an "added benefit" for those joining the association.
"Anything we were to negotiate would not be for a member of police but for a member of the association. From our point of view, it is an added benefit," he said.
The issue of police freebies is also highlighted in a letter to Police News by Hamilton officer Graeme Rowe.
"I might suggest that there might be more embarrassing episodes for police than the hard-working cop who swings through the drive-through for a Mac Attack at 0230 hours," he wrote.
When spoken to later by the Herald on Sunday, the Waikato constable said he was frustrated that Wellington police bosses were not supporting the "pat on the back" some businesses were willing to offer.
"Considering the climate of the things the police have been in the s*** for, I didn't think that this should be something they should stop," he said.
In response to Rowe's letter to the editor, Police News responded: "A more comprehensive member discount scheme is expected at the end of the year."
