Sacked cop to pay $2000 to former employer

Paul Lamb. Photo / APN

A Whangarei policeman who failed to win his job back after being dismissed has been ordered to pay $2000 in costs to his former employer.

Paul Lamb was dismissed for serious misconduct last July after he was acquitted by the Whangarei District Court on a charge of assaulting a prisoner in the back of a patrol car in February 2009.

He took the police to the Employment Relations Authority in December but lost.

In February, authority member Eleanor Robinson found that police had justifiably dismissed Lamb and she reserved costs in the hope that parties would be able to settle the issue between themselves.

They could not and filed submissions that required a two-day investigation meeting.

Police cited costs of $46,507 and sought a contributory award of $15,000 towards the actual costs, and disbursements of $3446.

Sally McKechnie, representing the police, submitted that the matter was complex, it was conducted on an urgent basis at Lamb's request and that he required disclosures of several documents.

She said the investigation meeting involved a significant number of witnesses and that considerable further work needed to be done because of additional matters raised by the former police officer.

Lamb's lawyer, David Grindle, opposed the police application for costs, saying his client was struggling financially.

Ms Robinson said the authority had the discretion to raise or lower the tariff. A two-day investigation meeting would normally equate to an award of $6000, she said.

She accepted that Lamb was facing financial hardship and said the authority would use its discretion by lowering the tariff.

- APN