KEY POINTS:
Police Minister Annette King wants any more allegations about police sexual conduct to come out now so they can be properly dealt with and the force can move on.
Ms King said yesterday that far from being frustrated at the continued string of sexual allegations about police, she thought it was the "right time" for things to be brought out.
"I'd much prefer that it all comes out, whatever there is there. This is the time for everything to come out, because this has to be dealt with, it has to be addressed, we have to move on from it - the police have to."
Continuing allegations would be "crippling".
The latest allegations concern serving police officers using batons and handcuffs in group sex while on duty.
The claims, published at the weekend, follow a series of high-profile rape trials involving former and serving police officers.
Ms King has asked for an urgent report from the police, and yesterday she again urged the woman behind the allegations to come forward to help with the investigation. "The police are very serious about investigating it."
Prime Minister Helen Clark labelled the allegations "disgusting" just hours after she arrived home from a visit to the United States.
"Neither the Government nor any reasonable member of the public would condone behaviour of the kind that has been reported. It's disgusting. It's unacceptable and it unfortunately does the police a great disservice.
"The vast majority of police are hard-working, decent people and some people sometimes let them down."
She urged anyone with information to come forward so the matter, including whether serving officers had taken part, could be investigated.
"Now, we would need someone to come forward and supply evidence to go into it to see if criminal offending had occurred. But if any serving police had been part of that behaviour, clearly there are going to be at the very least disciplinary charges."
The Government is expected to release early next week the final report of the Commission of Inquiry into police conduct.
Helen Clark said yesterday that from what she knew of the report people should "expect the kind of stuff that's been around to be validated".
But she was uncertain to what extent the conduct was considered to be historical or contemporary.
The author of the inquiry report, Dame Margaret Bazley, will not be commenting when her report is released.
- Additional reporting Elizabeth Binning
