Claims against police 'unfounded', Employment Court hears

Daniel Sean Ramkisoon

A former Whakatane police officer's "extraordinary allegations" against senior police are completely unfounded, an Employment Court has heard.

Daniel Sean Ramkissoon's case against the New Zealand Police Commissioner began in the Employment Court at Rotorua on Monday, with the 42-year-old claiming a job offer was unfairly withdrawn, he was treated unfairly while on sick leave and his resignation from the police force in 2011 by "medical disengagement" was an unjustified constructive dismissal.

He has linked his alleged treatment to his involvement as a witness in the 2008 trial of four Whakatane officers accused of assaulting a prisoner, and claimed superiors made his life a "living hell".

After four days of evidence for Mr Ramkissoon, police lawyer Edrick Child opened the defence case yesterday.

Mr Child said Mr Ramkissoon had made "extraordinary allegations" of corruption, collusion, harassment and racial abuse against a range of senior officers.

Mr Ramkissoon had applied for the open Opotiki sergeant role in 2009, he said, and a "series of administrative errors" meant he was mistakenly offered the job despite not holding a required qualification. He said Mr Ramkissoon was provisionally offered the position but the next day the mistake was realised and Mr Ramkissoon told. The error was "unfortunate" but police could not ignore the lack of qualification and had acted promptly.

"He [Mr Ramkissoon] had been under the wrong impression about the job for a single day." Mr Child said Mr Ramkissoon then took stress-related sick leave, during which police kept in reasonable contact with him and developed rehabilitation plans. However, Mr Ramkissoon resisted returning to the front line and extended his sick leave, despite a medical certificate declaring him fit, Mr Child said.

Senior Sergeant Richard Miller, then based at Opotiki, told the court Mr Ramkissoon was the best applicant for the position, until the qualification issue came to light. He said he was not involved with the "Whakatane four" incident, had not spoken to senior police about Mr Ramkissoon's role in it, and it had no bearing on the recruitment process.

The hearing continues on Monday, with police expected to call 11 more witnesses. Chief Judge Graeme Colgan said if the case had not finished by Tuesday, it would be adjourned until November.