Inquiry Into Inappropriate Sexual Behaviour
In 2004, Prime Minister Helen Clark announced a Commission would be established to carry out an independent investigation into the way in which the New Zealand Police had dealt with allegations of sexual assault by members of the Police. The investigation was conducted by Dame Margaret Bazley and took three years. It reviewed 313 complaints of sexual assault against 222 police officers, including 141 in which Dame Margaret said the evidence was strong enough to warrant criminal charges or disciplinary action.
In her foreword to the report, Dame Margaret wrote: "First, I saw evidence of some disgraceful conduct by police officers and associates over the period from 1979, involving the exploitation of vulnerable people. There were also incidents of officers attempting to protect alleged perpetrators. These incidents, which occurred mainly in the 1980s, include evidence of officers condoning or turning a blind eye to sexual activity of an inappropriate nature; a wall of silence from colleagues protecting those officers complained about; negative, stereotyped views of complainants; and a culture of scepticism in dealing with complaints of sexual assault. However, there was no evidence of any concerted attempt across the organisation as a whole to cover up unacceptable behaviour... I was disturbed to learn that the police do not have any code of conduct or guidelines that provide sworn police officers with clear guidance on what constitutes appropriate behaviour, in particular appropriate sexual behaviour. The police need to improve their performance management systems. They need to establish a national early warning system that highlights officers who may be at risk of inappropriate behaviour."
The Bazley report made 48 recommendations for change
Read more about this topic: New Zealand Police, Police Culture
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