Hard News: An unacceptable failure of care
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Catriona Maclennansays that on her reading of of paras 80-90, the police didn't understand the law around consent, alcohol and sexual conduct with a person under 16.
She also observes that the police decision not to lay charges was reviewed by the Auckland Crown Solicitor, and wonder what that says about the quality of advice.
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Great speech from Jacinda. Measured and insightful and angry, all at once.
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The Judge even calls out the police over a previous 2010 enquiry into more general child abuse
“120. It is disturbing that several themes identified as a result of the Authority’s child abuse inquiry(such as deficiencies in investigative practices, file recording, collaboration with CYF, and case supervision) have, again, been highlighted in the Authority’s current investigation.
This is notwithstanding the fact that the related recommendations made in 2010 to address the deficiencies were accepted and embedded by Police. -
Sue,
So Bad, that the law exists to protect people but the police don't know it or choose not to enforce it.
Even Worse the only consequences for police officers involved is that report will be included in their annual review,All today did was illustrate why victims of assault choose never to report it to the police and promised institutional change never happens
I hate that i feel like this,
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Someone must surely be resigning over this, right?
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I didn't realise these incompetent clowns were part of a dedicated Child Protection Team until yesterday. Danyl also agrees they need to be sacked.
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Ian Dalziel, in reply to
Rozzer beef…
Danyl also agrees they need to be sacked.
Sounds like these ‘old cops’ didn’t think this child protection squad supplied the ‘better work stories’ they wanted – but what message does that send the ‘new cops’ ?
https://www.newcops.co.nz/about-the-job/better-work-storiesDo we know if any of these police have children themselves?
I’m thinking not, as they have shown no empathy or compassion …
or even any clue – given the number they ignored! -
Sofie Bribiesca, in reply to
Do we know if any of these police have children themselves?
Why yes we do ,one Police Officer has a boy. His name is Beraiah Hales. He is one of the twits involved.
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The decision not to prosecute must have been difficult for the officers involved. Seven complainants, up to 110 victims, stupification and sexual assault of minors followed by online bullying and shaming of the victims.
Nothing to see here folks... moving right along.
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I had to pull over while driving home last night, listening to this story on RNZ. I was swearing and crying. What can I do?
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Joe Wylie, in reply to
Are we allowed to ask if the policeman beats his wife?
Or what she thinks of it all?When the ultra-prurient Chch Press hounds the "sex romp duo" to the point where “It’s not known whether the wife is standing by the man”, it seems fair enough to wonder why those questions haven’t been asked.
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Jeremy Andrew, in reply to
It does make one wonder how it might have shaken out if it was a policeman's daughter involved, rather than a son... I'm sure it might have taken a higher priority.
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I feel I should have many profound things to say about this, especially after the first report came out and some people were all, "See, the police did everything they could, this is just how these things go." No. They could not have failed more spectacularly than "a specialist child protection unit didn't understand the law around child sexual abuse".
But here's what I keep coming back to. Until I listened to Jacinda's speech, it had never occurred to me that someone shouldn't have to be brave to file a rape complaint. Never. That's what I'd accepted as 'just the way things go', that the police would never be on your side, that the complaint process would be traumatic and oppositional, as well as completely futile.
I also want to share a story, about 'other things that could have been done', though I'm not sure what the conclusion to draw is. When I first joined a local 'special interest' group, at the first meeting one of the leaders told us that there was a man around who had done some pretty awful shit. He didn't identify the person, but he gave enough information that I could speak to him privately afterwards and confirm that yes, this was the same guy who had just approached me on-line, and yes, he had raped a member of the community. (The victim laid a complaint, which, given she had a major 'oh but she was asking for it' identifier, was incredibly, yeah, brave.)
It could have been me. If not for that one guy feeling he had a duty of care to his community, it could have been me. So it didn't take an incredibly-unlikely conviction to keep me safe, just someone speaking up.
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Bart Janssen, in reply to
Great speech from Jacinda.
Such a pity most of our elected representatives could not make the effort to be there to hear it, but I guess being out of the room saves them from sticking their fingers in the ears and shouting "lalalalala"
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Much as I love the speech Jacinda gave and admire how well she gave it, I have a problem, and that is her speech should have been given by Michael Woodhouse.
Her speech was fantastic. It should be on Campbell Live in its entirely.
But our Minister of Police should have given the same damn speech! It is his job dammit. He gets paid considerably more than Jacinda precisely because its his damn job to condemn the police when they fail as utterly and completely as they failed here.
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Also I'd like to add that for about the 4th time through this saga I am sitting at my desk with tears in my eyes.
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Steve Barnes, in reply to
But our Minister of Police should have given the same damn speech! It is his job dammit.
I disagree, he should have said “Mea Culpa, I resign” and left it as that.
Every word he spoke sounded like an attempt at justification, there were lots of “But"s after every admission of guilt.
We should also be aware of the fact that this is the very same police area that is handling the case of a certain “Prominent New Zealander”. -
The charges against that same "Prominent New Zealander" have finally been revealed.
The man denies 12 charges of indecent assault against two people including two representative charges.
I believe I'm correct in saying that until now, only "assault" has been mentioned in the media.
The charges, which include allegations of touching the complainants on the breast, buttocks, groin and thigh, are punishable by up to 10 years' imprisonment.
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Sacha, in reply to
There is more than one case. And suppression of identity is still under appeal in both, though the charges are now public.
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Danielle, in reply to
after the first report came out and some people were all, "See, the police did everything they could, this is just how these things go." No. They could not have failed more spectacularly than "a specialist child protection unit didn't understand the law around child sexual abuse".
Our endless willingness, as a society, to give the police WAY more than the benefit of the doubt really worries me.
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Matthew Poole, in reply to
Do we know if any of these police have children themselves?
Why yes we do ,one Police Officer has a boy. His name is Beraiah Hales. He is one of the twits involved.
Unless I missed something I think you're conflating two separate things. Yes, the father of Hales is a police officer. However I suspect Ian was meaning any of the investigating officers and as far as we know Hales' father had nothing to do with the investigation.
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Bart Janssen, in reply to
However I suspect Ian was meaning any of the investigating officers and as far as we know Hales’ father had nothing to do with the investigation.
My understanding was the father worked out of the same station. So would have had considerable contact with the investigating officers.
I could be wrong.
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Michael Homer, in reply to
It's almost verbatim the same article they had a few weeks ago (including that detail). I wondered whether they'd said more than they intended at the time, but seemingly not.
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All I can say is that it's a good job the Harmful Digital Communications Bill hasn't gone through yet, or Russell might be finding himself sanctioned.
(Hales (father or son) could still sue for libel, but the expense and hazard of that makes it less likely).
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Russell Brown, in reply to
I wrote that the police “should have had cause to fear [young women and girls] were being systematically sexually assaulted”. I think that’s fair. Regardless of what happened in each case, on the basis of what they knew, they should have had cause to fear that.
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