Police Action Explained

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31976, 1 May 1969, Page 1

Police Action Explained

(From Our Own Reporter)

WELLINGTON, April 30.

Mr R. W. Boshier, a lecturer at Victoria University, had been interviewed by the police as a result of a statement reported on April 28, the Attorney-General (Mr Hanan) said today.

Mr Boshier was reported as having said that he had a list of every security man in New Zealand and that “his list came from sources within the Security Service.”

This statement by Mr Boshier obviously suggested

an offence against the Guicial Secrets Act because, if correct, the statement meant that someone within the Security Service had disclosed information about the service to unauthorised persons, Mr Hanan said. Under the Official Secrets Act, when the Commissioner of Police is satisfied that there is reasonable ground for suspecting that an offence has been committed and that any person is able to furnish information as to the suspected offence, the act provides that, with the leave of tbe Attorney-General, the Commissioner of Police may authorise a police officer to require a person to furnish any information in his power relating to the offence. Mr Hanan said that it had been reported to him that on being interviewed, Mr Boshier was unable to substantiate the statement that “his list came from sources within the Security Service."

“NOT MEMBER” In fact, Mr Boshier had said he could not remember who handed the statement to him about 12 months ago, but he did say the person was not a member of the Security Service. In short, Mr Hanan said, the statement madp by Mr Boshier about his list was incorrect. Mr Hanan added that when a statement with such serious implications was made, it was in the public interest that the matter should be followed up. The police were now satisfied that there was no evidence that anyone within the Security Service gave information to an unauthorised person. REPLY MADE Replying to Mr Hanan, Mr Boshier said in a statement tonight that he was satisfied the list he referred to at the annu 1 Labour Party conference last' week contained the names of Security Service agents. He added: “It is true that the list I have was not handed to me by a security agent. However, as it is a list of agents it could only have originated within the Security Service.” About 70 persons were "amed on the list as security agents, said Mr’Boshier. His statement named four persons he said were on the list.

“These are only four of the 70 persons listed. Not one of the 70 has denied that he is a security agent. If Mr Hanan is still convinced that there has been no leakage from within the service the other names can be produced.” Mr Boshier said that no person named in a list printed last year by a satirical publication had stated that he had been incorrectly named as a security agent, or taken legal action against the publishers of this list.

A man whose name was on the list printed by the publication was a security agent at Auckland University, he said. Mr Boshier’s statement added: “These facts, coupled with information supplied by persons familiar with the personnel of the Security Service and the efforts of a Christchurch group who followed the Christchurch agents named on the list to work (and found that all worked together in security headquarters), leaves no doubt in my mind that the persons named on the list I and many others received were or are security officers?’