Police stop TV film

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 34030, 19 December 1975, Page 1

Police stop TV film

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, December 18. The police obtained an injunction from the Supreme Court yesterday to stop TVI from showing a programme that they believe could reveal secret methods in narcotics undercover work.

The Commissioner of Police (Mr K. B. BurnIside) said today that the jpolice learnt TVI had a constable, and that the interview was to have been shown on “Tonight at Nine" last night. ! “It was believed that the interview was in connection! with his work on undercover: duties in the narcotics field,”' Mr Burnside said. “The constable might have acted contrary to police: regulations in supplying the; information. “It was feared that infer-' : mation about police activi- j ties and methods in under-1 cover work in relation to!

narcotics might be disclosed, which would prejudice police detection in this field.” When TVI was ap-' proached, it refused to show the videotape to the police, :and a spokesman ’for the: '.channel said the programme ■was innocuous. “What is and what is not innocuous is something that is not readily known to persons not engaged on work ini 'this field,” Mr Burnside said. I The police consulted the Crown Law Office, and legal proceedings were instituted iin the Supreme Court I yesterday. ! The Supreme Court issued an injunction refraining TVI 'from showing the pro-! gramme until the injunction! lis dissolved.