Police caught in the middle

Press, 2 August 1983, Page 1

Police caught in the middle

PA Wellington Whatever the police did during the 1981 Springbok tour was going to be wrong in someone’s view, said the Commissioner of Police, Mr R. J. Walton, yesterday. Commenting on the report of the Chief Ombudsman, Mr George Laking, on the police investigation of complaints arising out of the tour, Mr Walton said that the police were “very much the meat in the sandwich.” It was quite clear that Mr Laking now appreciated some of the problems faced by the police during the tour and the months that followed, Mr Walton said. “The service has learned many valuable lessons from its experience and the dialogue that we have had with Mr Laking has contributed to this process. “I have already acknowledged on many occasions that mistakes were made in some situations, while in others with the benefit of hindsight we would have done things differently. Nor can I dispute that on comparatively rare occasions, a few members succumbed to pressure and responded in an unacceptable manner. In each case where this was established and the offending member identified, disciplinary action followed.” A number of points made by Mr Laking in his report needed qualification, Mr Walton said. One was the assertion that senior officers by publicly defending or explaining the actions by staff could be seen to be prejudging the issues. “This is always a risk, but a risk that often needs to be taken. Almost inevitably, silence is interpreted as an admission of guilt,” he said. “Perceived excesses by police were avidly seized upon. Demonstrators with grievances aired them through the media at their earliest opportunity without waiting for inquiries.” Mr Walton said he did not suggest that all police inquiries were adequate in every respect and had told Mr Laking that he agreed with a number of his criticisms relating to specific cases.

“I give an assurance that we will certainly study his (Mr Laking’s) recommendations, and in fact we are already doing so,” Mr Walton said.

The Police Association welcomed the conclusions in the Ombudsman’s report as “an endorsement of the police service.” The tour and the complaints were handled impartially, objectively, and with only minor irregularities or individual lapses, said the association’s president, Mr K. J. Morrow. “The clear conclusion to

be drawn from the report is that any failings on the part of individual policemen or women pales into insignificance when considered against a failing of our society when faced with the complex issues presented by the Springbok tour.”

He said that minor irregularities or lapses mentioned in the report, when looked at against the totality of events, “will not give rise to any public concern.”

The Minister of Police, Mr Couch, said he completely supported Mr Walton’s comments on the report.

“I have read the Ombudsman’s report and it is clear that he tackled a difficult task most conscientiously,” Mr Couch said in a statement. “I have also read the statement by the Commissioner of Police, Mr Walton, and I support his comments completely.” The majority of “fairminded” people accepted that the police did their very best under unprecedented circumstances, including protecting the very people who were attacking them from reprisals from those who supported the tour, Mr Couch said. However, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Mr Geoffrey Palmer, said the report “showed that the real culprits were the Government.” He said that three conclusions stood out: Confusion and doubt about what happened reign supreme, the whole procedure for dealing with complaints against the police must be reconsidered, and the Government should never have permitted the ; Springbok tour to take place.

“The unsatisfactory nature of the inquiry by the Ombudsman is obvious,” Mr Palmer said. “It was imposed on him by the circumstances under which it had to be conducted.

“The report reinforces the need for an independent person to examine investigations conducted by the police on complaints as those investigations are being made.

“It is vital that such an independent person be involved in investigations of the type the police were obliged to perform on themselves after the Springbok tour. Such a person should not come along afterwards as the Ombudsman did in these cases. He or she should be involved at the time when the evidence is fresh and decisions are being made.” A spokesman for Citizens Opposed to the Springbok Tour, Mr Jeff Walker, called the Ombudsman’s report a vote of no confidence in police complaints procedures and a vindication of the fears C.O.S.T. has held since the tour.

In making only one firm recommendation (replies to complainants), Mr Laking has let the police off lightly. The report is very moderate, Mr Walker said. “The C.O.S.T. legal committee believes that the specific finds in the body of the report constantly call into question the effectiveness of police procedures. A large number of people who have complained have been found to be justified. Future complainants against the police can therefore surely make no assumption that they will receive full and fair treatment,’’ he said.