Police payments slow in Wellington region

Press, 15 July 1985, Page 17

Police payments slow in Wellington region

PA Wellington Some policemen in the Wellington region say the Police Department owes them up to $l2OO, the “Evening Post” reports. The policemen, who asked not to be named, said the problem affected staff at almost every station in the Wellington region. Police required to use their private vehicles at work are reimbursed with a mileage allowance. One policeman said the

department had owed him $l2OO for mileage since March. “Considerable embarrassment” was also being caused in the community, they say, because of the department’s tardiness at paying other accounts. At one police station the local electricity authority had threatened to disconnect the supply, and the Post Office had also threatened to disconnect station telephones unless an overdue account

was paid. Newspaper deliveries had also been threatened. The director of finance at Police National Headquarters, Chief Superintendent Brian Mooney, said the problem was confined to the Wellington district office. Administrative problems and “a whole gaggle of other things” dating back a year ago had caused the problem. Staff were working “desperately hard” to catch up, he said.