Minister criticises police ‘carelessness’

Press, 1 September 1986, Page 3

Minister criticises police ‘carelessness’

PA Wellington The Minister of Police, Mrs Kerens, has criticised “police carelessness” that resulted in confidential files being left in a cabinet auctioned in Christchurch.

The files, which went back to the years between 1967 and 1975, had been compiled legitimately “in accordance with the law and policy of the times,” she said. Mrs Hercus said on Saturday that she had received a report on the matter.

“There is no excuse for what happened,” she said. “Those 10 to 19-year-old files were legitimate and compiled ' in accordance with the law and policy of the times. However, regardless of that, those files should have been burned years ago.”

. Mrs Hercus said that the drawers should have been checked when the filing cabinet was put into storage six or seven years ago.

“The drawers should have been checked before the cabinet was recently

auctioned and they were not,” she said. The police accepted full responsibility for their carelessness and the negligence was deeply regretted by the Christchurch administration.

Steps had been taken to ensure it would not happen again, she said.

Mrs Hercus ordered the inquiry into the files last week after a Sunday newspaper reported that a cabinet. sold at Government auction last month in Christchurch contained police files from 1967 to 1975 on the surveillance of more than 800 people, ranging from convicted criminals to political activists.

The files were in keeping with laws and policies of the times, some of which had been changed. “In particular the consorting laws of the time were in force.”

That criminal law, which had since been repealed, made it an offence to consort with convicted persons or suspected thieves. “It is inevitable that the

‘noting’ files in question contain information and warnings which related to the laws of consorting. This law was repealed in 1981. Police then and now note offenders, their associates and people suspected of being involved in unlawful pursuits, people they see, usually by chance, as they go about their policing duties.

“These notings are passed on to other staff assigned to investigations.”

Mrs Hercus said the practices were fundamental to good policing and had been used since formal policing began. “The criteria for gathering and retaining information is that there must be reasonable grounds to suspect that groups or individuals have been or are likely to become involved in unlawful pursuits.”

Commissioned officers were required to check noting records quarterly to make sure the general instructions were being complied with, she said.