Police deny claims

Press, 24 August 1988, Page 7

Police deny claims

PA Nelson A Nelson anti-porno-graphy campaigner has claimed that “tons” of pornography had been brought into New Zealand through Port Nelson with the police’s knowledge. Ms Barbara Williams, of Nelson Women Against Pornography, told the Committee of Inquiry into Pornography her complaint about a videotape on sale two years ago led to police comment that there was much worse material around. The police had told her two Nelson businessmen were making money from tapes brought in by Nelson fishing boats which went out to meet

foreign vessels. “They openly admitted there was tons of pornography coming in through the port,” Ms Williams said. - She was told there was no vice squad in Nelson and the police did not have the power to deal with complaints about what was commercially available. It was humiliating to go to the police only to be told so much worse material was around and they had no resources to deal with it.

Stronger anti-porno-graphy legislation was needed, she said. Detective Sergeant Roy Powell, of the Nelson Criminal Investigation Bureau, said yesterday it was not the

case that “tons” of pornography was coming through Port Nelson. Eighteen months ago, a Nelson person had been charged with nationally distributing pornographic videotapes, and the police were waiting for authority from the Attor-ney-General to prosecute. The Nelson police do have the resources and well-trained personnel to deal with pornography. Detective Sergeant Powell said he had no information about videotapes being smuggled into Nelson but the police would act if information was received.