Popularity of police

Press, 17 May 1989, Page 2

Popularity of police

PA Wellington Any suggestion that police popularity is down because of the number of complaints received by the new Police Complaints Authority is misleading, the Police Commissioner, Mr John Jamieson, said yesterday. “I believe the public still has faith and trust in the integrity of police officers and I’m determined this should remain so,” he said. About 120 complaints have been received by the authority since it started work on April I. Complaints lodged during April included failure to investigate a reported offence, use of unnecessary force in an

arrest, assault, delayed police response, lack of impartiality, harassment, dishonesty, bias, non-return of property, and leaving premises untidy after a search. The commissioner said that as with any new authority, there would always be some people who took the opportunity of lodging complaints about matters which happened some time ago. “Most people who complain about the police are the very people whose behaviour caused police to intervene in the first place,” he said. "Some lodge a complaint in the hope they can negotiate with the police to drop charges against them,” Mr, Jamieson said.