Borrows Chester: Appointments — Deputy Police Complaints Authority 
Borrows Chester: Appointments — Deputy Police Complaints Authority 
[Volume:638;Page:8582] 
CHESTER BORROWS (National—Whanganui) 
: 
 I rise to add my voice to endorse Judge Michael Lance as the Deputy Police Complaints Authority. As others have done I have researched the pedigree done the google and made a couple of phone calls as old investigators tend to do and I find that Judge Lance was raised in Waverley later practised law in Wanganui and was a partner at Treadwell Gordon and Co. As a criminal lawyer working in and around Wanganui and South Taranaki he was somebody who was held in very high regard in respect of his presence in the courtroom and his ability to cut to the chase in respect of criminal trials. He also had a broad experience not only in criminal trials but also in courts martial. 
Later on when he left Treadwell Gordon he became a barrister then a Queen’s Counsel and was later appointed as a District Court judge. He was the executive judge criminal trials. I think it is incredibly important when we are looking at a Deputy Police Complaints Authority that he has a knowledge of the criminal law and brings that expertise with him. For instance we have had some high-profile Police Complaints Authority investigations in the past. If there were another incident such as that which occurred at Waitara some time ago or if there were some other police shooting somewhere Judge Lance would be in a position to jump straight in and fully investigate such an incident and would be seen to be completely independent in doing so. 
I think that on today of all days what the public are calling for from the Police Complaints Authority is fierce independence. As I mentioned earlier today the New Zealand Police is one organisation in which all of New Zealand must have complete faith so restoring that faith is significant. 
As has been mentioned Judge Lance sat on the third trial in the Louise Nicholas rape complaint against three police officers and he made some very telling comments in respect of the way in which the police handled initial complaints principally Detective Inspector John Dewar and I want to read out one small portion of what he said: “ ‘I am of the view the failure to record and detail these allegations was not only remarkable it was utterly incredible’ Judge Lance said in his decision granting costs against the police. ‘After all here was an experienced detective inspector investigating allegations of serious sexual offending. During his interview with the complainant he is told of allegations of potentially serious sexual offending by three other named and current serving police officers. Such disclosures should have triggered alarm bells that would have permanently silenced Big Ben no matter how vague in terms of time and event.’ ” 
So the judge has made it quite plain not only in awarding $20000 court costs in that instance but also on a number of other occasions when he granted stays of prosecution because of a lack of police adherence to police policy that he is prepared to take hard decisions prepared to carry the flack for those and will remain fiercely independent as the Deputy Police Complaints Authority. I believe he will add to the mana of the office of the principal Police Complaints Authority Judge Goddard and I look forward to the confidence they will be able to give the New Zealand public in their roles with the Police Complaints Authority. Thank you.