Power Simon: Urgent Debates — Commission of Inquiry into Police Conduct—Report 
Power Simon: Urgent Debates — Commission of Inquiry into Police Conduct—Report 
[Volume:638;Page:8547] 
SIMON POWER (National—Rangitikei) 
: 
 I rise on behalf of the National Party in this snap debate. Let us not underestimate how much of a thunderbolt this particular report is. It has ultimately resulted in the police being put on notice for a period of 10 years by the Office of the Controller and Auditor-General. It has resulted in the police now being subject to annual reports from the State Services Commission investigating the culture of policing in New Zealand. This is a significant and far-reaching report. Thank goodness for public servants like Dame Margaret Bazley and Kevin Brady who are prepared in the name of the public good to make the tough calls and to state without fear or favour the facts as they actually exist. One would hope that those types of approaches could be taken to other departments and ministries over the course of the next wee while. 
As the Minister has said this report is extremely important particularly for the women of New Zealand and particularly for those women who originally made complaints about police conduct in the 1980s. But the women of New Zealand must have no fear at any time or at any place in New Zealand when they approach the New Zealand Police over an issue that has concerned them. The Police is an institution—unlike frankly some other Government departments or ministries—that the public must have 100 percent confidence in at all times. This report is a blow frankly for the Police and I will talk about that in some detail shortly. But it is now up to this Government and to subsequent Governments to make sure that that confidence in the police is restored and that the public are able to trust that when they make a complaint it is dealt with in a professional way. 
Dame Margaret did find evidence of disgraceful conduct and she found that 141 of those complaints contained enough evidence for criminal or disciplinary charges. Dame Margaret also said that there were incidents of officers attempting to protect alleged perpetrators—which is unforgivable. As the Minister said Dame Margaret has made 60 recommendations and although I acknowledge that the Commissioner of Police today has unreservedly and unequivocally apologised to victims for the actions of those officers who let the police and the public down—which should be acknowledged and he should be congratulated on that—he went on in his statement to make the most curious remark: “ ‘However following close and thorough scrutiny of the way we go about our business the report does not point to systemic failings with Police policy procedure standards training or behaviour.’ ” 
I am afraid that Dame Margaret Bazley found the opposite when she stated: “In my view police management lacks the policies procedures and practices necessary for effectively dealing with such misconduct and for removing the officers concerned.” She went on in her report to make this statement: “The good work done by many investigating officers particularly in the past 15 years has been placed in jeopardy by systemic flaws that need attention from both police management and Government legislators.” Yet the commissioner undid what I am sure was a genuine apology to the New Zealand public by stating further down in his press release that the report did not point to systemic failings with police policy. 
Well I tell the commissioner that it did. The report did point to systemic failures particularly relating to matters surrounding policy procedures and standards. In fact Dame Margaret is particularly concerned about this issue because she went on to say tellingly in her statement this morning—something the Minister did not mention when she related the fact that the Government will now put in place a 10-yearly audit of the Police plus an annual culture check by the State Services Commission—“… I am concerned that the police impetus for change may not be sustained once the commission is discharged.” In other words it was not the Government’s idea to put in place the State Services Commission’s annual culture review or the Audit Office’s 10-year watchdog role. Dame Margaret says in her comments that she is “concerned that the police impetus for change may not be sustained once the commission is discharged.” We need to take this matter seriously because Dame Margaret is a fearless public servant and in this House we do her no good unless we honestly repeat her statements as they are written down. The report makes it clear that there are long-term concerns. 
We are looking forward to hearing from the Minister of Justice on the Police Complaints Authority matter because Justice Lowell Goddard who is in National’s view a fine appointment to the job of Police Complaints Authority—in fact she is the Authority—has started the process of strengthening the independence of that office. National waits with interest to see how that will be reinforced by the Government. She is in our view doing a good job on that front. 
This report states that the culture that existed in the Police was unacceptable to the public and those who wish to make complaints to the police from time to time but it goes on to state in Dame Margaret’s straightforward way that she does not trust these matters to be implemented without continuing audit and review processes. That should concern those members of the police who believed a substantial document that sets out all the positive things the commentary said about the New Zealand Police which was released this morning. That was very quickly put up on the Police website today. It is titled “Positive commentary about NZ Police and the Commission of Inquiry report” and lists various quotes that say positive things about the police—which is to be encouraged. But it would have been nice if Dame Margaret had been able to say that upon the findings of her inquiry she had an absolute gut feeling and total confidence that no further audit or follow-up would be needed. 
Hon Georgina te Heuheu 
: She didn’t. 
SIMON POWER 
: She did not say that. It was odd and concerning to National that the Commissioner of Police after his apology—which was well intentioned and well meant I am sure—actually said that Dame Margaret did not find systemic failure whereas Dame Margaret herself makes it absolutely crystal clear on at least two occasions in her commentary and media release that she did find systemic failure. 
Now begins the job of rebuilding—not only for this Government but no doubt for the next Government as well. We welcome that opportunity to restore the public’s confidence in the police to the level that it should be—100 percent. But this thunderbolt from Dame Margaret today will make all of us realise this is a big job. This is a huge job. Let us not underestimate it and think that one snap debate today is the end of the matter politically because it is not. The audit function and review will continue and will be monitored by National both in Opposition and in Government because the people and in particular the women of New Zealand deserve better.