Police criticised for initially resisting criminal investigation into the case
A New Zealand Police recruit has resigned following allegations of sexual harassment against a fellow trainee, with the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) criticising the force's initial reluctance to pursue a criminal investigation.
The incident, which occurred late at night in a parked vehicle on a public road in the greater Wellington area, involved allegations that the recruit asked another recruit unsolicited sexual questions before exposing himself and showing pornographic material on his phone.
The IPCA, which oversees complaints against New Zealand Police, published a summary of its oversight of the case on 7 May.
A slow path to criminal inquiry
The New Zealand Police initially handled the matter as an employment issue rather than launching a criminal investigation, which the IPCA said it resisted.
The authority formally asked Police to reconsider, arguing the alleged conduct pointed to a possible criminal offence.
But Police did not act on the IPCA's request initially and proceeded with an employment process that found the recruit guilty of serious misconduct.
"The Authority wrote to Police stating that while we agreed with their finding and outcome for the employment process, we did not agree with the decision not to undertake a criminal investigation," the IPCA said in its published summary of the case.
Police eventually self-initiated a criminal investigation. That inquiry, which was overseen by the IPCA, concluded there was insufficient evidence to establish a criminal offence – a finding the Authority said it agreed with.
A second complainant emerges
During the criminal investigation, Police identified a second alleged victim, who claimed the same recruit had shown them pornographic material in a separate incident.
That allegation was also investigated and similarly found to lack sufficient evidence of criminal wrongdoing.
Police then launched a second employment process relating to the additional complaint. But before its conclusion, the recruit resigned from the force. Police completed the process regardless and did not uphold the further allegations.
Oversight process undermined
The IPCA highlighted a procedural failure by Police in its published summary, noting that it was only informed of the final outcome after Police had already concluded matters with the recruit.
"Contrary to agreed process, Police only informed the Authority of the outcome after Police finalised matters with the recruit," IPCA said in the published summary.
"We were therefore not provided with an opportunity to provide feedback on the proposed Police finding."
The Authority did not indicate whether it would take further action regarding the procedural lapse.
