A priority of the Conservative Party is for a Royal Commission of Inquiry – to examine and rectify failings which emerge within the NZ Police. A decline in confidence, trust and respect for the police across New Zealand, has been a noticeable trend over recent years.
Failed performances by police include the period of escalating shop facility armed robberies and Ram Raids resulting in serious injury and on occasions death of shop workers, and a drop in serious crime scene standards as exposed in several court hearings.
Compounding these failures has been recent acknowledgment by the police administration, that over 42,000 tests relating to drink-driving incidents have been fabricated by personnel – ostensibly to meet “performance targets”.
A more serious level of fabricated evidence for indictable crime and failure of police to disclose or acknowledge wrongdoings, is traceable over several decades, to include recent high-profile cases.
A Supreme Court order in 2026 for retrial of David Tamihere, after quashing his decades-old double-murder convictions for the murders of Swedish tourists in 1989; a payout of $5 million damages and a pardon to Alan Hall released from prison after 19 years for conviction of a murder he did not commit; the legacy of fabricated ballistics evidence presented by the police to secure convictions of Arthur Thomas for the Crewe homicides 1970, to the David Bain parody, and several other cases, expose a sub-culture within the police - in need of review.
The Conservative Party aim is to compel police to address faults and to rebuild public confidence and trust in the NZ Police.
Statutory Obligations on IPCA
Where prima facie evidence of indictable crime allegations against police is established, each case must be referred to the Criminal Justice Jurisdiction, for culpability to be determined in open court – and not to be resolved in-camera by the IPCA.
Any and all deaths caused by a police action, irrespective of prima facie evidence, must be referred to the Criminal Justice Jurisdiction, for culpability to be determined in open court – and not to be resolved in-camera by the IPCA.
Statutory Protection: Names of Police Testifying in Court in International Drug Trafficking Cases
Where drug trafficking related crime includes international drug cabal involvement, the names/identity of police officers giving evidence in courtroom trails are:
- not to be published in any media; and
- not to be made known to defence counsel.
Justification for applying this protection of identity is predicated on acknowledgment that New Zealand is increasingly used as a transport hub by South American drug cartels which elevates possibility of retaliation against officers and/or their families, orchestrated by drug cabals in foreign countries.
Review of Drone Related Legislation
Due to the use of drones by criminal gangs and or parties with criminal intent ranging from transport of illegal drugs and expanding to homicidal attacks on vehicles, persons and/or their residence, Conservative Party will introduce legislation to address these and other emerging drone related dangers, to the safety and security of New Zealanders.
Presented by Ross Meurant, Senior Policy Advisor.
Helen Houghton
Conservative Party Leader
https://www.conservatives.nz/news/police-policy-announcement