Media Release - Commission Statement
The Commission received some months ago an anonymous complaint about the promotion by the Commissioner of Police of certain officers to the rank of Superintendent. A number of assertions, of which the complainant had no personal knowledge, were said to indicate that the decisions to appoint were affected by personal bias. These assertions and the claim of personal bias have become widespread rumours, negatively impacting on the reputation of the Commissioner of Police and the officers involved, as well as the integrity of the promotions system.
Accordingly, the Commission decided that an investigation should be conducted of the promotions in question to determine whether they were affected by misconduct or the decisions to make the appointments were unlawful or unreasonable within the definition of “maladministration” in s 11 of the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission Act 2016.
The relevant documentation was examined and coercive private examinations of relevant witnesses undertaken jointly by the Chief Commissioner and the Commissioner for Integrity, given the rank of the officers involved and the seriousness of the complaint. It was concluded that no misconduct was involved either in the recommendations made by the Promotions Committee as to the promotions of the Superintendents or the appointments made by the Commissioner, nor were they affected by any conduct that was unlawful or unreasonable.
This information release has been made as a response to the unfair and destructive rumours that prompted the Commission’s investigation and to assure the public that the promotions of the Superintendents in question were undertaken in accordance with rigorous standards of propriety.