Claims shattering, says former Rotorua police officer

A former senior Rotorua policeman is shattered by the resurfacing of pack-rape allegations involving men he commanded.

Former senior sergeant Max Jones, who served in Rotorua for all but one year between 1985 and 2000, says he thought the subject had been put to rest many years ago.

A reopening of the police investigation and an independent inquiry have been announced after Rotorua woman Louise Nicholas said she was violated with a police baton and pack-raped by three police officers, Clint Rickards, Bob Schollum and Brad Shipton, in 1986.

All three strenuously deny the allegations.

"To my mind and memory a complete, proper and fair inquiry based on consensual sex was conducted," Mr Jones said. "I am shattered it has resurfaced. I feel for the members concerned and I also feel for the complainant in a lot of ways.

"She has obviously got a reason for what she is doing and that is her right."

Mr Jones, who has left the region, said he was saddened that the reputation of Rotorua police was being sullied by the furore.

He recalls the station being "full-on and happy" in the mid-80s, when the rape was alleged to have occurred. He agreed officers had worked hard and played hard.

"We had a lot of work. Staff used to exhaust themselves physically out on the street. There was a lot of goodwill to keep the town as clean as possible for tourism."

Rotorua had not been a station where a weak policeman, who could not cope with the stress of the job, could work.

Mr Jones described his time in the city as his best in 40 years' police service.

"I am very proud to have been part of it in those days. Rotorua was known as a no-nonsense policing city where we asked for no quarter and didn't expect any."

Rotorua had a reputation of making more arrests per head of population than any other police district, including Auckland Central.

Mr Jones said this indicated staff were working harder, yet there were very few complaints laid with the Police Complaints Authority.

But, compared with Rotorua, morale at Murupara was a different story, he said.

Murupara was a difficult station to staff and, at one stage, there was a roster of Rotorua constables who were sent there.

"It caused a hell of a lot of trouble among the street cops.

"It was a very bad bit of administration and destroyed goodwill. Some good staff went out there, but there was the odd loose cannon."

Referring to the police inquiry which saw no charges laid against the officers Mrs Nicholas claims raped her, Mr Jones said it was hard work for a policeman to investigate another policeman.

"You can make enemies within the police by investigating your own," he said.

Meanwhile, the Police Association's Rotorua branch chairman, Detective Constable Scott Thompson, said none of the police now at the Rotorua station had any connection with the rape allegations.

Mr Thompson said his colleagues felt they were being looked at "sideways" since the allegations were made public six days ago.

He said the public could have every confidence in Rotorua police officers, they were doing their best to make the city a better place to live.

- NZPA