'Dark-humoured' comments not intended to offend, say police

Pieter Roozendaal

Senior police believe the sort of "dark-humoured" comments which led a colleague to quit an inquiry into police conduct, are probably repeated every day around the country.

Pieter Roozendaal, a 28-year police veteran, yesterday quit the inquiry into what a judge called a "sick" police culture in South Auckland after a trial which found Senior Sergeant Anthony Solomona guilty of assault.

Solomona has yet to be sentenced.

Mr Roozendaal quit the inquiry after revelations he was investigated and exonerated for jokingly asking a prisoner in the 1980s if he had "had his beating yet".

A senior policeman, who would not be named, said today much was said every day by police under stress which was intended to lighten the mood for both police and others and was not intended to offend or hurt.

The officer would not comment on Mr Roozendaal but said many "dark-humoured comments" were made by police under stress throughout the country.

"They are not meant to take out people's personal tragedy. They are just a way in which you put your own shields up to cope with the things you do.

"But my God if some of those come back to bite you, which you use as a form of protection, it makes you think, my God where is the world going to."

The officer said it was a comment made in fun and in jest.

Another senior officer said throwaway comments such as Mr Roozendaal made were made every day but it was his choice to step down from the inquiry.

"He has decided to make sure he has got a clean slate and doesn't want anyone to say 'hang on a minute,' so it was not a bad thing on his part," the officer said.

Mr Roozendaal had been seconded from his complaints investigation role in the North Shore/Waitakere/Rodney district.

Police Commissioner Rob Robinson's office last night released a statement saying the incident in the 1980s involved inappropriate language.

Mr Roozendaal had accepted he had used the words which were construed as "inappropriate humour".

Mr Roozendaal asked to stand down from the South Auckland inquiry led by retired High Court judge Sir David Tompkins.

North Shore/Waitakere/Rodney district commander Superintendent Roger Carson said he had "absolute confidence" in Mr Roozendaal's role as manager of police professional standards.

- NZPA