Police breached spirit of democracy says Clark

By VERNON SMALL deputy political editor

A senior police officer's admission that he tried to save the Government embarrassment and minimise Chinese President Jiang Zemin's exposure to protesters has drawn a sharp rebuke from Prime Minister Helen Clark.

In evidence to a select committee examining protests during Mr Jiang's state visit last year, Inspector Tom Stenhouse, the head of the Diplomatic Protection Squad, said Chinese officials said it was "a requirement" the President neither saw nor heard protesters.

He told them he would take what lawful steps he could to limit Mr Jiang's exposure to protest, but gave no guarantees.

"I decided I would try to lawfully keep protesters from approaching within view or hearing of the President. If I could not achieve that, I would consider removing the President from where the protesters could be seen or heard."

But Helen Clark rejected that role for the police.

"In a democracy people have the right of peaceful protest. That doesn't mean that they are secreted a large distance away from where their protest may be noticed."

She said the police behaved within the law, "but in terms of the spirit of a democracy and the rights of our citizens I can assure you this Government would want things handled a little bit differently."

Mr Stenhouse said the Chinese were prepared to abandon protocol to avoid protesters, but he was "sensitive to the adverse publicity that would doubtless arise from such a course of action."

Protesters allege police abused their civil rights during the visit.

A state banquet was delayed by 90 minutes until the police took action against a noisy protest in Christchurch. Protesters were pushed out of sight, buses were used to shield President Jiang and sirens drowned the sound of the protest before the President would attend.

Next day a bus and two vans were used to shield a lone schoolboy protester from Mr Jiang's sight.

Mr Stenhouse, who was in charge of operations in Wellington during Mr Jiang's visit, said he had not relayed his views to his staff.

Police actions in standing on free Tibet flags and blocking protesters were "unfortunate" and treatment of protesters outside Wellington's Park Royal Hotel was "not in the spirit of my instruction."

He said he tried to save the Government any embarrassment by running a smooth operation. "I try to avoid any embarrassment to the Government of the day, because if something goes wrong somewhere that could be a matter that influences relationships between our Government and the Government of the visitor."

But Helen Clark said that was not the role of the police.

Acting Police Commissioner Rob Robinson told the committee he accepted that in some "little snapshots" during the 10-day visit police had not struck the right balance between protesters' rights and protecting the President's dignity.

He denied any political pressure from the previous Government, but said staff had come under great pressure from Chinese officials.

Earlier Mark Prebble, the head of former Prime Minister Jenny Shipley's department, denied telling police to move protesters or use the buses as shields.

He had gesticulated to show where the Chinese wanted the buses placed, but he had not told police to move demonstrators.

His job had been to relay Chinese concerns, but police made their own decisions.

"They have to be able to make their judgment; our job was to try to persuade."