KEY POINTS:
Police are in damage-control mode over widespread public criticism of their decision to charge an Otara liquor store owner involved in a brawl outside his shop last week.
The officer in charge of the investigation, Detective Senior Sergeant Dave Pizzini, contacted two high-profile critics at the weekend -
Sensible Sentencing Trust spokesman Garth McVicar and retired detective chief inspector Rex Miller - to explain the background to the case.
The Herald put Mr Pizzini in touch with Mr Miller yesterday after the retired police officer emailed Commissioner Howard Broad criticising the police investigation.
After their conversation, Mr Miller retracted his emailed comments, saying the information should be "put before the court, not the papers".
Mr Miller said that having been informed of the full circumstances of the case, which police cannot reveal because doing so could prejudice the case, he withdrew everything in his email.
"As a result of what I've been told - which I'm not going to tell you - disregard what I've said."
Outrage followed the announcement that police had charged the store owner, Virender Singh, who has said he was protecting his shop during the incident, which left two youths hurt.
One youth suffered a swollen nose, mouth and damage to his teeth and Mr Singh and another man were stabbed during the fight last Tuesday.
Mr Miller, head of Hamilton CIB until his retirement in 2000, wrote in his email to Mr Broad and Deputy Commissioner Rob Pope on Friday night: "It is somewhat concerning that a man who is carrying out his lawful occupation is stabbed and when he defends himself and detains the offender he is arrested ... It seems that the offender is now receiving far more support than the victim."
Asked last night if he had advice for others who had been quick to judge the police, he said: "They really need to wait until the matter has been canvassed before a judicial body."
Mr McVicar, however, did not retract his comments after also speaking to Mr Pizzini.
He said in Friday's Herald: "If the public can't have confidence in the justice system and the police then we are going to see more and more of this type of thing happening. I think the police should be calling them heroes and giving them a medal."
Mr Pizzini said it was reprehensible the Herald was still revealing Mr Miller's comments - which the former top detective copied to the newspaper - even though he had withdrawn them. "It concerns me that [Mr Miller] formed his views after only seeing media reports, most of which have been grossly inaccurate."
