The Authority oversaw a Police investigation into the actions of an officer when he was in charge of a criminal investigation that went to trial in Wellington. Contrary to accepted practice, he reviewed CCTV footage with a Police witness and they subsequently engaged in a text message exchange about the content of the footage.
At trial, two of the text messages were ruled admissible by the Court, however the Crown solicitor determined that the impact on the trial was negligible. Police addressed the concerning practice directly with the officer involved and the Authority considers this was an appropriate action to take.
IPCA: 19-0421