Good police stained by Tamihere allegations

Last week’s front page feature “I made it all up” will increase the already widening alarm prompted by similar cases. According to journalist Mike White’s report, the arresting detective in the David Tamihere case allegedly confessed to Sir Bob Jones that “I nailed him by making up all the evidence, but I’m telling you, the bastard did it”.

Among those working in the justice system such activity is often described as “noble cause corruption”. It is of course corrupt but as for “noble cause” – what claptrap. “Noble cause corruption” is using unethical or illegal methods to achieve a targeted result and is based on a belief that any means are justified by the ends, even if both the law and all moral principles are violated in the process.

In other words, it is a definition which identifies those who believe it is alright to lie if you believe your own rhetoric. Or if you think deliberate deceit is justified to achieve a predetermined goal.

As has been demonstrated again by the Tamihere case, when the accumulation of evidence is not sufficiently solid to convince a jury, there has been a tendency to recruit “jailhouse snitches” to strengthen the case. While their criminal records usually describe them as inveterate liars, miraculously they become honest and credible when what they say coincides with what investigators want to believe.

Predetermination of the guilt of a suspect is often the catalyst for noble cause corruption. Convinced they know who the offender is, investigators tend to overlook or ignore all contradictory information and only address the evidence which supports their view.

As a serving police officer for many years, I found the majority of my colleagues were honourable. But sadly there is a small group within the force whose behaviour continues to affect the credibility of the majority.

The destruction inflicted on innocent people’s lives when investigators get it wrong has been demonstrated by the horrific consequences of the arrest and incarceration of Alan Hall who spent 19 years in jail for an offence in which he had no involvement. And Hall was only one of many victims of this flawed investigation.

As well as his own close relatives, there was also the murder victim’s family, and while Hall was languishing in prison the actual perpetrator of this terrible crime remained free to continue committing similar acts. We will never know what they got away with or how many others became their victims.

As a result of another similarly flawed investigation Teina Pora also languished in jail for an offence he never committed, while the real perpetrator was still out wreaking further havoc and destroying the lives of many more innocent victims.

While serving in the police my standard approach to investigating offences was guided by the wisdom of the old saying “to assume makes an ass of you and me”, as well as the importance of being constantly curious about all aspects of a case, asking thorough questions, and avoiding the inherent dangers of predetermining the result of my inquiries. It’s a mindset that extends beyond policing.

In a world becoming increasingly dominated by social media, with all its disinformation, misinformation, aspirational goals, and ideology supported by manipulative and selective marketing and communications, our decision makers must stop assuming, become more curious, and not reach predetermined outcomes before considering all the evidence and listening to both sides of the story.

Sadly there is a small group within the force whose behaviour continues to affect the credibility of the majority.