POLICE WORKER DRUGS PROBE

A Rotorua police jailer is under investigation for allegedly passing
drugs and a mobile phone from one prisoner to another.

The Daily Post understands the female jailer was nabbed after police
set up an undercover sting in prison cells.

Bay of Plenty crime manager Detective Inspector Garth Bryan has
confirmed an investigation is under way but refused to go into any
details about how the matter came to light.

Mr Bryan said the jailer had been stood down while the police carried
out a criminal investigation as well as an employment-related investigation.

He said no decision had yet been made about whether the jailer would
be charged.

The Daily Post understands the sting was set up following concerns
about the way the jailer was doing her job.

Jailers employed by the police are non-sworn officers.

Staff in jailer or prisoner escort roles have close contact with
prisoners and limited police powers.

They wear a blue uniform that is similar to that worn by sworn police officers.

Mr Bryan was unable to say anything about the police's vetting
process concerning jailers.

If convicted, the jailer faces the loss of her job, although police
have the discretion to hire non-sworn staff members with criminal offences.

The vetting of non-sworn officers and security guards working in
police stations has been investigated recently after New Zealand
First MP Ron Mark alleged a gang member with a serious criminal
record guarded a suicidal female inmate at Wellington central police station.

At the time, Mr Mark said the case highlighted a lack of standard
procedures around the hiring and vetting of security guards and
temporary non-sworn staff.

He told the Daily Post yesterday he would be watching the Rotorua case closely.

Mr Mark, who is New Zealand First's corrections spokesman, said a
person with criminal convictions could still be employed by the
police as a non-sworn staff member if senior police were happy they
had changed their ways.

"But the consequences of a bad judgement call are severe and it
certainly undermines the credibility of the police force as a whole."

Mr Mark wondered if it was a risk worth taking or whether there
should be a blanket ban for non-sworn staff, similar to sworn
officers - if you have a conviction, you don't have a job with the police.

The Rotorua investigation is the second internal inquiry into the
city's police staff in just over five weeks.

Police are yet to resolve an internal inquiry involving the leader of
the Rotorua police dog section, Sergeant Keith Mitchell. The police
officer's silver mufti police stationwagon was found crashed into a
power pole on Pukehangi Rd on Saturday July 1. The crash happened
about 5.30am and cut power to residents' homes. The car had been
reported stolen the same day as the accident. Rotorua police area
commander Inspector Bruce Horne said this week the investigation was
continuing. Police had earlier said they were carrying out forensic
tests of the vehicle and viewing security camera footage from the
central city to try and identify the driver.