DRUGS INFORMER 'PESTERED FOR SEX' BY TOP DETECTIVE

A Levin woman may sue police for the sexual misconduct
of a senior CIB officer, who she says pestered her for sex after she
became a drugs informer.

An internal police investigation found Peter Govers, former head of
Horowhenua CIB, was guilty of disgraceful conduct for forming an
inappropriate relationship with the woman, One News reported.

The single mother of two, identified only as Tania, said she had
received a formal apology from police, but was angry that Mr Govers
remained in the force.

He has been demoted to senior constable, transferred to a desk job in
Palmerston North and is not allowed to seek promotion for a year or
work as a detective for at least two years.

Tania said she was first approached to spy on a P ring in 2005, the
day her partner was sentenced to jail and just after her children had
been returned to her care.

"He said that, if I helped him, he could help me with Child Youth and
Family and get them out of the way."

Mr Govers then started asking her for sex and sent her explicit text
messages.

Central police district commander Superintendent Mark Lammas said the
complainant was "let down".

The relationship may have been consensual, but Mr Govers' conduct was
still unacceptable.

Tania said her family was "ruined" and she was considering seeking
compensation from police.

"I was never into drugs. I was a good mother and I felt that they
destroyed it."

Police Central District Commander Superintendent Mark Lammas said Mr
Govers' demotion happened well before the high-profile inquiry into
police conduct which was sparked by recent rape complaints against
police.

"I don't want the public to believe that this penalty was imposed just
in the last week or two," he told Radio New Zealand.

Some of the details of the complaint had been disputed, and Mr Govers'
penalty was only in relation to the parts of the complaint which all
parties agreed on.

It had been established that a personal relationship of some sort
developed between the two.

Clear guidelines existed to tell police sexual relationships with
informants were inappropriate, Mr Lammas said.

He said the complainant didn't want the full details of what happened
to be released, but he had said previously if those details were made
known the public would be appalled.

No criminal behaviour occurred, but Mr Govers breached his duty of
care to Tania, Mr Lammas said.

The investigation did not make a ruling on whether or not sex between
Mr Govers and Tania occurred, but Mr Govers told the inquiry it did not.

Mr Lammas said Tania was able to say whatever she liked in a public
arena, but he was still bound not to publicly discuss the details of
her private life.