Police officers caught moonlighting for security firms
Tuesday, 18 December 2018
Police officers were moonlighting for security firms and disclosed information to controversial spy consultants Thompson & Clark, a new report has revealed.
The police carried out an investigation into the force's interactions with external security consultants - and found around twenty officers may have breached their code of conduct.
It comes hot on the heels of a State Services Commission report which revealed a slew of damnings allegations about the cosy relations between the security firm and public servants.
The report identified 16 individuals who revealed information to Thompson & Clark - including the address of a burglary victim and relating to a graffiti investigation on behalf of the Auckland City Council and involved young people. And four cases of police officers undertaking unauthorised secondary employment with private security companies - including one who was found out when charged with assault.
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Three were dealt with through an employment process and the fourth was referred to the police professional conduct group for further investigation.
Deputy Commissioner Mike Clement said police interact with external security consultants on 'an almost daily basis'.
'This can be for a wide range of usually routine reasons, plus on occasion receiving information that may assist police in preventing or detecting offending.
'While the incidents identified in the report are of concern, I am satisfied that they are isolated cases and must be viewed in the context of the fifteen years of interactions with external security companies which are considered by the report.
'The investigation has been an important opportunity for us to take a good look at ourselves, and seek confidence that we meet the standards which the public rightly expects of us…we are not complacent, and we will carefully consider the investigation's recommendations.'
Over 50,000 documents were reviewed, electronic searches conducted on several million other documents, and 28 individuals interviewed, police said.
The report found the 'vast majority' of interactions with security firms were consistent with police policy.
There was no evidence officers tasked security firms with surveillance, nor of any 'criminal or corrupt behaviour'.
The report shows police have worked with Thompson & Clark since it was founded in 2003.
They met regularly through a group set up to manage threats to the oil and gas industry in the Taranaki region - including one 2015 meeting in Parliament's 'bunker.'
And they worked with the firm on 'Operation Concord' - a 2014 investigation into an individual threatening to contaminate milk powder with 1080 poison.
Police took over a Pike River Mine security contract from an offshoot company of Thompson & Clark.
And in 2015, police and Housing New Zealand, joined forces with Vodafone NZ and another company owned by Thompson & Clark Director Gavin Clark and former Director Nicolas Thompson. They installed cameras in 15 Housing New Zealand properties to address a growing burglary problem.
The report found that the Auckland City Council Graffiti project, which began in 2013, led to 'multiple instances of information disclosure by Police employees to Thompson & Clark that may have been inappropriate and require further consideration by Police Professional Conduct. '
Thompson & Clark co-ordinated the project - and it's contract was recently renewed with the council, the report reveals.
Police provided a number of key communications to the firm, which included an email in April 2014, a 2015 memo and a 2016 letter.
'Thompson & Clark has used these documents to engage with various Police employees from CIB, Youth Services and intelligence units, citing these documents as approval to release information,' the report said. 'Many Police employees have proceeded to release personal information, obtained from the Police National Intelligence system and other sources, largely about suspects for graffiti offending.
'A number of the suspects were young people.'
A further nine police employees disclosed information to Thompson & Clark that ' may have been inappropriate'.
These include:
- The result of a telephone trace to Gavin Clark after threats were made to a Thompson and Clark client, in 2004
- Personal and vehicle registration about an individual exhibiting suspicious behaviour near a Thompson and Clark client's premises
- Personal details of a burglary victim and suggested that Thompson and Clark may be able to help provide security services to the victim, in 2014
- Personal address and vehicle registration information to a Thompson and Clark employee about a suspect who had threatened the employee, also in 2014
- Personal information about a suspect who had threatened a client, including vehicle registration details, in 2015
- In 2017, vehicle registration information about a suspect for a burglary of a client's premises
- Information about activists was passed on in 2013 and again in 2017
- One police employee - who has resigned - shared information 'on a number of occasions' with a Thompson and Clark staffer between 2012 and 2018, including presentations containing personal information about Asset Recovery Unit (ARU) targets
The investigation also found four cases of moonlighting. In 2011, an officer carried out 'surveillance duties' for an external security consultant 'on a single occasion'.
In 2012, one officer was found to be the owner and shareholder of a commercial security alarm company.
Another was found to be working security at a public event in 2016 - that was discovered when they were charged and convicted of assault.
A serving officer also had a close relationship with Thompson & Clark, and may have undertaken paid off-duty surveillance work for the company in 2007 and 2008 and released sensitive Police information to Gavin Clark.