‘In the naughty corner’: Dozens of police on restricted duties

Friday, 15 August 2025

Nearly 60 police officers are on restricted duties while they are the subject of an investigation or disciplinary process, including 15 who have been on them for more than a year.

One of those 15 told Stuff it was a “stupid situation” when the organisation was “crying out for new recruits”.

One officer has been on restricted duties for more than 3.5 years.

There are nearly 60 police officers presently on ‘restricted duties’ because they are the subject of an investigation or disciplinary process, including 15 who have been on them for more than a year.

Figures obtained by Stuff under the Official Information Act reveal that as at mid-July there were 58 officers on restricted duties, which usually involve being removed from frontline responsibilities.

Of the 58 officers, three were on what was termed ‘agreed duties’, which was for lower level conduct issues where officers have volunteered to a change in work conditions during an employment process.

Police policy was that the maximum time to investigate a complaint about a police officer was 90 days, and commissioner Richard Chambers last month said he had been “concerned for some time” about how long it was taking for employment investigations to be completed.

One of the officers who had been on restricted duties for more than a year, and who didn’t want to be named, told Stuff “there seems to be a lamentably slow process in addressing the claims and allegations that result in a cop being put on restricted duties”.

The officer said they were aware of several others in “the naughty corner” who had spent tens of thousands of dollars on lawyers’ fees in bids to clear their name and return to full duties.

“It's obviously reasonable to look into any serious claims made against a police officer, be they employment or criminal matters, and that can take time, but there has to be a limit.

“Having officers on restricted duties for a year or longer seems pretty stupid to me when we're crying out for new recruits.

“Unless you've been in this position for a lengthy period of time, it's hard to understand the effect it has on you. It can wreck lives.”

Of the 58 officers, one had been on restricted duties for between 3.5 and 4 years and another for between 2.5 and 3 years.

Twenty-nine had been in the situation for up to six months and 14 for between six months and a year.

Police director integrity and conduct Detective Superintendent Kylie Schaare, said: “Police acknowledge the process can take quite some time, and how it impacts on our staff.

“However, it is also important to reiterate that allegations against staff members need to be carefully assessed, and there can often be multiple investigations happening at once (criminal and employment),” she said.

“Police acknowledge that it can be difficult and stressful for an employee who is on restricted duties, and ongoing welfare and support is always available,” Schaare said.

Officers on restricted duties were separate to those who had been suspended. As at June there were 15 officers suspended from duty on full pay, for issues including illegal behaviour on and off duty, and before even joining the force.

A police spokesman said duties that could be performed by officers on restricted duties varied depending on the allegations they were facing.

“The purpose of restricted duties is to keep the employee engaged and involved in meaningful employment, whilst reducing any risk to the welfare of the employee, or the organisation, depending on the alleged conduct that has arisen,” he said.

“Commonly this would not involve frontline duties as it will be more prudent for someone on restricted duties to be away from public-facing roles,” he said.

The length of time an officer will spend on restricted or agreed duties can depend on whether they are the subject of dual investigations (ie employment and criminal), in which case the employment process is paused while the criminal process is resolved, then resumed afterwards.