Chris Bishop - Police

20 September 2018

The State Services Commission needs to open an inquiry into how the bullying allegations levelled against Deputy Commissioner of Police Wally Haumaha were treated by three state sector agencies, National’s Police spokesperson Chris Bishop says.

“State Services Commissioner Peter Hughes wrote to me on 31 August stating that the Government Inquiry into the appointment process for a Deputy Commissioner of Police, led by Mary Scholtens QC, had confirmed that ‘it intends to investigate the allegations’ and so postponed any decision on whether to commence his own investigation.

“The inquiry this week clarified that ‘it is not investigating the truth or otherwise of the complaints against Mr Haumaha’ and that ‘the Inquiry is not concerned with whether the allegations now made had merit. That is a matter for the IPCA’.

“In light of those comments by the inquiry, it is even more urgent that Mr Hughes launch his own inquiry. There are numerous inconsistencies in the way that state sector agencies appear to regard the alleged bullying. For example, there is a factual dispute over whether any bullying took place; who actually made the allegations; and what agencies expected to happen next.

“Corrections, Justice and Police are totally at odds with each other and that is totally unacceptable. The public must have confidence that issues to do with workplace bullying will be dealt with appropriately.

“Most importantly they must have confidence that agencies will work together, not against each other, in dealing with complaints like these. On the face of it, the public cannot have that confidence, and an inquiry is therefore vital.”

ends

© Scoop Media