Top cop stays quiet over car crash case
A top cop accused of crashing a police car could lose his licence if he fails to overturn his latest driving infringement notice.
Rotorua area commander Inspector Bruce Horne is understood to have filed papers to fight his own police force in court – putting pressure on Commissioner Mike Bush to suspend him from duties.
Bush refused an interview. And Horne would say only that it was not related to speeding and he still carried a full licence. ‘‘It’s an issue between me and some other people and is not public information. I have nothing more to add,’’ he said yesterday.
It’s not clear how serious the crash was, but police have been very reticent to disclose details of the June accident. They refuse to say when it happened, where it happened, what type of driving offence he was accused of, or what other people were involved.
Sources said Horne had taken the matter to court as a last resort to keep his driver’s licence.
A police spokeswoman at the new police media centre based in Wellington said Horne was ‘‘subject to the same processes as any member of the public who receives an infringement notice’’.
‘‘Inspector Horne currently retains his driver’s licence.’’
Police refused to reveal how many police officers had been issued with infringement notices in the past year, saying that information would need to be requested under the Official Information Act.
Police Association president Greg O’Connor would not comment on Horne’s crash, but said police officers were ‘‘treated the same as everyone else’’.
‘‘It just shows there’s no immunity, whether you’re speeding in your own car or speeding in a police car,’’ he said.