‘Bozo’ left victim’s details on car dashboard
An internal investigation is under way after a file containing the name and personal details of a sexual assault victim was on the dashboard of a police car.
The photo was emailed to the Herald by a concerned reader who spotted it on Monday night.
“The photos below show a detective vehicle which was parked outside [Countdown] Quay St on Monday evening,” the reader said.
“Clearly visible on the dash of the vehicle were confidential files which clearly show a victim’s name and address.
“This is disgraceful and I encourage you to bring this to the public’s attention.”
The victim’s full name, address, age, date of birth and case number were visible on the front page of the report. No other pages could be seen.
But the front page also reveals the time, date and location of the alleged assault and that the victim made the initial complaint to a woman working at the public counter of the Auckland City Police station. The file was then assigned to a senior detective.
The Herald has chosen not to name either staff member as it is unclear who exactly was in possession of the file or left it on the dashboard.
Under New Zealand law every victim of sexual assault has auto- matic and permanent name suppression. Unless they chose to waive that statutory right by applying to the court to have their name published, they can never be identified. Auckland City District Commander Superintendent Karyn Malthus confirmed the incident was under investigation after inquiries by the Herald yesterday. “Police are making immediate inquiries into this apparent privacy breach where a file has been left visible in a police car,” she said. “Police are taking this matter very seriously.
“We have spoken with the victim this evening to apologise and will ensure that she is supported.”
Malthus said police accepted this kind of error was “unacceptable”.
Police Minister Paula Bennett was aware of the incident but could not comment in detail.
Victim advocate Ruth Money, who works with many people who have been subjected to sexual abuse, was outraged when told about the incident. “We all work so hard in this space to ensure victims are at the centre of all that we do,” she said.
“Victims are why we all do what we do, and then some complete bozo who clearly hasn’t got their brain engaged leaves a file visible like that — is it any wonder advocates like me struggle to get victims to trust that they are safe and in the centre of all processes?”