MPs grill top cop over Haumaha

As the report into high-ranking cop Wally Haumaha’s appointment looms, his boss has been forced to duck robust Parliamentary questions over the controversy.

Yesterday, Police Commissioner Mike Bush was subjected to a two-pronged attack by National Party police spokesman Chris Bishop and state services spokesman Nick Smith over the final report of a Government inquiry into Haumaha’s promotion to deputy commissioner.

The report was received by Internal Affairs Minister Tracey Martin last week but the timing of its public release is uncertain.

Bush, who was interviewed for the Haumaha inquiry but has not yet seen the unreleased report, appeared before the justice select committee, where he was grilled by Bishop and Smith over whether he knew about Haumaha’s comments during Operation Austin – the investigation of rape allegations made by Louise Nicholas.

Bishop said there was concern that any progress police had made in diversity or its criminal operations was at risk when he asked the commissioner – for a second time – if he had been aware of the comments when Haumaha was promoted.

Bush would not be drawn, saying he had addressed those matters through the inquiry, and that commenting could breach legislation around Government reviews. He also said he could not answer questions without first seeing the report.

‘‘I’m as keen as anyone to see

the result of that report. I haven’t read it, I have contributed to that inquiry, and I think in absolute respect of that I . . . answered the questions to the Government inquiry.’’

Smith pushed him, saying the question was constitutional and Parliament required answers.

Bush said he respected Smith’s view but his stance was that until he had seen the report’s findings, he was unable to answer ‘‘with any specificity.’’

Speaking outside the committee hearing, Bush said he had not been briefed on the report’s findings, and was spoken to once as part of the inquiry, then once more for clarification.

Bush said he had full confidence in Haumaha. When asked if he thought his deputy would be cleared, he reiterated that he had not seen the findings and was ‘‘as keen as anyone’’ to see them.

The police’s reputation had not been tarnished over the inquiry, with trust and confidence in the force over the past few months ‘‘quite rightly continuing to increase’’, he said.

With an Independent Police Conduct Authority probe into bullying allegations against Haumaha also ongoing, Bush said he had been fulfilling his various police roles by working ‘‘remotely’’ from home.

Bishop later said Bush’s refusal to answer questions over the inquiry had been ‘‘very concerning.’’

It was a ‘‘disgrace’’ that the commissioner had been put in that position by a Government which had been cynical in delaying the report’s release until after the select committee had finished its hearing, and on the eve of a two-week parliamentary recess, he said.

Bishop said it was very strange that Martin had been saying she could not release the report until those who had been the subject of the report, or were mentioned in it, had seen it. He understood that many of those mentioned in the report had seen it and that the report should have been released sooner.

Police Commissioner Mike Bush said he had full confidence in Wally Haumaha.