A senior policeman was give a plum posting to London, despite a secret report saying he acted unlawfully and totally mismanaged a complaint about the unlawful arrest of a justice of the peace.
Superintendent Gary Smith, one of several officers criticised by the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA), was appointed as police liaison officer to Britain less than a year after the findings, The Dominion Post reported today.
The wrongly arrested Tokoroa JP, Mii Teokotai, lost her job as a result of the botched police investigation. She was charged with conspiracy to commit arson but the charge was later dismissed for lack of evidence.
The newspaper said the IPCA report also criticised current Southern district commander Bob Burns and former Bay of Plenty police professional standards head Garth Bryan, since appointed to a senior job at police national headquarters.
The IPCA conducted the investigation following a string of complaints laid by former policeman Dave White about the 2005 arrest of Mrs Teokotai, his mother-in-law.
It did not make public its findings because it deemed them not of sufficient public interest.
Police headquarters said the IPCA did not recommend any disciplinary action against the officers.
Mr Smith was one of six candidates for the London role and the appointment was made by a panel of senior police who had "knowledge of Mr Smith's career background".
