The Lachie Jones saga, now seven years on, is a case in point.
Coroner Alexander Ho called the police’s initial investigations a shambles. He was also highly critical of the subsequent police inquiry.
The failings were such that a third is now required. If he had the power, he would direct that the "full and fresh" re-investigation be led by an experienced officer outside of Southland.
Surely, that is what will happen. It is hard enough for police, and anyone else for that matter, to investigate their own, especially if they are close to home.
Police have fallen well short in several high-profile cases. The Bain murders in Dunedin were one example. Police failings created gaps and doubts.
Teina Pora was a worse shocker. He was indisputably innocent of murder but spent 20 years in jail.
If bungling and poor policing occur even with horrendous homicides, what might happen when there is less scrutiny?
Surely, suspicion based on an open mind is crucial when confronted with any death. Surely, this is basic to police training and police instinct.
Not in Lachie’s case.
The coroner said: "There is an innate sense of improbability that a 3-and-a-half-year-old boy could, or would, run barefoot in a soiled nappy, more than 1.2km from home to a place he had ostensibly never been, including clambering over a fence with no apparent knowledge of what was on the other side, and over uncomfortable terrain."
While the coroner accepted that — despite everything — this was the most likely scenario, other possibilities could not be ruled out because of shoddy police work.
There was ample time between the final sighting and when Lachie was found for harm to befall him, by a push into the pond or a deliberate holding down.
Investigating police made no attempt to consider, investigate or work to exclude this possibility, the coroner said.
A pathologist also opted not to perform a full postmortem, despite being directed to do so by the duty coroner.
The list of police blunders is extensive and alarming. Numerous errors marred witness statements, expert input from the Criminal Investigation Branch was not sought, and standard tasks were not completed, resulting in information being irretrievably lost.
Delays in gathering statements risked memory being diluted or corrupted, officers failed to check cellphone geolocation data at the scene, there was confusion about who was in charge, and no proper scene investigation took place.
The coroner cast doubt on the reliability of the evidence of Lachie’s mother and half-brother, the last people to see Lachie alive.
But the coroner stressed there was no evidence of foul play and nothing to implicate them in Lachie’s death.
Perhaps police sloppiness is an ever-present danger, a hazard inherent in monopolies. Without competition, complacency creeps in.
Of course, only police undertake official crime investigations. Their ethos and systems must be such that they are repeatedly aware of the insidious dangers of complacency and overconfidence.
Meanwhile, public faith will be further shaken by news that large numbers of police recruits are gaining entry and graduating despite failing to pass basic tests.
The plea from us all to the police: do your job thoroughly and properly.
Please do not jump to premature conclusions. Be thoughtful and flexible yet still determined.
Lachie’s father, Paul Jones, has battled year after year on this matter. While his theories about Lachie’s death might be wrong, he was correct about police failings.
We rely on confidence in the police as upholders of the law and order that is essential for a healthy society. We depend on their professionalism and ability.
Do not let us down as badly as you let down Lachie and his father.
