There’s bad. Then there’s really bad. And then there’s truly disgusting. In the case of the cleaning company which has decided to share its work with the public, even calling its actions utterly disgraceful falls far short.
Crime Scene Cleaners has been in the news this week after RNZ revealed it had been posting graphic — if that word is strong enough — images of the most gruesome and intimate nature on social media sites for nearly two years.
The company, which makes its living from cleaning up after human tragedies, chose to show on its Facebook and Instagram accounts horrific and unauthorised photographs of the aftermath of suicides, sudden deaths, assaults and domestic violence.
On being found out, its initial reaction that it was trying to educate the public and, according to co-owner and manager Carl Loader, raise "public awareness" of important social issues, comes across as pathetic.
Mr Loader has since apologised "to anyone who has been offended", although it is unclear if this is also an apology for the behaviour that caused the offence.
Not only has the company breached trust in the integrity of its operation, but also it has gone far beyond the point of decency and potentially broken people’s right to privacy.
In our view, any company behind such egregious actions deserves the excoriation and the penalties they get.
The images posted reportedly left little to the imagination. They showed decomposing human remains, blood-spattered ceilings, pieces of bone, along with explanatory captions.
Crime Scene Cleaners has been used by the Ministry of Justice, the Christchurch and Auckland city councils, KiwiRail and Ports of Auckland. They say they never gave permission for the images to be shared publicly.
The company started posting photos of scenes on its Facebook page in April 2020, some of which have gained more than 100 reactions, along with dozens of comments and shares. It has more than 2000 Facebook followers and more than 5000 on Instagram.
Whatever was going through the minds of those who began posting these sickening images? It is possible that, revolted and frustrated by what they were having to clean up after, someone wanted to show the public what they had to deal with.
But it is also possible they wanted to big-note their work, in some weird attempt to make themselves look important.
Either way, this has not been a campaign to raise public awareness of the issues. Even if it were, it was not the right way to carry it out.
This is really a case of the moral compass being seriously adrift. Posting the images reflects a real lack of sensitivity and empathy to the deceased and shows an appalling absence of respect to both them and their families.
It is no excuse to say the photos did not contain any identifying features that might breach their privacy. There is a good chance those close to the deceased may be able to work it out anyway.
It is good news then that the Privacy Commissioner’s office wants to hear from anyone who consider their privacy has been breached and that the chief coroner is looking into whether the Coroners’ Act has been flouted.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has also condemned the company and called the public use of the images unacceptable.
Acting privacy commissioner Liz MacPherson says such events are "deeply personal" and to publicise them on social media is "inherently wrong".
We agree and think there can be no justification for what the company has done.
It has spread ghastly images for the ghouls out there to salivate over and for the rest of us to avoid like the plague.
Once seen they cannot be unseen.
