Kia ora Tātou,

As you will be aware, yesterday the report from the Independent Police Complaints Authority (IPCA) into the way in which Police handled the ‘Roastbusters’ investigation was released. The report has identified a number of significant deficiencies in the way in which Police conducted their investigation. You can read the full report here.

WAVES Trust are concerned about the following issues highlighted in the report:

Poor documentation and adherence to Police protocols and procedures

The quality and accuracy of information collected across several of the cases was poor. The failure to accurately identify and record the correct information about the alleged perpetrators (including their names) in the initial complaints meant that when subsequent complaints were made about the same individuals there were no links made between cases, and the serial nature of the offending was missed. This in turn failed to protect further young women from becoming victims.

Failure of Police to understand and uphold laws regarding consent

Police demonstrated poor understanding of the laws around consent. In particular, the role of alcohol consumption on the ability of the young women’s ability to consent to sexual activity was not given sufficient attention by investigating officers. The report states that:

Material on these Police files reveals that the reported level of intoxication and the state of consciousness of the young women due to their alcohol consumption, and how this impacted on their capacity to consent, was an issue that was never adequately followed up by the officers. In some instances, it is apparent from the Authority’s interviews with the officers and from the files that it was not even considered (IPCA, 2015:22).

Furthermore, the laws governing sexual conduct with persons under the age of sixteen meant that Police did not actually need to establish whether consent had been given by the victims in order to lay charges. It is clear in the report that there was no dispute as to whether sexual activity had taken place, the young men were aware that the girls involved were under the age of sixteen and that this was therefore illegal.

Failure to hold the boys accountable for their offending

Perhaps the most upsetting outcome of the above failings from the perspective of both the victims and the wider community is the complete failure to hold the young men involved accountable for their behaviour and the harm this has caused to the victims. Outside of prosecution there were a number of actions that Police (and CYF) could have undertaken to prevent further victimisation. These include initiating Family Group Conferences (FGC) with the boys and their parents, referring the boys to specialist services for harmful sexual behaviour, issuing formal written warnings to the boys or even adequately informing the parents of those boys about the nature and extent of their offending.

Where to from here?

It is clear from the IPCA report that there are some significant areas in which Police failed to do their jobs and that this failure has led to further victimisation of young women. However, it is also clear that given the complex nature of these cases Police should not be expected to respond to these issues without the support of other agencies and the wider community. We all have a role to play in challenging harmful attitudes and beliefs about women, and in ensuring that we all have robust policies and procedures in the work that we undertake in the family violence and sexual violence sectors. Police need to recognise the value and expertise that community can offer in this space, and that by working together with community, there is a much better likelihood that next time the dots will get connected.

Nga mihi nui ki a koutou katoa,
Charlotte & the team at WAVES

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