Police staffer facing nearly 40 charges including rape and kidnapping

A police staffer is facing nearly 40 charges including rape, indecent assault, kidnapping and unlawful sexual connection, RNZ can reveal.The person is one of 10 facing criminal charges following investigations by the National Integrity Unit (NIU).The NIU was established in 2020, with then-Police Commissioner Mike Bush saying it had been created to "bolster police's capability in protecting against the risk of corruption and, where appropriate, investigating corruption within New Zealand Police".This week, NZ Police confirmed under the Official Information Act that as of May, there were 10 active NIU prosecutions.This includes one case involving a police staffer who is before the courts on 39 charges including three of rape, five of indecent assault, one of unlawful sexual connection and two charges of making an intimate visual recording.* Do you know more? Email sam.sherwood@rnz.co.nzThe person is also accused of kidnapping, assault and threatening to kill/do grievous bodily harm. RNZ asked Police for comment on the charges including whether the staffer was a police officer, when the alleged offending occurred and where.A police spokesperson said there were some suppression orders in place for the case."Providing any further information would likely identify the subject."Another staffer faces seven charges of assaulting a woman as well as charges of blackmail and indecent assault.The charges faced by the other staff include providing false particulars when they joined the police, accessing a computer for a dishonest purpose, firearms trafficking offences and obstructing/perverting the course of justice.One person is also charged with drug-related offending.Police Minister Mark Mitchell said in a statement to RNZ that on becoming minister, he made it clear that there was to be a "focus on standards and the application of standards which matter in a service like the police"."It is inappropriate as minister to get involved with employment cases. These are operational matters for police, and I do not expect briefings on cases.He said he expected Police to "take action" when employees did not meet the standards or values of police.RNZ earlier obtained figures under the OIA which revealed that as of May, there were about 40 staff under investigation by the unit.In the response, director of integrity and conduct Detective Superintendent Kylie Schaare said the NIU received information from a wide variety of sources, much of it often incomplete or unverified."Each piece of information is recorded as a "matter" and undergoes preliminary assessment. A matter may be progressed to a criminal investigation where it can be corroborated or expanded or, it may be closed as having no substance or insufficient merit."From January 2020 to May 2026, 117 "matters" had progressed to investigations, with no further action taken by the NIU."This generally reflects cases where there is no evidence of criminal offending or there is insufficient evidence for a prosecution."However, this does not preclude action being taken by other police work groups, such as employment investigations or preventative interventions at a district level."During the same time period, 22 prosecutions have commenced following NIU investigations.