Allegations by Dr Bob Moodie implying that a "whistle blowing" police officer was turned on and has consequently been off work for 12 months are totally inaccurate, said Mr Wayne Annan, General Manager of Human Resources.
The situation is as follows:
"A Senior Sergeant in the Bay of Plenty issued a traffic ticket against a Detective Sergeant for having an unregistered and unwarranted vehicle.
"The Detective Sergeant believed the ticket was technically defective. Discussion took place between the Area Commander and the Detective Sergeant. A fresh ticket for the same offence was issued to correct the deficiency and the Detective Sergeant paid the fine.
"Separate to the above there were restructuring issues at the particular station.
The Senior Sergeant concerned felt aggrieved through the restructuring process. This led to the officer taking sick leave.
Police management have been in active negotiations with him since concerning a return to work.
"We continue to explore solutions with him," said Mr Annan
It is an employment matter and like many other such matters there are sensitivities around the issue and it would be inappropriate to litigate the rights and wrongs through the media. It is, nevertheless, quite wrong to characterise this employment case as a "whistle blowing" type issue."