The Privacy Commissioner has also condemned police actions, saying officers unlawfully and unfairly collected personal information and harmed some of the people involved.

Police have accepted they broke the law - but maintain they "acted in order to protect life and did not intentionally break the law". Continue reading

A select committee has recommended a law change that will allow police to recover costs for "demand services" such as criminal checks be passed into law.

The committee made minor changes to the bill, including tightening the definition of "demand services" so that it was clear what police could not charge for. Continue reading

In the Archdiocese of Wellington anyone who works or volunteers for the church and will have to undergo a fresh check every three years.

Wellington archdiocese Director of Projects and Administration, Dave Mullin, said the changes were about transparency rather than any concerns about abuse within the church community.

"Obviously we are most concerned about people who work with children, young people and vulnerable adults," he said.

He said hundreds of people in the diocese had already been tested since the changes were introduced in May this year; so far, no previous convictions or other problematic behaviour had been uncovered among church staff, priests or volunteers.

If any convictions or other concerns were uncovered it would be up to individual parishes to make a decision on what response should be taken.

Source

• Stuff.co.nz
• Image: instinctivemartialarts.co.uk