Trade Me auction for Corrections uniform prompts police investigation
The department was still trying to establish the identity of the seller, and had referred the matter to police.
'Under Department of Corrections Policy, staff members must return all uniform items when they leave the department for safety and security reasons,' Marsh said.
'They must also return any unusable items at any stage during their employment. Unusable items will have all branding removed and destroyed.'
Uniforms could not be passed to other staff members. If uniforms were stolen or lost, staff were expected to immediately report this to their manager. And if items were suspected to have been stolen, it was reported to police.
'All staff are expected to follow our policies and if we receive any information suggesting staff are not meeting the standard required of them, we investigate and take the appropriate action,' Marsh said.
A screengrab of the Trade Me listing showed that it was being sold without a reserve and had attracted 11 bids. The pick-up address was listed on Auckland's North Shore. Another screengrab showed the seller congratulating a buyer on April 14 and arranging pick-up details.
Trade Me said it could not discuss any member's account activity for privacy reasons.
But policy and compliance manager James Ryan said that it was against Trade Me's rules to sell emergency services uniforms, including Corrections uniforms. Only items which could be legally sold were able to be listed on Trade Me, he said.
'We have a dedicated team who monitor the site constantly for things that shouldn't be there. However, with eight million listings onsite right now, we cannot vet every listing.'
Under the Corrections Act, it is an offence to pretend to be a security officer or Corrections employee.
In 2022, a notorious escape artist used a Corrections uniform to escape Rimutaka Prison.
Damon Exley, who stole the uniform off a guard, went on to rape a woman who picked him up while hitchhiking, leading to a major investigation and an apology from Corrections.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scoop
37 minutes ago
- Scoop
Prison Population Projected To Boom Over Next Decade
New Zealand's prison population is expected to increase by 36 percent over the next decade. The Ministry of Justice projects there will be 14,230 prisoners in June 2035, up from 10,488 in February 2025. The projections take into account government policies like the reinstatement of 'Three Strikes', and reforms to cap sentencing discounts and introduce more aggravating factors. Last year's report, which projected a prison population of 11,317 by June 2034, did not take into account those policies, as they had not yet been passed into law. "The new policy settings are expected to see more offenders receive prison sentences and for those sentences to be longer," said ministry sector insights general manager Rebecca Parish. The projected increase takes into account both the remand and sentenced populations. The number of those on remand is projected to increase steadily over the time period. The sentenced population is expected to increase rapidly until June 2028 and then gradually by June 2035. Those on remand have spent longer on remand, due to their cases taking longer to go through the courts, but Parish said initiatives were underway to reduce the time taken to resolve cases and the time spent in custodial remand. The ministry said it released these reports to evaluate long-term trends, and help inform investment, planning and policy decisions. Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell said he had every confidence that Corrections had the capacity and capability to safely manage short-term and long-term projections. "The government has invested significantly into our Corrections system to safely manage the increasing prison population. This includes funding for the expansion of Waikeria and Christchurch Men's prisons, and investment to enable Corrections to recruit, train, and deploy more frontline corrections officers," he said. Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said last year's projections had made it clear that once the government's law and order policies had taken effect the numbers would increase. "This simply reflects our work to restore law and order to New Zealand, which we know is working. We've given police and the courts more tools to go after gangs, we've put a stop to public funding of background reports, we've toughened up our sentencing laws, and reinstated the Three Strikes legislation," he said. "We want to see fewer people in prison, but only after we see fewer victims of violent crime. Victims are our priority." The report was done in collaboration with Corrections, Police, Crown Law and the Serious Fraud Office. Labour corrections spokesperson Tracey McLellan said building expensive mega-prisons would not fix the problem in the long-term. "If the government were serious about reducing crime and keeping communities safe, they'd be focusing on the drivers of crime and providing rehabilitation," she said. "We need a government focused on truly breaking the cycle of crime to keep our communities safe."
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Clinton man growing more than veges
A South Otago organic farmer had cannabis growing on his rural property and a safe full of guns under his bed, a court has heard. Wairuna Organics owner Shaun James McVicker, 61, was before the Gore District Court last Wednesday for possessing the guns and ammunition without a licence, and growing and possessing cannabis on his 10-acre (0.4ha) Clinton farm. The police summary said a police search warrant was executed on the semi-rural property on March 4, discovering a Winchester shotgun, a .22 calibre Norinco bolt-action rifle, a .303 Lee Enfield bolt-action rifle, a .22 cali bolt-action rifle and ammunition locked in a safe in his bedroom. The ammunition in the safe consisted of 342 .22 calibre live rounds, 72 live shotgun rounds and 20 .303 calibre live rounds. McVicker said he used the firearms to protect his certified organic produce, the summary said. Also found were five mature cannabis plants growing in soil and a glass jar containing 43.32gm of cannabis head. In court, Judge Duncan Harvey said he was unsure at first which crops the defendant said he was protecting — his vegetables or his cannabis. "After I found out a bit more about you, I now understand what you meant by that," the judge said. "You are an organic farmer, you've been growing vegetables for many, many years, and I accept that that is what you were referring to." Judge Harvey said the man's response was essentially "so what" to the cannabis. The judge also said the case was unusual as the firearms were locked in a safe, as opposed to being left strewn about the place. "He behaves as if he has a firearms licence, but unfortunately he has not." Defence counsel John Fraser said his client led a relatively reclusive life on his organic farm. McVicker said he no longer held firearms and now had other community members come to shoot the rabbits on his property. The court heard the man had health issues and was self-medicating with the cannabis, but had since got a legal prescription for the drug. "I am satisfied that your use of cannabis has been solely for your own purposes," the judge said. "There is no suggestion that you have been selling that cannabis or supplying that cannabis to anybody else." It was "quite clear" the vegetable-grower had a history of cannabis use due to his prior convictions, the judge said, but he had no previous firearms convictions. The man had letters from the the community speaking highly of his character, the judge said. "It is clear that you have done an enormous amount of good in your community, and I suspect you continue to do so," Judge Harvey said. For the possession of firearms, ammunition, cultivating and possessing the cannabis, the judge sentenced McVicker to 150 hours' community service. The judge said that so Corrections could "keep an eye on his health", the defendant was sentenced to 12 months' supervision.
Scoop
2 days ago
- Scoop
Five Years Of Keep It Real Online
Minister of Internal Affairs Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden is celebrating the fifth anniversary of Keep It Real Online, a website that helps New Zealand families navigate the digital world safely. 'I know many parents are worried about the type of content their children might come across online and are looking for practical ways to protect them. The Keep It Real Online website offers helpful guidance on how to start those important conversations with your kids, along with information on practical tools like parental controls and safety filters available through search engines and social media platforms,' says Ms van Velden. The website launched in 2020, with a campaign that went viral and attracted international attention for a campaign episode that featured fake porn stars visiting a suburban mother to inform her that her teenage son was watching porn online, and encouraging her to talk to him about how consent and relationships work in the real world. Since the launch five years ago, the website has been viewed over 1.1 million times. The most visited pages for youth focus on misinformation, pornography, and sending and receiving nude images, which highlights the real issues that young people are facing in today's digital environment. It has sections for parents, young people, and teachers, and has information available Chinese, Hindi, and Samoan as well as English and Māori. 'It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to manage any potential online harms. As much of the internet sits outside of New Zealand's jurisdiction, it's important that we equip New Zealanders with the skills and knowledge to navigate the digital world and take steps to protect their own wellbeing.' 'I'm really proud of the digital safety work that the Department has delivered in recent years and just as proud that we're continuing to update the content to stay fresh, relevant, and in tune with the challenges people are facing online today.' The Keep It Real Online website is managed by the Department of Internal Affairs and can be accessed at
