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| NEWS > 16 September 2006 |
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Members of Lithuanian police f
Officers of Lithuania’s Criminal Police Office detained the commander and the deputy commander of Financial Crimes Investigation Department of the Kaunas City Police Commissariat. The detentions took place during operations in the second largest city of Lithuania on Wednesday.
According to Police Commissioner General Vytautas Grigaravicius, the officials detained are suspected in misusing their posts, and hence they were detained by a subdivision of Criminal Police Office that fights police corruption. Grigaravicius said that the activities of the officials were under observation for sev... Read more
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 Article sourced from
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The Dominion Post
16 September 2006
This article appeared in the above title/site.
To view it in its entirity click this link.
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Family blames police 'bullies'
The family of a rookie policewoman who took her life after she was sexually harassed and demeaned by colleagues are demanding police accept a "bullying" culture was to blame.
Serena Holroyd's relatives have spent more than a decade fighting for an admission that working conditions in the force were responsible for her death.
Ms Holroyd, 33, a probationary constable, was found dead in 1996 two days after mediation with her bosses, which she expected to address her concerns about her treatment at several South Auckland police stations. Instead she was told she would remain working in the area for another six months.
Her family say she entered the force as a confident, happy person, but within three years was distressed enough to take her life. Brother Aaron Holroyd said the family believe she was picked on because she stood up for herself and refused to bow to the macho culture at the time. "She wouldn't tolerate being abused, she just wouldn't tolerate it," he said.
The family laid a complaint with the Commission of Inquiry into Police Conduct, which was established by Prime Minister Helen Clark after the Louise Nicholas inquiry.
A report on Ms Holroyd's case has been delayed twice, and is due at the end of the month. But the family has been told it only has scope to investigate the sexual harassment complaint.
Ms Holroyd left documents relating to her employment dispute for her family to find after her death.
Her family allege:
She had made a sexual harassment complaint against a sergeant, which remained unresolved.
She faced huge pressure to conform, and was given a hard time for refusing to take part in jug drinking sessions.
She faced stressful delays in being granted her appointment as a constable.
She was overworked, and frequent supervisor changes meant she had little support or feedback.
Police originally conducted two internal investigations into Ms Holroyd's death. The first found major flaws in the way police had treated her.
The first report criticised police culture and found major problems with management in South Auckland. It noted a lack of positive feedback, "constant barrellings" of junior staff, no support, especially for women, and pressure to conform.
But a second inquiry – dismissed by her family as a "whitewash" – instead criticised the dead woman and found police were not accountable for her actions.
Mr Holroyd said the second report, which his family spent four years and a legal fight to obtain, was a "muck-raking expedition", with investigators interviewing ex-boyfriends in an effort to discredit her.
The report claimed Ms Holroyd had spoken of suicide before joining the police, had regularly taken sick leave inappropriately, and made reference to "adulterous behaviour" which was not backed up in any way.
Mr Holroyd said of the second report: "It set out to destroy Serena's character and that was the objective. It was character assassination on a grand scale."
In 2003, then police commissioner Rob Robinson apologised to the family for any role her employment issues played in her death – but did not concede responsibility.
Mr Holroyd said the family still wanted a genuine apology for the way she was treated. He said an independent investigation was warranted as to why no one was held accountable.
Police headquarters human resources general manager Wayne Annan said yesterday that Ms Holroyd's death was a tragedy – but police were not prepared to accept responsibility for her death.
Ms Holroyd had faced other issues that he was not able to discuss that had influenced her decision. "Not all of those issues involved police."
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