Pubdate: Wed, 09 May 2007 Source: Dominion Post, The (New Zealand) Copyright: 2007 The Dominion Post Contact: http://www.dompost.co.nz Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2550 DRUGS INFORMER 'PESTERED FOR SEX' BY TOP DETECTIVE A Levin woman may sue police for the sexual misconduct of a senior CIB officer, who she says pestered her for sex after she became a drugs informer. An internal police investigation found Peter Govers, former head of Horowhenua CIB, was guilty of disgraceful conduct for forming an inappropriate relationship with the woman, One News reported. The single mother of two, identified only as Tania, said she had received a formal apology from police, but was angry that Mr Govers remained in the force. He has been demoted to senior constable, transferred to a desk job in Palmerston North and is not allowed to seek promotion for a year or work as a detective for at least two years. Tania said she was first approached to spy on a P ring in 2005, the day her partner was sentenced to jail and just after her children had been returned to her care. "He said that, if I helped him, he could help me with Child Youth and Family and get them out of the way." Mr Govers then started asking her for sex and sent her explicit text messages. Central police district commander Superintendent Mark Lammas said the complainant was "let down". The relationship may have been consensual, but Mr Govers' conduct was still unacceptable. Tania said her family was "ruined" and she was considering seeking compensation from police. "I was never into drugs. I was a good mother and I felt that they destroyed it." Police Central District Commander Superintendent Mark Lammas said Mr Govers' demotion happened well before the high-profile inquiry into police conduct which was sparked by recent rape complaints against police. "I don't want the public to believe that this penalty was imposed just in the last week or two," he told Radio New Zealand. Some of the details of the complaint had been disputed, and Mr Govers' penalty was only in relation to the parts of the complaint which all parties agreed on. It had been established that a personal relationship of some sort developed between the two. Clear guidelines existed to tell police sexual relationships with informants were inappropriate, Mr Lammas said. He said the complainant didn't want the full details of what happened to be released, but he had said previously if those details were made known the public would be appalled. No criminal behaviour occurred, but Mr Govers breached his duty of care to Tania, Mr Lammas said. The investigation did not make a ruling on whether or not sex between Mr Govers and Tania occurred, but Mr Govers told the inquiry it did not. Mr Lammas said Tania was able to say whatever she liked in a public arena, but he was still bound not to publicly discuss the details of her private life. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek