sandee292000
04-01-2004, 04:09 AM
Penis prank no bar to new job
01 April 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/inl/images/null.gifBy YVONNE MARTIN
A member of the notorious prison "goon squad" who put his penis on a bar top and let his boss hit it with a bottle has been appointed a sexual harassment officer.
During social drinks at the Kirwee Tavern, Alistair Thompson placed his penis on the bar and allowed second-in-command, Doug Smith, to hit it with a beer bottle.
Thompson later denied at an Employment Court hearing that his bizarre act reflected the squad's macho culture. He did not complain to the police or any other authority about the incident.
The squad, scrapped in June 2000 amid complaints from officers and inmates, is the subject of a State Services Commission inquiry.
Now fellow officers are bristling that Thompson has been chosen as a staff member they can turn to for help if they are suffering harassment at work or being hit on by inmates.
One officer said: "If putting your penis on the bar and allowing the boss to hit it is not sexual harassment, then I don't know what is. It makes a mockery of the whole thing. It is like an April Fool's joke."
Thompson said strict prison policy prevented him from talking to the media.
Advertising posters hung on prison noticeboards list him among 12 Canterbury staff (seven men, five women) who officers can contact for help and support.
"They are trained in how to deal with complaints of harassment and relationships with inmates," it says.
"We are working in an environment like no other and while it brings its rewards, it also leaves us open to criticism. It is important that we are all beyond reproach in our dealings with each other and with the inmates."
New Zealand First spokesman on corrections Ron Mark seriously questioned Thompson's suitability for the role.
"But then nothing surprises me any more when it comes to the Corrections Department," he said.
The department did not answer questions about Thompson, now a senior corrections officer working in Paparua Prison's youth unit.
However, South Island prisons regional manager Paul Monk said harassment team members were screened and approved by prison management.
It was an unpaid position on top of ordinary work duties and comprehensive training was given.
"The initiative is working very well and feedback from staff has been extremely positive," Monk said.
Howard League for Penal Reform secretary Kathy Dunstall said the team was presumably a first port of call and complaints would be properly investigated by trained staff.
Doug Smith argued in a complaint to the Broadcasting Standards Authority last year that Thompson had not been ordered to show his penis. He said he had "tapped" Thompson's member with a bottle, rather than hit it, and told him to "put it away".
01 April 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/inl/images/null.gifBy YVONNE MARTIN
A member of the notorious prison "goon squad" who put his penis on a bar top and let his boss hit it with a bottle has been appointed a sexual harassment officer.
During social drinks at the Kirwee Tavern, Alistair Thompson placed his penis on the bar and allowed second-in-command, Doug Smith, to hit it with a beer bottle.
Thompson later denied at an Employment Court hearing that his bizarre act reflected the squad's macho culture. He did not complain to the police or any other authority about the incident.
The squad, scrapped in June 2000 amid complaints from officers and inmates, is the subject of a State Services Commission inquiry.
Now fellow officers are bristling that Thompson has been chosen as a staff member they can turn to for help if they are suffering harassment at work or being hit on by inmates.
One officer said: "If putting your penis on the bar and allowing the boss to hit it is not sexual harassment, then I don't know what is. It makes a mockery of the whole thing. It is like an April Fool's joke."
Thompson said strict prison policy prevented him from talking to the media.
Advertising posters hung on prison noticeboards list him among 12 Canterbury staff (seven men, five women) who officers can contact for help and support.
"They are trained in how to deal with complaints of harassment and relationships with inmates," it says.
"We are working in an environment like no other and while it brings its rewards, it also leaves us open to criticism. It is important that we are all beyond reproach in our dealings with each other and with the inmates."
New Zealand First spokesman on corrections Ron Mark seriously questioned Thompson's suitability for the role.
"But then nothing surprises me any more when it comes to the Corrections Department," he said.
The department did not answer questions about Thompson, now a senior corrections officer working in Paparua Prison's youth unit.
However, South Island prisons regional manager Paul Monk said harassment team members were screened and approved by prison management.
It was an unpaid position on top of ordinary work duties and comprehensive training was given.
"The initiative is working very well and feedback from staff has been extremely positive," Monk said.
Howard League for Penal Reform secretary Kathy Dunstall said the team was presumably a first port of call and complaints would be properly investigated by trained staff.
Doug Smith argued in a complaint to the Broadcasting Standards Authority last year that Thompson had not been ordered to show his penis. He said he had "tapped" Thompson's member with a bottle, rather than hit it, and told him to "put it away".