Legal Matters

Some of you may know that the Naturist Action Group (UK) has been making significant progress on establishing a set of guidelines for police in England and Wales to use in order to correctly apply the law when responding to complaints of public nudity. These guidelines were adopted by the College of Policing (UK) into the training curriculum, but getting front-line officers and call handlers to put the guidelines into practice has been somewhat of a mission, and wrongful arrests are still happening.

Here in New Zealand our laws are very similar, but we are fortunate in that New Zealand Police very rarely make a wrong decision where genuine naturist activity is concerned. After consultation with other naturists who have served with the Police and Courts in New Zealand, it seems unlikely at this stage that we need to follow a similar campaign to NAG, but I have used their document as the basis of a similar guide that fits with New Zealand law and the requirements of the Solicitor-General's Guidelines. I will be discussing the guide with members of the police that I know to see how it fits with current practice.

It's important, both to the police and to naturists, that a consistent approach is used when responding to complaints of nudity from members of the public. Police need to know that they are not wasting their time and resources on procedures that will never succeed in court, and naturists need assurance that innocent and appropriate recreation in public spaces is legal and that they will not be subject to wrongful arrest.

You can read the police guidance aid under the AGENCIES tab on the main menu.

Feel free to offer any thoughts!

Rok