In the heart of Wellington, a troubling pattern has emerged, casting a shadow over the city’s police force. The case of Paul Papadopoulos, a man fatally shot by Officer Paul Berry, reflects wider concerns about how police shootings are handled in New Zealand.

On the day of the incident, Papadopoulos was allegedly involved in a public disturbance. Officer Berry, responding to the call, fired his weapon during the encounter. Papadopoulos died at the scene. What followed was an internal police investigation that left many unanswered questions.

At the time, police officers involved in fatal shootings were permitted to view video evidence before giving statements. This practice, although no longer allowed, was standard back then and raised serious concerns. Critics argued it gave officers a chance to align their stories with footage, possibly affecting the truthfulness of their accounts.

Worse still, the investigation was handled internally. The Independent Police Conduct Authority, which oversees such cases, does not have the power to prosecute. That means police are effectively left to investigate their own—a system that many believe lacks transparency and accountability.

In Papadopoulos’s case, the language used in official police reports also drew criticism. Authorities avoided terms like “victim” or “homicide investigation,” and that choice of words appeared to downplay the seriousness of what occurred. It shaped public perception and, some say, softened the reality of a fatal police shooting.

This incident is far from unique. Several fatal encounters between the public and New Zealand police have ended in death, yet criminal charges against officers remain extremely rare. Many in the Wellington community have lost trust in the current system, calling it broken and biased.

In response, limited reforms have been made. Officers can no longer see evidence before interviews, and oversight rules have tightened. But for families and communities affected, these changes do not go far enough. Critics are demanding that the IPCA be granted real prosecutorial power. Without that, they argue, true justice is out of reach.

Independent investigations should mean exactly that—fully separate from the police, and able to hold officers accountable without fear or favour. Wellington, like the rest of the country, deserves a police force that operates with complete transparency.

The people of Wellington need more than internal reviews and carefully worded statements. They need truth. They need justice. And they need it now.