Fighting crime with the Charities Commission

Trevor Garrett, Chief Executive of the Charities Commission (left) and Deputy Commissioner Rob Pope sign the MOU. Photo: Anna Woolnough

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by Deputy Commissioner Rob Pope for Police and Trevor Garrett, Chief Executive of the Charities Commission earlier this month aims to improve the flow of information between both organisations and alert police to help detect and prevent possible criminal activity within the charities sector.

Almost 22,000 charities are registered with the Charities Commission and their details are available on the public Charities Register at www.charities.govt.nz.

On average between three and 10 people hold governance positions in each charity.

While the vast majority of charities operate within the law, a very small number do not. Illegitimate and sometimes legitimate charities may be used by criminals to launder the proceeds of criminal activity or as a cover to commit offences.

“Police and the Charities Commission have a common interest in sharing information to prevent and prosecute any abuse of the charities that do so much good in so many sectors of our society,” says Rob.

Advantages of the new agreement to police include fostering a partnership approach to dealing with suspicious financial activity, an agreed process for requesting and providing relevant information between Police and the Charities Commission and an enhanced knowledge of criminal activity within this sector.