Police officer suspended on full pay after allegedly tipping off drug suppliers
A New Zealand police officer has been suspended on full pay after being charged with leaking information about search warrants to drug dealers. The officer also faces charges related to drug possession and computer misuse.
Why it matters
The case highlights ongoing debates regarding police accountability and the use of taxpayer-funded suspension policies for officers facing serious criminal allegations.
A police officer has been accused of tipping off suspected drug dealers about planned police search warrants. Whanganui senior constable Peter Elliot Gray, 61, is before the court facing multiple charges, including drug possession. The court has confirmed name suppression is not in place for Gray, while police have told NZME he is suspended on full pay. According to court documents released to NZME, Gray is alleged to have unlawfully searched a restricted database and “alerted drug suppliers of planned police search warrants”. As a result, he faces charges of using a computer system for dishonest purposes, and a representative charge of wilfully attempting to pervert the course of justice between July 1 and July 16, 2025. A representative charge means he allegedly repeated the act more than once.
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