Auckland mayor Dick Hubbard says police in Auckland would lose all respect if suspended district police commander Clint Rickards is reinstated.

Despite the acquittal of Mr Rickards and former policemen Brad Shipton and Bob Schollum on kidnap and indecent assault charges, Mr Hubbard says the standard of behaviour shown by Mr Rickards is unacceptable.

"It's all about public confidence. It's hugely important that the public have confidence in the police and as far as I'm concerned the standards of behaviour of those people associated with the police have to be above those minimum standards required by law, and clearly Clint Rickards' behaviour wasn't.

"I am responsible for having a city where the citizens perceive that they are safe. As part of that, we've got to have confidence in the police and I believe that we cannot have confidence if Mr Rickards goes back in."

Mr Hubbard says although the allegations related to when Mr Rickards was a younger man, he believes patterns of behaviour were established and it is not known whether they have carried on since.

Mr Hubbard is also concerned about Mr Rickards' stated support of Schollum and Shipton, who were serving prison sentences for the rape of a woman in Mt Maunganui in the late 1980s. He says that support means Auckland women also would have no confidence in Mr Rickards whatsoever. Mr Hubbard says although he has never worked with Mr Rickards, he does not believe Aucklanders would benefit from his return.

Police National Headquarters say there are employment issues to resolve before any decision can be made on Mr Rickards' future.

Mr Rickards will be making no comment on Dick Hubbard's statement. His lawyer John Haigh QC says Mr Rickards is not prepared to talk to anyone at the moment as he awaits a police commission decision on whether he can return to work.