The Corrections Department and New Zealand Police are investigating after a prison officer’s uniform was listed on online auction website Trade Me. 

The listing for a Corrections jacket has been removed from the website, with Trade Me saying it breached its policies. However, a screengrab appears to show that the item had already been sold. 

Corrections is now attempting to find out whether the seller was a current or former staff member. The department has strict rules about use of its uniforms, and it is against the law to impersonate prison staff. 

Commissioner Custodial Services Leigh Marsh said the department became aware of the listing on April 9 and immediately conducted inquiries. 

The department was still trying to establish the identity of the seller, and had referred the matter to police. 

“Under Department of Corrections Policy, staff members must return all uniform items when they leave the department for safety and security reasons,” Marsh said. 

“They must also return any unusable items at any stage during their employment. Unusable items will have all branding removed and destroyed.” 

Uniforms could not be passed to other staff members. If uniforms were stolen or lost, staff were expected to immediately report this to their manager. And if items were suspected to have been stolen, it was reported to police. 

“All staff are expected to follow our policies and if we receive any information suggesting staff are not meeting the standard required of them, we investigate and take the appropriate action,” Marsh said. 

A screengrab of the Trade Me listing for a Corrections officer jacket, which was later removed. 

A screengrab of the Trade Me listing showed that it was being sold without a reserve and had attracted 11 bids. The pick-up address was listed on Auckland’s North Shore. Another screengrab showed the seller congratulating a buyer on April 14 and arranging pick-up details. 

Trade Me said it could not discuss any member’s account activity for privacy reasons. 

But policy and compliance manager James Ryan said that it was against Trade Me’s rules to sell emergency services uniforms, including Corrections uniforms. Only items which could be legally sold were able to be listed on Trade Me, he said. 

“We have a dedicated team who monitor the site constantly for things that shouldn’t be there. However, with eight million listings onsite right now, we cannot vet every listing.” 

Under the Corrections Act, it is an offence to pretend to be a security officer or Corrections employee. 

In 2022, a notorious escape artist used a Corrections uniform to escape Rimutaka Prison. 

Damon Exley, who stole the uniform off a guard, went on to rape a woman who picked him up while hitchhiking, leading to a major investigation and an apology from Corrections. 

Damon Exley in the High Court in Wellington in 2023. Photo / Mark Mitchell