Tasker said he wrote a letter informing Prime Minister and Minister of Police Jim Marurai that he will not renew his two-year contract, citing “personal and family reasons.”
Speaking to Cook Islands News, he said his decision had nothing to do with Friday’s public incident where he got into a heated argument with a staff member of the Ministry of Finance and Economic-Management.
Tasker was reacting to the arbitrary slashing of monthly police bulk funding, and it was not an altercation over instant traffic fines as Radio New Zealand incorrectly reported
Tasker arrived in Rarotonga with his family in June 2007.
He replaced Pira Wichman and was appointed with funding support from the New Zealand government to improve the efficiency of the Cook Islands police force.
This followed the in-depth Robinson Review which exposed weaknesses and problems with the police department.
Tasker’s last day as commissioner will be on March 17.
