Dr Macpherson was asked to comment about Central Otago residents' perception of the police after the jailing on Tuesday of former Alexandra policeman Neil Ford for perjury, and the earlier conviction of Alexandra policewoman Dairne Cassidy on perjury-related charges.
"I don't think it'll do great damage to the way we view Central Otago police; most people will realise it's only one or two bad apples, and it shouldn't reflect on the whole police force.
"In the media today [Wednesday], people have said the investigation into this incident shouldn't stop here. Whether that's the truth of the matter, I don't know."
There appeared to be some "nagging concerns" from the public about whether all the people involved in the road accident investigation, which was at the heart of the matter, had been "held to account", Dr Macpherson said.
Ford was found guilty of lying about the accident.
He claimed a collision between his ute and a car driven by Shane Cribb in July 2005 was the fault of Mr Cribb.
Cassidy, who investigated the crash, recently pleaded guilty to charge of wilfully attempting to pervert the course of justice and will be sentenced on November 17.
"It will be a long time before people here forget about this particular incident," Dr Macpherson said.
"It makes us all a bit suspicious and more inclined to question what happens in the police force. And that need not be a bad thing, if it encourages people to be more assertive about their rights."
He praised the efforts of Steve Potter, who campaigned to clear Mr Cribb after his conviction for careless driving causing injury.
The conviction was later quashed.
Dr Macpherson had some concerns about the delay involved in "setting the record straight".
"I'd have to question whether the investigation needed to take as long as it did, especially if the evidence was openly available."
He had recently briefly discussed the case with Southern police district Superintendent Bob Burns, who assured him a thorough police investigation had been carried out.
Police Minister Judith Collins was overseas and unable to be contacted for comment.
