N E W Z E A L A N D p o l i c e a s s o c i a t i o n Volume 38, Number 5, June 2005 Page 92 Page 94 Page 98 Comms staff The long wait Outstanding work concerns is over – GSF of body recovery vindicated transfers a goer experts in Phuket • The Wall of Remembrance at Phuket…a poignant memorial to those who lost their lives in the tsunami that struck Asia on Boxing Day last year. See page 98 for the story of the fantastic ongoing work of NZ Police staff, who are engaged in the harrowing but incredibly rewarding work of identifying and returning victim’s bodies to their loved ones all around the world.
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Volume 38, Number 5, June 2005
Page 92 Page 94 Page 98 Comms staff The long wait Outstanding work concerns is over – GSF of body recovery vindicated transfers a goer experts in Phuket
• The Wall of Remembrance at Phuket…a poignant memorial to those who lost their lives in the tsunami that struck Asia on Boxing Day last year. See page 98 for the story of the fantastic ongoing work of NZ Police staff, who are engaged in the harrowing but incredibly rewarding work of identifying and returning victim’s bodies to their loved ones all around the world.
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■ Industrial news
Useful Information & ContactsAssociation and Police Welfare Fund: Police Network 44446 Website www.policeassn.org.nzFreephone 0800 500 122 Police Home Loans 0800 800 808Police Health Plan/Staffpac Insurance Police Credit Union 0800 429 000Quotes & information 0800 500 122 or (04) 472 9645or Fax (04) 496 6819 Credit Union www.policecu.org.nzStaffpac claims 0800 110 088 GSF information 0800 654 731All enquiries (04) 496 6800 PSS information 0800 777 243
Vice PresidentsGeoff Smith (027) 268 9417Richard Middleton (027) 268 9411Field Offi cers Northland and Auckland Districts: Stewart Mills (027) 268 9407Waikato, BOP and Eastern Districts: Eric Newman (027) 268 9408Central and Wellington Districts: JJ Taylor (027) 268 9409Tasman, Canterbury and Southern Districts: Dave McKirdy (027) 268 9410Regional DirectorsRegion One Steve Hawkins Whangaparoa (027) 268 9419Region Two Mark Leys Papatoetoe (027) 268 9413Region Three Mel Ridley Tauranga (027) 268 9414Region Four Chris Cahill Napier (027) 268 9415Region Five Stuart Mills Offi ce of Com (027) 268 9416Region Six Craig Prior Sumner (027) 268 9412Region Seven Dave Steel North Dunedin (027) 268 9418
NZ Police Association Police News is the newsletter of the New Zealand Police Association and incorporates the New Zealand Police Journal fi rst published in 1937.
Editor: Steve PlowmanJune 2005, Vol. 38, No.5ISSN 1175-9445Deadline for next issue Monday, June 13, 2005.Published by the New Zealand Police Association P.O. Box 12344, Willbank House, 57 Willis Street, Wgtn. Phone: (04) 496 6800, Facsmile: (04) 471 1309Email: [email protected]: www.policeassn.org.nzPrinted by City Print Communications, Wgtn.Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Association.COPYRIGHT: NZPA Police News must not be reproduced in part or as a whole without the formal consent of the copyright holder - the New Zealand Police Association.
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■ Sport/Entertainment
■ Columns
■ General newsTHAT REPORT
■ Welfare/Notices
A PLACE TO REMEMBER
A LABOUR FOR LOVED ONES
CONTENTS
■ Feature
103PALMY ARMY
Police Communications staff vindicated by review report .................................. 92/93GSF transfers finally approved .................................................................................94Global Retirement Trust to close .............................................................................942.5% pay rise due on 1 July ..................................................................................101
Association’s response to Operation Insight ............................................................95Australia’s National Police Memorial a step closer ....................................................96Commission of Inquiry update ................................................................................96Councils/landlords combine to put SOCOs and public at risk .................................97What the Budget had for Police ............................................................................100
Kiwis shine in aftermath of Asian Tsunami ......................................................... 98/99
From the President .................................................................................................91Keen on Wine .......................................................................................................100View from the bottom (I Am Keen) .......................................................................101Spicers Wealth Management ................................................................................102Letters to the Editor ...................................................................................... 105/107
Health Plan premiums held .....................................................................................91Changes to holiday home conditions ......................................................................94Holiday home availability ........................................................................................97Memorial wall .......................................................................................................100
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From the PresidentDoing what police officers do best…One bright spot, in a month when the Police reputation took another beating, was when Constable Craig Bennett from Dunedin stoicly recounted to the media, after bravely pulling a mother and her two children from a burning house, that he was just doing what the public expect their cops to do.
Constable Bennett’s take on things was that, despite placing himself at great risk, it was just basically another day at the office.
That’s what the public want of their cops. They love it when Detective Inspector Steve Rutherford dismisses criminals lies by saying “they’re criminals, of course they’d say that”. Police love it too, except for those who seem to believe we should be apologising publicly every time we are criticised.
The muted and even emphatic reaction of the public to the so-called ‘Email’ scandal shows that the public don’t expect their cops to be angels but that they want them to be non-brutal, incorrupt and effective.
No one believes we should be covering up errant behaviour. What we should understand is that there is a big difference between dealing with things appropriately in-house and calling press conferences to release salacious details to a scandal-hungry media.
It’s interesting that since we adopted this policy of airing all our dirty linen in public, the Police reputation has never been under so much pressure.
The poor judgement shown by those who forwarded dodgy Emails, despite all the warnings, was dwarfed by the poor judgement shown by those who decided we should publicly self-flagellate, causing damage to the Police and individual reputations way out of proportion to the alleged behaviour.
This is especially so when warnings about the Comms Centres failures continued to be ignored - failures which concern the public considerably more than errant Emails. And all this has come at a time when chronic frontline shortages, evidenced by the fact that there are just nine more general duties police now than in 2001, are also being ignored.
We are as efficient, effective and better behaved than we have ever been in my 29 years in the Police. But we are failing our primary goal of reassuring the public.
Statistics mean very little to people outside the bureaucracy. Perceptions are far more important. We have established a huge data gathering and processing industry within Police, which has been at the expense of frontline capability.
Perhaps if we had even one police officer in our PR section, we would understand that how we are perceived by crime victims and criminals is far more important than how we are perceived by the Wellington bureaucracy.
We are the coercive arm of the state and do need the capability to use physical force, however, uncomfortable some of our managers are with that. Thank God for the Constable Bennett’s of the force and the thousands like him, whose actions are worth a skyscraper full of PR boffins.
“The poor judgement shown by those who forwarded dodgy Emails, despite all the warnings, was dwarfed by the poor judgement shown by those who decided we should publicly self-fl agellate, causing damage to the Police and individual reputations way out of proportion to the alleged behaviour.”
Health Plan premiums to be held at same levelsThe directors of Police Health Plan have decided to leave premiums unchanged for the time being, after meeting last month to discuss the issue.
Claims costs will be monitored closely. If necessary, premiums will be adjusted to ensure the plan remains financially strong.
Police Health Plan introduced age-banded premiums in July 2002. This move, aligning the plan’s premium structure with other major health insurers, resulted in increases in premium costs for more elderly members. Subsequently, premiums were increased by 2.5% or 5%, dependant on a member’s age, in July 2004.
Despite increasing costs each year (expected to total as much as $13.75m this year compared to $11.585m in the year ending July 2003) PHP has been able to record a reasonable profit. All the Plan profits are retained as dedicated Health Plan reserves, and this financial strength has enabled the
directors to have the confidence to leave the premiums unchanged.
Streamlined plan typesA key factor in the Health Plan’s success has been in retaining three streamlined plan types (Surgical Only, Basic and Comprehensive) and not having a variety of options and rebates. Overheads have remained at or about $500,000 each year for several years now, representing about 3.3% of revenue, compared to most other insurers who have ratios at least twice that of PHP.
While PHP, with its specific claims limits, may not necessarily meet 100 per cent of all members’ claim costs, it does meet a high majority of these costs. Ultimately, claims costs can only be sourced from subscriptions revenue. Increasing the various limits can only be funded by way of increased premiums.
While the Health Plan is confident it can hold the premiums for a further 12 months this will be dependent on the
level of claims costs as the new financial year progresses. Therefore, claims will be closely monitored and premiums will be reviewed and an increase implemented if the financial strength of the plan is compromised.
Chairman of the Police Health Plan, Greg O’Connor, said that the decision not to increase premiums was “a good one in the circumstances” in the interests of holding costs for members.
Have you moved recently?If you have or perhaps you’re about to, please let us know so we can update your records. You can do this by:
You need to let us know your membership number, new address and if you’re a serving member - your new station.
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Police Communications Centre staff vindicated by Independent External Review panel’s reportBy Steve Plowman, Editor, Police NewsThe recently released Independent External Review of Police Communications Centres report has vindicated Comms staff, who blew the whistle about under-resourcing in the centres, associated high stress levels and the risks these issues posed to both frontline staff and the public.
Carried out by three independent reviewers – Chief Superintendent Michael Corboy (NSW Police), Acting Deputy Emory Gilbert (Toronto Police Service) and Superintendent Ruth Purdie (North Wales Police), the scathing report makes 61 recommendations.
The Police Association has consistently said that the centres were operating on the goodwill, dedication and competence of staff. The report acknowledged what it termed “the dedication of the CCSC management and staff to the work they do, and their desire to improve their performance”. The report complimented NZ Police on what it termed “world-class” communications technology. However, it couched this praise by saying that the technology was not being “fully exploited”.
The review came on the back of concerns raised about the 111 system’s capabilities following the disappearance of Auckland woman Iraena Asher and the vicious home invasion attack on Te Puke farmer Peter Bentley.
Inadequate level of serviceThe panel’s report said that the CCSC was not providing an adequate level of service and that key internal and external stakeholders had lost confidence in the CCSC’s ability to effectively and efficiently respond to emergencies.
The panel said it is “very concerned” about the potential risks to the safety of the public. It said that unless “urgent changes” were made as to how the CCSC operates, further incidents “will occur with the attendant risk of further erosion of public confidence in the 111 system, and the New Zealand Police.”
The report said that NZ Police “lacks a communications or contact strategy to underpin the integration of communications and the CCSC with the policing strategy, district operations, crime and crash intelligence, public liaison and integration with other government departments who have emergency management/response roles”.
It was also critical of what it called a “lack of understanding” throughout the New Zealand Police, and “disturbingly within the CCSC”, on what the purpose and business of the CCSC is. The panel felt there was a lack on “buy-in” by districts that could be detrimental to the progress of the CCSC.
The report, in a no-holds-barred reference
to governance (sponsorship, strategy and direction) of communications and the CCSC, called it “deficient” and said it needed “urgent attention from strategic and operational perspectives”.
What the panel saidThe report also said:
• That Police needed to shift from the view that the CCSC is a call centre and see it primarily as a command centre;
• That the organisational structure of the
introduction of a Networked Automatic Call Distributor (NACD) to cease the occurrence of ‘bounced’ calls.
• Radio dispatch channel management needs improvement. Despite Police having many spare channels for use, the CCSC retains the same number of channels. Some channels e.g. Auckland 1, have high levels of radio traffic, which can compromise frontline staff safety and reduce response times.
• Channel linking is another practice, which is not recommended except under certain limited circumstances and should not occur during multiple incident scenarios or very active/high volume operational periods.
• Clear evidence that available units within districts are either not logging on or not making themselves available for jobs.
• Call taking behaviour by communicators needs significant improvement. These could be achieved through training, supervision and structured call taking. (Editor’s note: Staff have previously raised concerns about these issues).
• Staff capability is under-utilised currently through having separate call taker (communicator) and dispatch roles, which limits flexible resourcing during high workload situations, and limits career opportunities within the Centres. Recruitment is focused solely on call taking rather than incorporating dispatch competencies and a recent preference for part-time recruits was making rostering difficult.
• Locally-developed rostering systems, which do not optimally match staff with call demand cycles despite the best efforts of the Centre Workforce Co-ordinators, and a lack of a comprehensive training programme and failure to maintain performance standards.
• Historically high rates of absenteeism for sick leave, very little on the job training, supervision and mentoring, particularly for sworn members and a lack of debriefing following critical incidents, with attendant risks of stress, fatigue and illness.
• A reluctance of sworn staff to work in the CCSC and the lack of a career structure for both sworn and non-sworn staff.
• Evidence of a “blame culture” and absence of positive reinforcement or a recognition programme.
• The NMG (National Manager Group) structure is “all but defunct” since nine of its 18 positions are still unfilled.
• Frustration and low morale of many senior sworn staff within the CCSC leadership and management positions and a general lack of morale in CCSC.
Wide-ranging recommendationsIncluded in the report are wide-ranging
“The report comprehensively addresses staff concerns and acknowledges the
huge degree of goodwill, dedication and competence shown by staff to keep the Centres operating under what has been shown
to be extremely diffi cult circumstances.”
- Greg O’Connor.
CCSC needs to be improved so that the three centres operate in a more co-ordinated and integrated manner under a fully resourced national command and management team.
• Non-urgent calls through the ‘111’ queue into the Police CCSC are compromising ‘111’ response timeliness. There is a clear need for a non-urgent national contact number to be established. Once established, the public needs to be educated on its use of both numbers. (Editor’s note: Police have reserved the 0800 311 311 number for the purpose of establishing a non-urgent reporting line in the future.)
• An astonishing 68% of all incoming ‘111’ calls are rejected by Telecom as false or bogus calls.
• The statistical analysis of the CCSC performance lacks accuracy and does not take into account calls that Telecom presents to an alternative centre if the first Comms Centre is busy. The statistics only record calls once they are presented (accepted in a call queue) by a Comms Centre. Once presented, between 3 and 6% of calls will wait for longer than 75 seconds. After 75 seconds, the Telecom operator will manually retrieve the call and represent or ‘bounce’ the call to another Centre. The number of calls being ‘bounced’ between the Centres before being answered, and the time taken to answer these calls, is too high. Consideration needs to be given to the
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recommendations. Amongst these are:
• The establishment of a Citizen Focus Panel comprised of key public stakeholders.
• The feasibility of overcoming capacity restrictions to enable national real-time data sharing. The report said this should be explored with “immediacy”.
• The CCSC should establish its own intelligence capability and be considered part of district and national Intel data collection plans and Comms should feature more strongly as part of overall Police strategic and business planning processes, including district planning.
• Establish a rural liaison officer to provide a link with rural communities and organisations.
• Consideration should be given to the future establishment of a Single Non-Emergency Number (SNEN).
• As a matter of urgency, a National Communications Board (NCB) or similarly named group, be established. An outside mentor to the National Manager, ideally from outside of New Zealand Police, should also be appointed.
• The NCB should investigate the utility of splitting the critical incident command roles from the Communications Centre management roles.
• Consideration should be given to reducing the high staff to supervisor ratios.
• The development of an agreed internal communications strategy including staff focus groups.
• A risk assessment of the vulnerabilities of the Northern Communications Centre in a variety of scenarios should be undertaken and reviewed regularly.
• Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) technology should also be trialled in a predominately rural district before being rolled out nationally.
• A pilot programme for the use of Mobile Data Terminals (MDTs) should be initiated with the future aim of providing MDTs in all operational police vehicles nationally.
• An ergonomics consultant should be engaged to review the layout and design of each centre with the intention of providing optimal working conditions for staff.
• A Workplace Wellness Committee should operate to identify and deal with appropriate issues raised by staff.
• The CCSC should critically examine how to create more flexibility into its rostering to meet call demand forecasts.
• The CCSC should move to ‘dual role’ staff in call taking and dispatch so that staff can be moved between roles as demands change.
• A mentoring role similar to that of the Field Training Officer (FTO)
operating in districts should be established.
• Debriefings following critical incidents, or mishandled situations, need to be re-instigated and should be fully documented.
• A career structure for non-sworn staff needs to be designed following confirmation of revised organisational structure and roles.
• Time spent in Comms Centres as an observer, should become a standard element of every probationary constable’s orientation programme.
• After probation, sworn constables transferred to the CCSC should stay for a minimum of six months.
• All sworn staff applying or directed to work in the CCSC should complete a comparable assessment to non-sworn staff, and complete comparable training courses.
• Further analysis of staffing requirements should be undertaken in three and six months time as a determination of services and standards; other initiatives implemented in the meantime will affect the required staffing levels.
• The call management skills of communicators should be improved as a priority through initial and refresher training, and on the job supervision.
• More radio channels need to be allocated to metropolitan areas to ease channel loadings, particularly during critical incidents and periods of predicted high radio traffic.
• Operational planning needs to become a critical part of the CCSC business. All operational plans must have the CCSC management buy-in at some level.
• Clear business rules regarding channel linking need to be established in consultation with District Commanders and the agreed practice communicated to all staff.
• Supervisors and managers in both the CCSC and districts need to ensure all business rules surrounding night switching are understood and adhered to.
• Community group liaison by the CCSC should continue through the relevant District Liaison Officers (i.e. Iwi, Pacific or Ethnic Liaison Officers).
• Working relationships between the CCSC and emergency response agencies should be deepened.
Longstanding concerns addressedPolice Association President, Greg O’Connor said that the report articulated the “longstanding concerns enunciated by staff about Police Communications Centres.” He said the report finally recognised those concerns in a concrete form and the Association looked forward to the implementation of the review panel’s recommendations.
“The report comprehensively addresses staff concerns and acknowledges the huge degree of goodwill, dedication and competence shown by staff to keep the Centres operating under what has been shown to be extremely difficult circumstances,” Mr O’Connor said.
The Police Association, in representing Communications Centre staff, will continue to be involved in ensuring that the recommendations are implemented and any future problems addressed in a timely manner. At time of writing, the Association’s Communications Centre Reference Group was due to meet to discuss the report.
Mr O’Connor said: “The Association welcomes the extra funding being provided by Government to fix the Comms Centres. We now look forward to other equally pressing issues within Police, especially the frontline district emergency response numbers and the organised crime /’P’ problems being addressed.”
Commissioner’s responseThe Commissioner of Police, Rob Robinson, responded to the report by announcing the establishment of a National Communications Centre Advisory Board to oversee the performance and direction of Police Communications Centres. Mr John Perham has been appointed as chairman.
The government responded to the review by promising $45.5 million in funding spread over four years, to help fix the Comms problems highlighted by the review panel’s report.
But Mr Robinson contends that resourcing is only part of the solution. “The work of Communication Centres must be more closely integrated with the whole organisation and external stakeholders need to have a greater role in determining service delivery expectations and standards….”
He stated he took responsibility for the criticisms aimed at the administration and said that a number of initiatives were already being worked on to bring about the recommendations of the review panel. “Changes to our operations are flagged,” he said.
He called the review “an objective professional look at this part of our operations” and said: “Our energy now needs to be channelled into the actions required to take the Police service to the public to a higher level.”
Police Minister, George Hawkins, said that he had given an undertaking “to address whatever resource issues arose from the review” earlier this year. He said the report showed that there was “still room for improvement” and that the Government was making resources available to the Commissioner to “improve and restore the confidence of all New Zealanders in the 111 system”.
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GSF transfers approvedBy Greg Fleming, Association Industrial AdvocateOn 10 May the Statutes Amendment Bill (No 4) finally passed through Parliament, meaning that the option of voluntary cash transfers from the Police GSF Scheme to PSS will definitely occur.
At time of writing, regulations, which detail the transfer offer are being finalised. A working group is aiming to produce a package containing transfer material for circulation around mid-July.
Implementation is scheduled for 1 August 2005, however, this is subject to the regulations being finalised. Members are reminded that the transfers are only available to members of the Police GSF scheme, which was closed to new members from 1 July 1992. There are around 2100 members in this scheme.
All members seeking to transfer will be required to produce evidence that they have sought and received independent and professional financial advice. This requirement is stipulated in the regulations and is designed to ensure that members are fully aware of all the implications of their decision.
Seminars scheduled for JulyTo assist in the education process, Spicers will be conducting a series of seminars around the country during the second half of July. Their key advisors will be well briefed on the finer details of the Police superannuation environment and available to provide individual advice subsequent to the seminars.
Transfers will be subject to the following criteria: Members under 47
years of age at implementation date will have three years to decide whether to transfer. Members over 47 years will have up until age 50 or six months, whichever is the later. Members who have ceased (frozen) their GSF contributions should have their ability to transfer confirmed in the regulations. They would then be able to transfer in accordance with the above criteria.
In brief, transfer values will reflect a member’s disengagement (PERF) value and CPI adjusted for members over age 50 or who have ceased (frozen) their GSF contributions. Members over age 50 will also receive an amount in recognition of any GSF contributions made (by the member and their employer) from age 50 to date of transfer.
Members are again reminded that:
• transfers are voluntary;• the Police GSF scheme is one of the
best around with a benefit structure that most members are not fully appreciative of;
• they should keep an open mind while seeking professional and independent financial advice; and
• no Police Association representative or employee is qualified to provide financial advice. We recommend members utilise the services of Spicers (0800 ON BEAT).
The “Members only” section of the Police Association website at www.policeassn.org.nz contains further information on GSF transfers.
Changes to holiday home conditionsThe Board of Directors recently approved some changes to holiday home booking procedures, which will ensure more members will be able to access our homes on a more equitable basis.
These changes include:
• Members can book up to a maximum of 365 days for any part of a booking;
• Only two alterations can be made to booking online without referral to the Member Services Centre. This should ensure that members are not able to "slide" bookings, which precludes others from getting certain dates;
• As a general rule, members will only be able to book one home at any one site on any one night. This will ensure that members cannot book all the homes at one site, thereby disadvantaging other members. However, some lower
occupancy homes will be available at certain times of the year for members to make a multi-unit booking;
• Members will also not be able to book holiday homes at different locations for the same night. This will ensure more equitable use of homes for all members.
"As our membership grows and the number of and quality of the holiday homes grow, the pressure on our facilities increases,” Pete Hayes, Manager Welfare Services told Police News. “These changes will assist in ensuring that our holiday homes will be more available to the general membership than they currently are.”
For any queries about our holiday homes, or to make a booking please visit our website at www.policeassn.org.nz or call the Member Services Centre on 0800 500 122, or Police line 44446.
Police Superannuation:
Global RetirementTrust to closeThe Global Retirement Trust (GRT) has advised the trustees of the Police Superannuation Scheme (the Scheme) that it is more than likely it will be closing its operation on 30 September 2005. Since inception the scheme has been invested in the GRT, a non-profit trust set up in 1992 to provide superannuation schemes and superannuation investment funds for government departments.
Since the introduction of the State Sector Retirement Savings Scheme (SSRSS) the trustees of the GRT have been monitoring the GRT’s on-going viability. They have decided that to a large extent the GRT’s purpose and functions have been superseded by the SSRSS and that the opportunity for growth in membership and assets under management is severely limited. As a result they are taking the necessary steps to close the GRT secretariai operation and investment services at the close of business on 30 September 2005.
What does this mean for the Scheme?
Investment managersThrough the GRT the assets of the Scheme are currently invested with six investment managers, namely:
Limited.With the assistance of their investment consultant, Russell Investment Group, the trustees have begun exploring ways to ensure that on 1 October there is a seamless transition in the investment of the Scheme’s assets from GRT to an alternative arrangement. The options are for the trustees to establish a direct relationship with each of the investment managers or, alternately, appoint an implementation manager who will fulfil a similar function to the GRT. However, at this stage it is not envisaged there will be any fundamental changes to the underlying investment managers used by GRT.
The trustees have requested Russell Investment Group provide them with further details about each option for consideration at a quarterly meeting later this month. An update of developments will be included in the Member Newsletter issued after this meeting.
TrusteesPolice Superannuation Scheme2 May 2005
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Association’s response to Operation Insight The Association’s response to Operation Insight, the Police criminal and disciplinary inquiry into inappropriate images found on Police computers, has been focussed on three main areas. They are the:
• potential criminal liability of members who are the subject of investigations;
• disciplinary and employment impact on members who are the subject of investigations; and
• general impact on the reputation of our members and the profession.
The Association continues to provide advice and assistance to members. However, we have long recognised that the use and misuse of Email and the Internet is a real risk to our individual members and to the reputation of police officers generally.
The Association has consistently warned groups and individuals of the need for care in the use of computers. These warnings were repeated in two separate articles in Police News.
Police policyThe Police policy on the use of Email is strict and has been well publicised. As an employer, the Police are entitled to set boundaries on the behaviour of employees at work if these boundaries are clearly communicated to the employees. In addition to these internal restrictions, the penalties under the Films, Videos and Publications Classification Act for possession and dealing with objectionable images apply to members of Police as much as they do to all members of society.
Given this background, the Association had significant concerns for the criminal liability of members and for the security of individual’s employment following the announcement of the termination of Operation Insight. We were also concerned that some members had chosen to place themselves at risk despite our prior warnings.
The Association received very late notice of this operation and had limited time to formulate a response to it. The Association’s initial response was that some of the images would be directly related to members’ work and held quite legimately but others who held such information were basically irresponsible. The Association feels it is important for individuals to take responsibility for their actions in relation to this investigation - the holding and distributing of this type of material is not a hanging offence, but in the current policing climate, and coupled with the prior warnings, it was not a smart move.
The Association aims to ensure that members are treated fairly when they are under any type of scrutiny or investigation. We also aim to hold Police to a response to issues that is in proportion to the problem. To ensure that this occurred our Field Officers, Directors and staff at National Office have spent a considerable amount of time working through the issues that this investigation raised.
Our obvious concerns centred on the members that were being investigated. Unfortunately, Police would not reveal the names of those people to the Association - citing Privacy Act provisions - leaving us reliant on members making contact with us. This posed significant issues for the Association response. These issues were further complicated by a disorganised Police termination and a Police communications strategy that left most members getting their information from the media.
been working extremely hard to keep members informed abaout all aspects of the investigation and the possible ramifications for them.
The advice to members has always been to provide an explanation to Police as soon as possible if they had images for work purposes. Further to this, we advised members to take up the offer of the Alternative Resolution Process (ARP) if this was available to them. This advice was given after we engaged independent legal counsel (Susan Hughes) to examine the relevant images, policy, employment law, investigation process and the ARP itself. It is our opinion that this process provides a more than acceptable outcome for staff facing disciplinary action.
Staff facing criminal/disciplinary investigationApproximately 40 staff have been facing criminal/disciplinary investigation. Our response to this has been to initially advise these members of their rights and obligations and then to attempt to establish, as quickly as possible, whether these members are to face criminal prosecution and/or whether their jobs are in jeopardy. This has been achieved to the extent that a large proportion of these members now have a high level of certainty over the potential consequences of their actions.
There are a small number of members whose jobs are in jeopardy. These individuals have been advised to obtain independent legal advice. They have the right to apply to the Association for assistance with these legal costs. These applications will be dealt with in the same way as any other applications for legal assistance – i.e. they will be considered by the local Association committee before a final decision is made by the Board of the Association (made up of elected members).
The Board has previously indicated that legal assistance will not normally be offered for cases involving misuse of computers unless special circumstances exist. Members were told this in order to ensure that they were aware of the circumstances involving such situations. However, the Board is elected by its members, so if you believe that special consideration should be given to any application, you should make this known to your committee and Director.
The Association will continue to provide full industrial support and advice to all members regardless of the decision on legal costs. We will also do whatever we can to repair the damage to the Police reputation caused by the way this issue has been handled.
External pressureThe Police received considerable external pressure to change the timing of Operation Insight. It was due to be terminated a week later than it was. The decision to bring the date forward meant that many of the normal preparations for ending an investigation had not been completed, which caused a range of problems.
The Association believes that the Police were pressured to ‘go public’ with the investigation’s details. This then led to many of the issues that subsequently arose and the Association believes that these decisions by Police were wrong and that they have had a significantly negative effect on members and the Police as a whole. We believe strongly, that while members may have acted inappropriately, the response from Police has been completely out of proportion to members’ actions. We are continuing to work to ensure that the long-term effect of this investigation on individual members is minimised.
The Association sought and achieved improvements in the investigation process and our Field Officers and Directors have
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Australia’s National Police Memorialtakes a step closer to being realised
• Association President, Greg O’Connor (right) with Federal Justice Minister, Senator Chris Ellison, at the launch of the Police memorial design competition in Canberra recently.
Photo courtesy of the Police Federation of Australia.
A memorial to honour the lives of Australian police officers killed in the line of duty is under way.
The design competition for the National Police Memorial was launched by the Hon Senator Chris Ellison, Minister for Justice and Customs, and the Hon Judy Spence, Queensland Minister for Police and Corrective Services, who was representing other Police Ministers as current Chair of the Australasian Police Minister’s Council (APMC) in Canberra recently. All Police Association/Union Presidents attended.
Police Federation of Australia President, Peter Alexander, said: “The announcement of the design competition is a significant step in the 20-year process towards establishing a National Police Memorial.”
“The in excess of 700 police officers across Australia who have paid the ultimate sacrifice will all be honoured on this memorial,” Alexander said.
Permanent reminder of policing dangers“Those names will be a permanent reminder of the dangers police officers face on a daily basis and the ultimate sacrifice each of these has made,” Mr Alexander said.
“The truly sad part is that blank space needs to be left on the memorial for even more names in the future because we all know Australian police officers will, unfortunately, continue to die whilst protecting their communities.”
In her address, Judy Spence said: “This memorial will provide a national focus for those affected by this ultimate sacrifice. It will be a unique place to remind Australians of the work the police do every day to ensure we are able to live in such a safe, prosperous and free society.”
The Memorial will be constructed in Kings Park, Canberra immediately behind the National Carillion.
Funding for the $2.4 million construction will be shared three ways -
• $800,000 from the Federal Government.
• $800,000 from the State and Territory Governments.
• $800,000 from police officers through the Police Federation of Australia.
In an effort to raise the $800,000 required by Police Associations/Unions across Australia, a National Police Memorial Fund has been granted Tax Concession Charity status. Donations of $2 and above will be tax deductible.
Footnote: The NZ Police Association is working with NZ Police in establishing an appropriate memorial at a new site at the Royal New Zealand Police College.
Missing the point?The NZ Herald recently reported that Thames Valley Police (England) have set up a points system they say will help officers prioritise their work. The goal is for each officer to amass at least 200 points a month. They’ll get 10 points for stopping a drunk driver or arresting a rapist. Pulling someone over for not wearing a seat belt or talking on a phone while driving must be half as important, because that will get five points. And catching a shoplifter brings just two points.
Commission of Inquiry updateThe Government has issued new instructions that will limit the scope of the Commission of Inquiry into Police Conduct.
Under the new directions, Justice Robertson has been removed from his position as the Chairman of the Commission. The reason given for this removal is the demands of his other responsibilities as President of the Law Commission and as a Judge of the High Court. The removal of Justice Robertson leaves Dame Margaret Bazley as the sole member of the Commission.
The scope of the Commission has also been reduced to avoid a conflict with any ongoing criminal inquiries or court proceedings that would have been within the original Terms of Reference for the Commission. The new directions specifically prevent the Commission from examining any matter that is the subject of Police inquiry or criminal proceedings.
This change means that the Commission will not examine
any of the matters that precipitated the Government calling the inquiry.
The directions also provide for the proceedings of the Commission to take place in private when specific allegations of sexual assault are dealt with. These matters can be referred to in later public hearings that will address general issues, provided no details that may identify the complainant or alleged offender are released.
Dame Margaret has been directed to present her report to the Governor-General no later than 3 March 2006. It is expected that all evidential hearings will have to be completed by the end of 2005 in order for this to occur.
Any member who requires further information on the Commission of Inquiry should contact Simon Feltham at the Police Association’s National Office on 0800 500 122 (freephone) or (04) 4966-800.
June 2005New Zealand Police Association
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Council inaction and irresponsible landlordscombine to put SOCOs and public at risk By Steve Plowman, Editor, Police News
The inaction of some local body councils and the actions of irresponsible landlords are combining to put the safety of police officers, especially SOCO (scene of crime officers) and the public at risk from houses contaminated by meth production.
When police discover a clandestine methamphetamine lab in a residential property they ‘pink slip’ the house – indicating that the house needs to be decontaminated. Many of these properties are rented.
Methamphetamine production involves highly toxic chemicals and the cooking process can infest wall linings and furniture – making future habitation dangerous to unsuspecting tenants and visitors.
Irresponsible landlords are, in some cases, removing the Police pink stickers and either on-selling the properties quickly or re-renting them without having attempted any clean up.
Different approachesCouncils deal with the problem in different ways but nationwide there is very little consistency regarding remediation of contaminated sites. It is very much a health and safety issue but Poilice sources told Police News that the
Ministry of Health had, until recently, been “a bit slow to put their hand up”, on this issue.
Some councils have taken the initiative in what can be a very time-consuming, expensive and cumbersome job of testing/cleaning and retesting sites.
Police have had some workshops and supplied risk and awareness training for councils in some areas.
Councils have various pieces of legislation at their disposal to deal with the problem. Some of these are:
• The Health Act (1956) has various Sections relating to premises being in such a state as to be offensive or likely to be injurious to health; abatement and prohibition of any recurrence and the use of Cleansing Orders, which require the owner or occupier to clean the premises.
• The Building Act (1991), Sections 64 and 71 allow councils to issue notices to the owner or occupier of the buildings that have been deemed dangerous or unsanitary, requiring them to reduce or remove the danger within a specified time period (not less than 10 days).
also requires a landlord to provide premises in a reasonable state of cleanliness and comply with all requirements in respect of buildings, and health and safety under any enactment.
LIM reportsPolice officers have told Police News that some councils merely record the clan lab houses on their LIM (Land Information Memorandum) report.
If a future buyer does not obtain a LIM report he or she would be blissfully ignorant of the house’s former history.
In several cases recently, SOCO staff have been called to residential burglaries only to arrive at the address and recognise it as a former clan lab.
In order to try and ensure the safety of officers in future, Police are understood to be developing a ‘flag’ system for former clan lab addresses in order to alert staff of the possible safety risks involved, so that they can wear appropriate safety apparatus.
What would also help is if councils nationwide passed bylaws, which ensure compulsory decontamination of residential clan labs before they can be tenanted again.
HOLIDAY HOME AVAILABILITY – for bookings see: www.policeassn.org.nz
Kiwis shine in the Phuket sunBy Pete Hayes, Manager, Welfare ServicesAs the plane descends over Phuket Island in southern Thailand, the idyllic view gives no indication of the death and mayhem a tsunami brought to this famous holiday spot late last year.
On the 26th December 2004 a massive undersea earthquake resulted in a huge tsunami, which devastated many parts of Asia, the Indian sub-continent and Africa.
In Thailand (including Phuket), more than 5,000 people were killed by the huge wave. Many of them were foreign tourists.
New Zealand’s response was immediate. Mike Bush, (NZ Police Liaison Officer in Bangkok) and Hamish McCardle (NZ Liaison Officer in Jakarta) arrived on the scene within days with Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade personnel (MFAT) to assist and make a reconnaissance.
Over the next 48 hours, NZ police staff were dispatched to Phuket and the mainland, where it was thought New Zealanders would be most likely to have been holidaying. This group were largely members of the newly established National Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) Team and included several members from the Wellington Emergency Response Team.
Police Association involvementGreg Fleming, Industrial Advocate negotiated an agreement for members. This agreement not only included allowances etc, but a wellness programme to ensure the long-term physical and psychological health of our members. Each group was to be in Phuket for three weeks.
Police Welfare Fund Insurances also checked to see if the 20-odd Association members travelling in the affected areas had travel insurance and were safe. Through a combined effort with Police and MFAT it was soon established that all were safe and well.
The first thing that you notice when you arrive in Phuket is the heat. It is not unusual for the mercury to climb well into the high 30s and early 40s.
The first rotations of New Zealand police staff had to deal with a chaotic situation. While local police were doing their best to cope, bodies were piling up in several areas and they were
beginning to decompose rapidly in the heat.
First contingentThe first contingent arrived very shortly after the Australian Federal Police team. Both the Kiwis and the Aussies quickly set up systems to handle in excess of 4,000 bodies being brought to several mortuary sites.
For the first few weeks, the mortuaries
specialists (dentists and/or pathologists) have been working daily with the Australians at this site. Not surprisingly, they are called the ANZAC team.
In the other tunnels, teams from France, Germany, the United Kingdom and several other countries are also working hard on the harrowing work to identify bodies so they can be repatriated.
Forty-five minutes by car from the main mortuary, the Thai Government has set up the Thailand Tsunami Victim Information Centre, more commonly known as the IMC. In this facility approximately 150 police staff from around the world deal with all of the files and inquiries relating to every missing person (ante mortem, AM) and all of files relating to recovered bodies (post mortem PM). The paper war is huge. There is a minimum of two sheets required for each file for the estimated 5,000-6,000 people reported missing.
New Zealand police officers have generally held the roles of AM manager, with 50-odd staff reporting to him/her and Reconciliation Manager, who is responsible for the merging of the two files before an evidential presentation is placed before a panel of Thai experts for identification to be finalised.
NCOs important roleThese roles are generally held by New Zealand NCOs. In many instances, more senior officers from other police jurisdictions are reporting to the Kiwis. When asked why, the comment from Detective Chief Superintendent Nick Bracken (London Metropolitan Police) says it all:
“The Kiwis are excelling here, they get in, do the job, work long and hard and are punching well above their weight for the size of New Zealand. They could do this job anywhere in the world. I’d have them on my team every time.”
The first New Zealanders on the scene were involved in dealing with the bodies and setting up systems to ensure evidence was not lost, to aid in the later identification procedures. As the
consisted of a primitive setup whereby tables were placed outside under trees. It took several weeks before refrigerated containers were available.
The Norwegian Government dispatched and prefabricated a hospital/mortuary and this was set up at a place named “Site Two”. This facility had three processing areas with air-conditioned tunnels. It is now the main location for remains, although some have remained at the “Site One” facility.
At Site Two, the Thai Government has constructed a memorial wall to those who were killed or are still missing.
ANZAC spirit and teamworkUp until the end of the seventh rotation, (May 2005) some New Zealand Police staff and medical
• Fingerprint offi cer Ian Harrison prepares to take prints off another body.
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role changed, the fruits of those solid systems are being gathered. At the time of writing, more than 2,000 bodies had been positively identified and sent to their home countries.
As the bodies are slowly identified, all of the staff involved feel a great sense of pride that someone, somewhere, will have their chance to farewell their loved one.
When you speak to other police officers from around the world, the dominating theme that comes through is that the Kiwis work hard, are very neutral (NZ
is the only country still present to have located all of its own nationals) and are well liked by everyone.
Many police staff back home have little or no understanding of the difficult work that their colleagues in Phuket have undertaken and the great results they have achieved in the most trying of circumstances.
All New Zealanders can be justifiably proud of the magnificent work done by all involved; both in Phuket, and to the organisers and supporters back home.
• Dentists prepare for another day.
• The mortuary at Phuket where the New Zealand offi cers are working.
• The tent facilities for gear changes look like something straight out of the television programme MASH.
NSW Police poised to get greater undercover powers A New South Wales Government move to give police officers more flexibility to pose as drug dealers and even contract killers will be thoroughly examined to ensure it is not open to abuse or corruption.
The NSW Police Minister, John Watkins, told the Sydney Morning Herald the review of existing laws relating to “controlled operations” could put police in more covert operations in crime-plagued areas such as King’s Cross, Cabramatta and Redfern.
At present, the authority to entrap a suspect by having an officer pose as a drugs buyer can be granted only by the Police Commissioner or one of the two Deputy Commissioners.
The proposal seeks to authorise local Area Commanders (of the rank of Superintendent or above), Superintendents, Chief Superintendents and Assistant Commissioners in charge of other branches or specialist squads, to give the green light to undercover operations.
Recommendations soughtThe Police Integrity Commission, the ICAC, State Crime Commission and State Ombudsman have been asked to comment on the proposal and make recommendations to avoid any possibility of abuse or corruption, according to the The Sydney Morning Herald report.
In Melbourne, the practice of police buying and selling ingredients for drugs has been criticised as leaving them open to temptation from criminals. A number of officers now face trial on drug-related offences.
“Controlled operations are a vital form of policing in NSW, especially for targeting illegal drug supply, gun running and corruption,” Mr Watkins said.
Mr Watkins said NSW Police undercover stings, which had also targeted organised crime such as motorcycle gangs over the past five years, involved the detailed work of more than 2000 police and civilians.
June 2005 Police News The Voice of Police
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Keen On Wineby Ricky Collins
Just dessertsSomeone reminded me a while back that it
had been some time since I’d reviewed dessert wines, and I’m still struggling to understand why, as this style of wine is a real favourite of mine. I really enjoy a glass of dessert wine at the end of a meal, or conversely just a glass on its own. The intensity of flavours found in many of these wines is just wonderful.
Botrytis, or late harvest Rieslings, are New Zealand’s trademark dessert wines. Australian winemakers have conversely done wonderful things with noble Semillon. In France, their botrytis affected Semillon and Sauvignon blends from the Sauternes sub-region of Bordeaux are benchmark dessert wines. Here are some notes on a few dessert wines that I’ve enjoyed recently.
I first tried the 2003 vintage of this wine at the Marlborough Wine Festival and thought it was a classic example of what we can do with dessert style Riesling in New Zealand. The latest vintage is also up to the same standard, with lemon and lime flavours, a good balance of acidity and residual sugar, and excellent length. It’s a very smart wine for the price.
Miranda Golden Botrytis 2002 (375ml) RRP $15
I know I’ve recommended this wine before but in a review of
dessert wines it just had to feature, given it’s outstanding quality and value for money. It has a wonderful blend of marmalade, citrus and honey flavours, a smooth velvety texture and a lingering finish. The classic orange peel characteristics give it away as a classic example of Australian Semillon. I don’t think I’ll ever tire of this wine.
Chateau Loupiac Gaudiet 2001 (750 ml) RRP $26
To buy a genuine Sauternes might cost you a fortune. However, wines from nearby Loupiac are still of very high quality and a fraction of the price. The French dessert wines are quite different to New Zealand and Australian wines, with less obvious sweetness and vanilla and honey flavours. There is also what I call a traditional Christmas cake icing flavour that comes through in these wines, which will either appeal to you or not. The big bonus with some of these Loupiac wines is that they often come in full size bottles at around the same price as our half size bottles. They are usually available from specialist wine stores.
Domaine Georges Michel Autumn Folly 2004 (375ml) RRP $29
This blend of Marlborough Sauvignon and Semillon is quite different in style to any other dessert wine that I’ve tried from a New Zealand winery. Adding grape spirit to the mix stopped the wine fermentation; the result being a lovely blend of sweetness and acidity with a touch of warmth brought on by the higher alcohol level. The nose is reminiscent of a French Sauterne, and there are fresh clean green apple flavours on the palate. This represents an interesting and novel approach to dessert wine.
Stop Press: The Budget 2005-06
Police sidelined in Justice Sector spend up Any representations made by the Commisioner of Police to Government for more frontline resource in the latest Budget have obviously been largely ignored.
Vote Police funding comes out of the Justice Sector and as a percentage of that sector’s spending, Police are to be shortchanged over the next four years. In the 2005 financial year, Vote Police accounts for 44.5% of that sector but by 2006 the percentage drops to 43% and is set to diminish further in 2007, 2008 and 2009 to 42.4%, 41.2% and 41.03% respectively.
Of the Justice Sector, Vote Police gets an increase in this financial year of 6.2% compared to Justice’s 15.8%, Corrections 12.8% and Courts 11.9%.
The $73.6 million (including capital expenditure) injection into Vote Police announced in the recent Budget will give Police about 250 extra staff - 100 of them already earmarked for the troubled Police Communications Centres.
Police need to train about 450 sworn staff a year to account for natural attrition.
The funding takes the total Police operational budget to $1.03 billion with a promise of a further $172 million over the next four years.
Operational funding for Vote Health is to be increased by $4.84 billion over the next four years while Education is to receive an additional $3.44 billion over
the same period. This means that the average annual increase in funding for Health is larger than the entire Vote Police budget for each of these four years.
Funding for CommsA pre-budget announcement injected $45.5 million over four years to fix Police Communications Centres. The first installment of $10.8 million is included in this year’s appropriations.
“Considering that Deputy Commissioner Steve Long told us that Comms weren’t a problem in January 2004, it is interesting that it is going to take $45.5 million to fix that non-problem,” Association President, Mr O’Connor said. “Of course, the real crime of this Budget is that the non-problem of frontline shortages will take the same sort of tragedy and systems failures before the same investment, missing from this Budget, will be given,” he added.
Police Association President, Greg O’Connor, said the Budget offered “little relief”. “Even if all 60 of the untagged staff went to the frontline that amounts to no more than six I-cars operating 24/7,” he said.
While the Association welcomed the funding for stab proof vests and the long-overdue and sorely needed funding for Communications Centres it was “frustrated” by what amounted to a “token gesture” in relation to fixing a large shortfall in frontline staff.
Key elements of the Vote Police budget are: Communication Centres - $45.5 million over four years ($10.8 million in 2005/06).Investigation, response and organised crime - $41.3 million over four years ($9.4 million in 2005/06). Sixty new sworn investigative and response staff will go into upper North Island districts. Forty-eight will go into Metropolitan Auckland, two into Northland and five each into Waikato and the Bay of Plenty. A further 20 sworn staff and four non-sworn will focus on organised crime with 12 based in metropolitan Auckland. The balance is three organised crime teams of four staff each to Bay of Plenty, Eastern and Canterbury Districts. Youth initiatives - $11.6 million over four years ($2.7 million in 2005/06) – Around 20 sworn and four non-sworn staff, including constables and NCOs will increase Police’s general capability for working with young people. This fund builds on youth investment over the last six years.An additional six, two person youth development teams will deliver specific youth development programmes focussing on youth at risk of ofending. Deployment of the new teams will take into account the spread of 29 existing youth programmes. CVIU (Commercial Vehicle Inspection Units) – will get five extra staff for heavy vehicle inspections. Overseas deployments - $14.8 million over four years ($7.5 million in 2005/06) Funding will allow the continued deployment of around 35 officers to the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) for the next two years and suitable back filling. Police rifle replacement - $3 million; Stab Resistant Body Armour (commercially sensitive); Livescan finger printing (commercially sensitive). Other minor initiatives - $32.1 million over four years ($9.5 million in 2005/06).General Funding boosts - $27.4 million over four years ($6.9 million in 2005/06) – for more forensic spending, maintenance of properties, increased fuel and electricity costs. Prosecutions will get one additional staff member as a support for District Court judges.
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Copper’s CrosswordBy Constable Cunning
View From The BottomBy Constable Iam Keen
This column is written by a frontline police offi cer. It does not represent the views or policies of the Police Association. 2.5% pay rise due on 1 July
All members covered by the Police Association’s sworn and non-sworn collective agreements will be receiving a 2.5% pay rise on 1 July 2005. Allowances will also move by 2.5%.
This is the last of three general increases negotiated in the July 2003 to 30 June 2006 collective agreement.
Competency Service Increments (CSI)From 1 July 2005 (inclusive) members who are not at the top of their pay bands will be eligible for another CSI effective from the anniversary of their appointment to Police (or TSS if employed by TSS at the time of the 1992 merger).
CSIs range in value from1.3% to 4.3% dependent on the band you are in and your position in the band.
To ensure ongoing eligibility for a CSI, sworn members should make sure that they are certified for PCT, SSTT and first aid or are undertaking remedial action at their CSI due date.
Bands one to sixInspectors and equivalent non-sworn staff on bands one and two will receive their 2.5% general adjustment on 1 December 2005 with CSIs to occur during the following 12 months.
Superintendents and non-sworn equivalents will also be eligible for a remuneration review effective 1 December 2005, based on performance appraisal.
Expect the unexpectedThis is an excerpt from an actual 911 call in the United States that has been doing the email rounds recently.Dispatcher: 9-1-1.Caller: Yeah, I’m having trouble breathing. I’m all out of breath. Darn...I think I’m going to pass out.Dispatcher: Sir, where are you calling from?Caller: I’m at a pay phone on North and Foster. Damn…Dispatcher: Sir, an ambulance is on the way. Are you an asthmatic?Caller: No.Dispatcher: What were you doing before you started having trouble breathing?Caller: Running from the Police.
You can bet that $45m won’t put Humpty Dumpty back together again. And it sure as heck won’t fix the Comms Centres. We dumb folk in the wops have been suffering since they were built, and trying to tell the bosses as much. Let us speak directly to the public when they most need us - take Comms out of the loop.
While we are throwing stones at broken systems, they can jam these lie sheets in the same place as the Comms Centres – hopefully somewhere the sun doesn’t shine, because, as sure as eggs, these quotas are a blight second only to the great potato famine. Give us back the discretion to manage our own communities.
While you’re pondering these big issues in the castle we’ll go on working through the night to keep people safe. And when you come in to the office in the morning, don’t start throwing stones at us dumb folk. Morale won’t improve while the beatings continue. Either stand up and be counted as leaders or step aside. We don’t need fair weather bosses.
Face it, us dumb folk will never have the chance to change these issues. So don’t talk about changing ‘Police culture’ - this is the one thing keeping us afloat. Take a look in the mirror and ask yourself why we now rate with the politicians? If Telecom’s shares had slumped like our public ratings, Teresa would be looking for a new job. By all means avoid mixing with us turkeys and go flying with the eagles. But if you want to be a rocket scientist, then go and work for NASA.
In the meantime, keep your chin up boys and girls. This dark cloud will pass and life will come back to normal and we’ll be the good guys chasing the bad guys again.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9
10
11
12 13 14
15 16
17 18
19 May answersAcross:1. Invalidate7. Arson8. Civilly10. Estimate11. Cell13. Airgun
June cluesAcross:2. Any C.O. camp merges to form
drink drivers option (9) 8. Pursue (5) 9. Have understanding of things (7) 10. Do before offender has a chance to
do (3-7) 12. Eject (5)14. Spritely (5) 15. Position in OoC sworn or non-sworn
nowadays (10) 17. Remade fifty and mixed bath to
form a stone (7) 18. Small nail (5) 19. Distress a union of many because of
these natural or man-made (9)
Down1. In charge of drug section or
just second in charge (4,9) 2. Aimed a two hundred at this
scholar (8) 3. Pick of the milk (5) 4. Mods insinuate that these can
be difficult to climb (13) 5. On charges (7) 6. Talks to these animals (4) 7. Top ancestries moulded
together can be located in offices for Inspectors (13)
11. Warnings (8) 13. Verbal or physical maybe? (7) 16. Life is part of this for many (5)
What’s more important – the return onyour money, or the return of your money?Unfortunately, New Zealand investors don’t ask this question often enough.
Over the past five years a raft of new finance companies has emerged, all trying to attract funds from the public. Newspapers are full of advertisements offering finance company debentures of up to 12 percent per annum. According to a recent report from McDouall Stuart Securities, there are currently around 180 finance companies operating in New Zealand, with the 10 largest holding about 80 percent of the $10 billion in finance company assets.
What investors need to realise is that, generally speaking, the higher the interest rate the higher the level of risk. When selecting a finance company to invest in, the following needs to be considered:
1. The level of related party transactions, such as loans made to business acquaintances and family or friends may give an inaccurate indication of the finance company’s stability. One major New Zealand finance company currently has 22 percent of its loans with related party companies.
2. Finance company debentures with high rates of return often have a lack of loan diversification. For example, imagine what happens to investors’ money if a finance company lends a large portion of its funds to just one or two property developers, one of which runs into difficulties. A good finance company will spread its investments.
3. If a finance company has a mismatch in funding, difficulties can occur when short-term interest rates rise. For example, if a finance company lends money at a fixed rate to a property developer for three years, but has to borrow money from the public for one to two years to fund the developer. If interest rates rise, the finance company may have to borrow money at higher rates than it is charging the developer.
Unfortunately, some finance companies won’t adequately explain the associated investment risks, so investors must know the right questions to ask. Investment guru Warren Buffett, the world’s second richest man, told the following story:
A man is sitting on a bench in a small town and beside him is a dog.
A stranger asks the man, “Does your dog bite?” and the man says, “No.”
So the stranger bends down to pat the dog, and it bites him on the arm.
“I thought you said your dog doesn’t bite”.
“It’s not my dog,” the man replies.
Buffett’s point was: “If you don’t ask the right questions, you won’t get the right answers.”
Banks and finance companies have derived benefit from falling interest rates – a buoyant property market with easier credit over the last five years has made it attractive for New Zealanders to borrow. Looking ahead, the future appears more
challenging. The Reserve Bank has increased interest rates to head off inflation, property prices have peaked and even started to fall in
some centres, while the cost of servicing increased debt will also slow spending.
There will still be a demand for borrowing which
finance companies will continue to service, but as the market tightens, some finance companies will come under increasing pressure and may not be able to survive the next economic downturn.
With the economy appearing so buoyant, many investors aren’t researching their investment decisions as thoroughly as they might under more difficult conditions. In our experience, the best approach for investors is to build a portfolio with a mix of assets that can ride out the cyclical fluctuations and smooth the overall return.
Always remember, the return of your money is much more important than the return on your money.
To speak to a Spicers advisor today about your financial situation, call the Police Financial Planning Enquiry Line on 0800 ON BEAT (0800 66 2328).
Use of 0800 Ten NineAssociation representatives maintain this telephone line (0800 8366 463) on a 24-hour basis.
It is to be used ONLY for matters that cannot be deferred such as Police shootings, fatal pursuits or deaths in custody.
Important and immediate industrial and legal advice can then be arranged through the Association networks.
Please do not phone this line for non-urgent matters.
USA Supreme Court sceptical about ‘medical’ marijuana useThe United States Supreme Court has rejected moves to legalise marijuana for medical use.
Advocates of using marijuana for medicinal use received a mostly sceptical reception from the Supreme Court recently in a case that will decide whether the federal government can still ban possession of the drug in states that have cut or eliminated sanctions for using it to treat symptoms of illness, according to a report in The Washington Post.
At issue is the small, homegrown quantity of marijuana used by two Northern California women at the recommendation of their doctors, as permitted by California’s Compassionate Use Act, which was adopted by an overwhelming majority of voters in 1996.
But a majority of the justices made comments suggesting they thought that even small amounts of ostensibly medical marijuana, obtained for free, were part of a national market for licit and illicit drugs - and thus subject to Congress’s constitutional power over trade among the states.
“Medicine by regulation is better than medicine by referendum,” Justice Stephen G Breyer remarked at one point. “I have to take this case on the assumption that there is no such thing as medical marijuana that is special and beneficial.”
Ancillary effects“Cannabis does have a substantial medical effect,” replied Randy E Barnett, a law professor representing the two women, Angel McClary Raich and Diane Monson. He conceded that it has “ancillary effects” that may cause harm. But Barnettt said that “when people are suffering and dying, they are willing to run risks”.
At that point, Justice Anthony M Kennedy intervened, eliciting from Barnett the concession that California’s law does not apply only to life-threatening illnesses such as AIDS or cancer.
Monson, for example, was prescribed marijuana for lower back pain; Raich received hers for a variety of chronic conditions.
Monson and Raich say the federal government’s crackdown on medical marijuana in California, which began under President Bill Clinton and continues under the Bush administration, is unconstitutional as it applies to them because their cultivation and use of the substance is a non-economic activity that takes place in one state.
Their argument relies heavily on two Supreme Court cases within the past 10 years, in which the court limited Congress’s power to make laws in the name of regulating interstate commerce.
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SPORTS NEWSTo contact the Police Council of Sport, call Alison Murray at the RNZPC. Ph: (04) 238 3139
POLICE COUNCIL OF SPORT
Visit www.policeassn.org.nz for updated contact details for the Police Council of Sport management committee, District Sports Offi cers and the latest schedule of events.
Wanganui’s “The Dream Team” runrivals ragged to take Enduro titleThis year’s annual Kapi Mana Police District Enduro attracted a record 23 teams (138 competitors in total). The event was held in late April amidst the customary warm sunshine and clear skies, which have become a hallmark of the race.
Teams from within the Kapi-Mana Police District, Wellington District, OoC, I & T RNZPC, NZ Police Association and “The Dream Team” from Wanganui also competed.
The Wanganui team certainly lived up to its tag by showing a clean pair of heels to the other teams with 700-metre runner Craig Yorston, 1k kayaker Shane Wainhouse, 4k runner Aaron White and the 6k mountain biker Karen Chambers,
all winning their individual legs. In crossing the finish line with an overall time of 1 hour 33 minutes and 36 seconds, Wanganui’s “The Dream Team” had an impressive two minutes 55 seconds over nearest rivals, local team “Nosey’s Pickers”.
Cyclist and swimmer broke dominationPaul Baskett (Kilbirnie) won the 15K cycle road race and once again Amy Robertson (Porirua) renewed her friendly rivalry with Dave Jones by repeating last year’s tremendous swimming effort by taking out the 1K swimming race in this year’s event.
Unfortunately, the NZ Police Association team, “The Associates”, had an early
mishap in the kayaking and finished 19th – a far cry from the effort of last year when they turned in a sterling effort for fourth. Team manager Greg Fleming said he had identified the change in the team’s name (Union Jocks in 2004) as a key reason for the under performance and is promising a more competitive name for 2006!
Results were:
1. The Dream Team (Wanganui) 1:33:36.
2. Nosey’s Pickers (Porirua Section 1) 1:36:31.
3. Just Because (Strategic Response Group) 1:41:38.
Palmerston NorthPolice Cycle Clubget in early trainingThe “Tour de Porirua” - a 120km ride from Palmerston North to the RNZPC, run by the Palmerston North Police Cycle Club – was held for the second time recently.
The event serves as valuable early training for the annual Round Lake Taupo cycle race.
Participiants rode at a comfortable pace, with a couple of comfort stops, and the distance was completed in five hours, despite riders having to battle a head wind along the coast. The event is not a race and is intended as a leisurely ride in a bunch to encourage novice riders.
The Palmerston North club has 15 active members and those that took part felt it was a good challenge and there was a great degree of satisfaction once the journey had been completed.
• Dave Wishnowsky, Tracey Wharehoka, A.J.Cornwall, Paul Humphries (non-Police), Tony Carne, Brian Reynolds (non-sworn); Front row: Vil Kalivati, Intel member Kate Duncan and Property Offi cer Carrie Martin.
NZ Police Cycling Champs in Wellington in OctoberThe NZ Police Cycling Champs are to be held on Tuesday the 25th and Wednesday the 26th of October in Wellington.
The first day will include a road race and a road climb. Wednesday’s events will include a cross-country mountain bike race followed by a downhill race.
These dates immediately follow Labour weekend. While elite cyclists will be catered for, the event is open to all levels with the emphasis of the event being on participation. For further details contact: (Jo) Joanne Holden, Wellington SAR, on extension 49443 or via Lotus Notes Email system.
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Darts:
Top quality play at Police national tournamentThe NZ Police Association-sponsored National Police Darts tournament was held recently in the Wellington seaside suburb of Petone.
Friday night saw a game between the eight-person NZ Police rep team and the Petone Workingmen’s Club rep team. Unfortunately, the Police team was beaten but some great darts were played. NZ Police also played a North versus South match (which consisted of pairs and singles) with the South Island victorious.
All players who had enrolled were included in these games. Some of the Association’s giveaways were given to the invitation team as a ‘thank you’ for playing the Police team.
Return after 27 year absenceThe fours and pairs were contested on the Saturday and the prestigious singles were held on Sunday. Competition was intense and threw up some interesting results. It was great to see the regular and new players rubbing shoulders with Ron McNaught, who made a welcome return to the
tournament after an absence of 27 years.
Unfortunately, a fog-bound Wellington airport caused havoc with travel arrangements with one would-be competitor not being able to make it at all and the Kaikoura and Auckland teams having their aircraft diverted to Palmerston North, having to commute from there. It took Shane Godinet, all the way from Houhora, and Alan Eastwood (Auckland) until Tuesday evening to fly home – two days sitting around the airport!
Next year’s tournament will be held in Kaikoura and Pahiatua will be the hosts the following year.
Men’s singles winner: David Gray (Kaikoura). Runner-up: Rod Reid (Kaikoura).
Women’s singles winner: Donna Gregory (Wellington). Runner-up: Jude Gray (Kaikoura).
Men’s pair’s winners: Rod Reid/David Gray (Kaikoura). Runners-up: Tim Riwaka/Terry Prisk (Christchurch).
Fours runners-up: Rod Reid/David Gray/Matt Lindsay/Jude Gray (Kaikoura).
Men’s singles consolation winner: Alan Eastwood (Glen Innes).
Men’s singles consolation runner-up: Ron McNaught (Wellington).
Men’s pair’s consolation winner: Dave Joyce/Bruce Harrison (Lower Hutt).
Men’s pair’s runners-up: Alan Eastwood/Shane Godinet (Glen Innes).
Highest start: Dave Gray
Highest finish: Terry Prisk
Highest score other than 180: Shane Godinet.
British Police to get tougher anti-drug powersBritish Police will be given new powers to crack down on drugs after a new survey indicated that Britain has the highest cocaine use in Europe, according to a report in The Guardian.
Police will be given greater powers to close crack houses and to automatically treat people as drug dealers if they have a minimum amount of a drug in their possession.
Dealers found operating near schools will be liable for tougher sentences.
Prime Minister, Tony Blair, said the measures would “bear down further on organised crime and also the street dealers who peddle the misery of drugs”.
Highest cocaine usageThe measures come as a new pan-European survey shows that Britain and
Spain have the highest proportion of cocaine users in the European Union.
The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction 2004 report found that 2% of all adults in the UK and Spain reported recent cocaine use, close to figures for the USA, compared to less than 1% across the EU as a whole.
Alongside the crackdown, the new drug laws seek to force drug users into accepting help in a bid to break the link between addiction and crime, according to the report in The Guardian.
The British Government has recently formed the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) to crack major drug-smuggling operations.
Magistrates’ new powersThe Bill will also allow a suspect’s
“unreasonable” refusal to consent to an intimate body search to count against them in court. Magistrates will have the power to remand a suspect into police custody for an additional eight days if he or she ingests drugs in order to evade being charged.
The Anti-Social Behaviour Act will also be amended to give police the power to enter premises, such as crack houses, to issue a closure notice.
The British Government insists its efforts to tackle drugs are working. Mr Blair said nearly 1,500 offenders were entering treatment each month, and crime was falling faster in those areas where drug intervention programmes were in place. Those programmes will now be extended.
A Downing Street spokesman said that by 2008, 1,000 offenders would be entering treatment every week.
State Sector Retirement Savings Scheme– increase in employer’s contributionBy Greg Fleming, Association Industrial AdvocateThe State Sector Retirement Savings Scheme (SSRSS) is a voluntary and subsidised savings scheme. All non-sworn members of Police, except those in the Government Superannuation Fund (GSF), are eligible to join the scheme, if employed (full or part-time), either permanently or on a fixed term agreement with at least four months to run.
The SSRSS is designed to help you build up your retirement nest egg – and is made easier with contributions from your employer. You can receive
the SSRSS employer subsidy even if you are already receiving a subsidy from the Police Superannuation Scheme (PSS).
Increase to 3%On 1 July 2005, the maximum employer subsidy rate for eligible employees (i.e. the extent to which your employer will match your savings dollar-for-dollar) will increase from 1.5% to up to 3% of gross salary.
You may not have joined before, but with the increased employer’s contribution now is a good time to reconsider.
If you are already a subsidised member, you should have received more details about the increase from your SSRSS scheme provider during May. If you want to increase your contributions to get the matching increased employer subsidy, make sure you send your contribution increase form in to your payroll section as soon as possible.
Even if your retirement seems a long way off, joining the SSRSS now will have a big impact on your future lifestyle. Visit the SSRSS website at www.superscheme.govt.nz for information about the scheme and how to apply. It’s never too late to join.
June 2005New Zealand Police Association
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Letters to the Editor Write it here! Letters to the Editor are welcome. Signed letters are preferred, but in all cases the writer’s name and address must be supplied. Names will be published unless there is a good reason for anonymity. The editor reserves the right to edit, abridge or decline letters without explanation. Email to: [email protected] or write it to the Editor at PO Box 12344, Wellington. Letters under 400 words are preferred.
Commissioner, you can’t be serious It is with great concern and a sense of the incredible that I read the comments of the Commissioner of Police, Rob Robinson, as quoted from his address to Cashmere Rotary (The Press and Nelson Mail 28/4/05). If reported correctly, Mr Robinson commented that “it was not his job to lobby Government for additional funding (for Police), rather it was up to him to work with what he had to the best effect.” No one would doubt the validity of his comment on deployment issues, and whether his efforts in that direction are acceptable is open to interpretation and personal opinion.
However, I read the first part of the quote with consternation. If it is not his job to lobby the Government, then who does? The Minister? He must be joking. When I remember the huge efforts put in by previous Commissioners such as Ken Burnside, Bob Walton, John Jamieson, and the like, to ensure proper resourcing of the Police I am somewhat nonplussed. If the Commissioner is serious in his belief then current members of Police need be very, very concerned at the direction and commitment of the current administration.
Jim Burrows(Motueka)
A thankful typistI am one of the fortunate typists, who have recently been upgraded from band A to band B, and would like to publicly thank Gail Fitzgerald, Fiona Opray, and Adrienne Senior for all their efforts, determination and sheer hard work in bringing this matter to the attention of Police HR and the OoC.
I understand that much of the preparation carried out for the business case presentation to the OoC was collated and prepared in their own time.
I’m sure that had Gail not taken the initiative to deal with this contentious issue on behalf of typists throughout the country, the matter would have remained dormant.
Anne Watson(Auckland)
Police Association Industrial Advocate, Greg Fleming responds: Yes, members have been well served by three dedicated and determined representatives.
Identity crisis is self-infl ictedThe current identity crisis in the Police is partly self-inflicted.
Like many other government organisations, some of the most senior members have been forced to ignore their own experience and listen to consultants instead.
Some consultants are capable of visualising
and decoding complex corporate scenarios in their head, but lack rudimentary life skills because they are not practical people.
Not much good being that clever if you don’t know how to change a wheel on the BMW, let alone protect and survive your family in a time of catastrophic disaster, or build things – the real skills that real people possess.
The collective experience of long serving officers would leave consultants for dead when it comes to policing, but they have not been listened to. What a waste.
Some senior Police managers have returned from academic institutions full of corporate-speak. This pathetic condition is now universally referred to in the job, as “the frontal labotomy”.
They are the ones who defended the method of funding INCIS, and are now conspicuous by their long, loud silence on the subject.
They have become obsessed with measurement, but they have no clue, nor interest in how to measure loyalty – the foundation of the dedicated family that once was.
Loyalty (sadly no longer afforded to the troops) is now to that great God, “the contract”.
All is not lost. What comes around goes around. It just takes time and casualties. It has already started as we see some consultants’ recommendations reversed and not only in the Police.
Gary Lewis(Wellington)
Thanks to Wellington staffIn September last year, I resigned from the NZ Police. This was a difficult decision given my passion for Youth Aid and all it encompasses. By the way, whilst some of you will be scoffing about now, and muttering to yourselves and anyone else who may listen, about the useless bunch doing very little, it would be clearly evident that you are well overdue for studying the CYP Act. Anyway, enough on that, this letter is one of thanks.
The decision to resign was inevitable, given we were taking up permanent residency in Australia – a big step for a one-eyed All Black supporter to be living in the land of the foe.
I know I will miss out some of you and I apologise if I do, but the Editor only accepts letters of a certain length!
Firstly, thanks to Roly who made the odd phone call and checked up to see where my application was up to and also to Chook, who encouraged me on the run, after he had whizzed around and finished in time to come back for me. Thanks to Luke Crawford who was and remains an inspiration and to Wing 172, many of who were selfless in their support. Thanks also to: Dave Ross
who always knew the answer to every question. To Andy Sander, Martin Todd, Mark Moody, Andrej Kowalczyk and Rongo, who generally made my life Hell but loving you for it. To Lisa, Glenys, Viv (x2) Gina and Jean for watch-house stuff. To the awesome Wellington Youth Aid team (Yvonne, Greg, Tarns, Brett, Mark, Steve, Rowyn), who never ceased to amaze me with their desire to achieve some sort of success with our youth. Finally, to Jasper (Steve Vaughan) and Max (Taylor), who made police life awesome when I was the new kid on the block.
I am working with young people here, in a different capacity (young persons under Guardianship or Protection Orders of the Department for Child Safety) and still striving to make a difference.
Heather C Price-Porter (Poss)(Petrie, Queensland)
Point of Order, Mr SpeakerIn June 1999, Lower Hutt Police Constable Damian Klavs narrowly escaped death while protecting the public in the lawful execution of his duty. Some five years and seven months later the Government’s Honours Secretariat finally got around to publicly acknowledging his bravery.
In August 1999, Detective Patrick Martin John Burke, of Cambridge, selflessly acted in the best traditions of the New Zealand Police. He too waited for over five years before the Government officially recognised his bravery.
In November 1999, Matt Hollis braved near death to rescue people from a raging fire. His heroism is similarly not recognised for over five years.
I could go on.
Newspapers throughout the country recently published details of a number of bravery awards, several to members of the Police, and a brief analysis of the backgrounds to those awards reveals that, on average, a period of some three years and four months elapsed between the time of the event and the granting of the award and subsequent public recognition by the Honours Secretariat.
But what was the length of time between the Speaker of the House leaving his sheepskin-covered chair and his award of the Order of New Zealand? We are certainly not talking years here, not even months – at the most weeks. Why was there such an obscene delay by the Government in rewarding bravery, heroism and gallantry when compared with the speed with which they rewarded one of their own?
Perhaps the answer lies in the fact that the Honours Secretariat is part of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.
Trevor Morley(Wellington)
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The phases of the police careerI am pleased to see from a perusal of the letters to your column that the old adage “TJF” is alive and well.
When I joined the police some 40 years ago I was assured this was the case even then.
I was informed this state of affairs had its genesis in 1958 when the Police Force Act was repealed and replaced by the Police Act and the Police became, “just another government department”.
In the 1960s a member appeared before a tribunal charged with conduct to the prejudice of good order, for uttering the phrase.
It has been said that a career in the Police evolves through four phases. Firstly, there is cockiness, followed by care, compromise and finally despair. Fortunately, none of your correspondents have yet reached phase four.
Tim Hughes(Auckland)
‘Priority’ queuesAm I the only one that thinks that expecting members of the public to wait over 20 minutes in a priority queue when trying to phone us is unacceptable?
Why has nothing been done? I know there has been a review of Comms but this needs to be fixed now.
All I hear from the Department is how the great new Comms system is working well. That’s not what the public is saying. To them the system is a disgraceful joke.
In recent months, Palmerston North staff has been asked by Comms to stop sending phone calls through, as the “priority” queue has been 29 minutes long. On another occasion, in order to enter their jobs, it was 25 minutes long.
A Comms dispatcher recently told me there had been phone queues of over 40 minutes on occasions. How the Hell can we expect anyone to wait for over 40 minutes on hold and then tell them we’re giving them good service?
However, I guess, as a Comms Inspector was recently quoted: “People who want to wait in the queue for more than 10 minutes are idiots!”
Just about says it all doesn’t it?
I put no blame at all on the Comms staff, who are banging their heads against the walls because of the way the system operates.
It’s coming to the point that I’m embarrassed when talking to members of the public time after time about the problems they have when phoning Police. They deserve much better.
At the very least we should institute a new code called “Apology time” on our timesheets as this is becoming the norm and no other one seems to fit the bill.
Chris Fraser(Palmerston North)
Looking after their ownIn September last year I retired from Police after 37 years of service and moved across the ditch to live in the far north of Queensland. My wife and I thought it was time to get some sun on our old bones and as Kathryn has two daughters living in Cairns, that was the logical choice.
Unfortunately, tragedy struck and Kathryn was taken from us in the prime of her life. This was devastating for me. Being so far from friends and family at a time in my life when I desperately needed some moral support, made it doubly hard.
This is where the “Police family” kicked into gear. Firstly, I received a call from Association President, Greg O’Connor, offering his condolences and the services of Association Field Officer, Eric Newman, to help me through this traumatic period. I am not sure how I would have coped without the help and support Eric gave me.
Having received many calls and cards from current and retired Police made me feel humble to think that there are so many people out there that care. For all those that did contact me please accept this as a personal thank you, I really appreciated the support and comfort I received.
When you retire from Police you have a feeling that that part of your life that is now past and you are a forgotten relic, but how wrong can one be? I can certainly vouch for the fact that the Police Association do look after their own.
Logan Alderson(Cairns)
The importance of discretionRecently I was in Turangi on a hunting trip. After five hours driving (wearing a seatbelt), I picked up my ‘hunting permit’ from DOC then drove to a truck stop situated diagnolly across the road.
As I pulled into the car park I realised I had not put my seatbelt back on. A young constable pulled in behind me and said he would send me a ticket, which I have now received.
He told me that he “had no discretion” to give me a warning. I fully support traffic enforcement and the importance of the “make it click” message. But I believe that police discretion has always been and should always be an important tool.
The oath we take says “without fear or favour” and this means that I should be treated equally with other members of the public.
All this raises important questions. Are we alienating the public? Can we be viewed as revenue gatherers? Is there a national “no discretion” policy and, if so, is this a lawful directive under our employment contract law? What are our young constables being taught at the Police College?
Dan Rushton(Auckland)
Safety is more importantthan response timesGeorge Hawkins’ quoted statement about Police “spending precious time contacting Comms when our first priority is to try and deal with the incident” has left stunned (or gob smacked) too.
Mr Hawkins should spend a week in uniform before telling us our safety is less important than response times. He would soon realise how important it is that other staff know where their colleagues are when assistance is required. Perhaps we would then get better/safer communications equipment also.
Sian Smith(Takapuna)
Working together through separationJim Casson (Police News, April)) makes a valid point regarding the Road Policing Branch. When I was in Queensland some 20 years ago, I got speaking to a young cop there and he told me that their system was that all policing was done by sworn members under the following scheme:
All officers went through the same Academy, with part of their training being traffic enforcement. On graduation, the members then had to do six months in the Traffic Branch as part of their two-year probation service. On the completion of two years, the members were then able to choose where they might like to serve e.g. C.I.B, Youth Aid, General Duties Branch and Traffic Branch etc.
The Traffic Branch was apparently run as a separate entity from General Duties and had different uniforms and car livery. All members were sworn and could therefore assist with any criminal activity they came across. By the same token, GDB staff were also able to enforce traffic control as part of their duties. This system seemed to take the ‘stigma’ out of traffic. As an aside to this, apparently the cops there always patrolled in pairs. Not because of the safety factor, but apparently the courts there were loath to accept the word of a police officer on his or her own and so a second witness was required.
Police numbers must be increased here. It must be cheaper to prevent crime, than to clean up after it.
Geoff Benge(Otaki)
Speaking up for police staffHaving been a police officer for over 14 years now, and having assiduously read the Police News all that time and served on several district committees, including a short stint as chairman at Auckland, I am finally moved to write my first letter to the Editor about the state of policing in New Zealand, as I see it.
There never seems to be a day goes by this year where the Police are not taking a hammering in the media. Commissioner Robinson appears to be very quick to react to both public and government pressure for inquiries into the state of policing currently,
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and yet appears disturbingly tardy when it comes to publicly supporting the vast majority of his workforce, who are struggling to maintain an acceptable level of service to their communities.
Having served in South Auckland for over six years until 2003, I recently obtained a copy of a document calling for submissions into an alleged “sick culture” in South Auckland. The gist of my reply was to agree that there is a “sick culture pervading South Auckland. The culture arises solely from the inability and unwillingness by the OoC to publicly state that there is a very real staffing, recruitment and retention problem, not only in South Auckland but throughout New Zealand. I attended a meeting, while still stationed in South Auckland, where the Commissioner was addressed on the staffing crisis. He admitted that such a crisis existed and yet the crisis still exists today and, even more surprisingly, the Commissioner was recently seen on TV stating that no such crisis exists.
Given that we are currently in an election year and also given that the Government is sitting on record surpluses, now is the time for the Commissioner to be approaching the Government for a budget increase to pay for the extra staff needed to adequately service the needs of the public and to provide the level of service that is required. There appears to be no political will on behalf of the Board of Commissioners to do this and I, for one, am at a complete loss to understand why. By the very nature of their position they should be representing the best interests of their staff, not the wishes of the Government of the day.
Pete Syddall(Henderson)
It never rains but it ‘porns’I am utterly disgusted with the way that the Police Commissioner has brought about the latest put down of the Police. I am a long-serving non-sworn member of Police and have enjoyed working for the Police and still do, except for those that are working in that ivory tower in Molesworth Street.
I work with some great men and women and I consider this latest put down over Operation Insight, involving inappropriate use of the Email system, as a joke. Is this some smoke screen designed to take the heat off the Government, because we are so short-staffed?
What are they thinking up at OoC? Police staff are being treated like children. The criminals must be laughing their heads off.
Dirty jokes etc have been around since Adam was a cowboy and it will never stop. Sure, things like bestiality are bad, but I believe such isolated issues should have been dealt with in private. It would be good to see those in the ivory tower backing their staff and
standing up for them, because I haven’t seen a lot of that over the years.
The only people that are suffering now are the frontline staff, who have to put up with snide remarks from the public as a result of recent bad publicity. Why would the OoC want to make their jobs harder with these revelations?
So what if staff get a bit of light relief from some pictures and jokes. I’d be willing to bet that the same stuff happens with Fire Service staff, with doctors and nurses and any of the professions that have to deal with dead bodies, other people’s problems and the gory side of life.
These people are human beings not bloody robots. They make mistakes.
I am deeply disappointed with Police management over their handling of this issue. It is no surprise to me that we have people leaving left, right and centre. We have a system that when someone is alleged to have done something wrong and then found to be innocent in a court they then have to be ‘retried’ and held answerable again internally.
“Furious”(Wellington)
Where is the commonsense?When I joined the Police nigh on 22 years ago, a very senior (in service) Detective Sergeant, said to me “You’ll be allright sonny, policing is all about commonsense.” It was, and to a certain degree, still is today. Technology has changed the way we police, but in a nutshell, it’s still pretty much commonsense. What’s right, (legally and morally) – and, what’s wrong.
Lately, Police have been under fire, from the media and complainants, over a raft of issues, especially the handling of 111 calls. Despite our best intentions, it hasn’t read well, and sometimes we have been left running up and down the trenches while dodging the bullets, – so to speak.
When news of ‘porngate’ (as some have called it) broke, I found it hard to believe that our Commissioner was giving a full briefing to the media, without the investigation having been concluded. Surely, commonsense would or should have prevailed. i.e the inquiry conducted and found those involved, either facing court appearances, or internal disciplinary hearings.
We (as a Police Department) would have been portrayed in a much better light, if we had given them a final result of the inquiry. Not a preliminary one, which, as I understand, has the censor questioning decisions made by management, as to which category the alleged article/file fitted into. We all know the media is an information outlet we can use. We tell
them what we can, but no more than that. That, too, is commonsense. The media have been firing many bullets at the Police of late. The smoke has hardly had time to clear from their barrels. Why then, did our Commissioner hand them another loaded gun to fire.?
Allan Hendrickson(Blenheim)
Communications Centres review’s vindication An inevitably expensive, international review of our Communications system has identified the same faults that our Association has been highlighting for months.
A huge part of the problem is the staffing of the three centres. Even with the extra $45 million, finding and retaining dedicated staff will be difficult.
To ease the staffing crisis, the administration should discontinue the current practice of refusing to employ former sworn police officers, who have disengaged on psychological grounds.
I would love to hear a superintendent explain exactly why anyone in this category will not even be considered for a job.
If they were to look at these people on a case-by-case basis then surely some, if not most of them, would be suitable applicants.
If, for example, a reason for disengaging was “fear of being killed on duty” why couldn’t one work in a non-sworn role in a Communication Centre?
Surely an area of policing where every call is recorded would be the perfect place to monitor the performance of these staff.
I am convinced that the real reason they are unwanted is because they have accessed the employer’s component of a compulsory superannuation scheme. I believe it is a case of the administration not wanting anyone to have his/her cake and eat it too.
In the February issue of Ten One I counted 11 resignations from the three Comms Centres. Turnover is obviously very high.
Any former sworn officer who is employed would at least have some idea what they are getting themselves into.
I have great sympathy for current Comms staff. I recently worked in the Waikato and would regularly hear four or five units queuing to do computer checks on the only available Waikato channel.
I bet that particular operator wouldn’t care if the person on a checks channel next to them had previously disengaged on psychological grounds.
Steve Brewer(Auckland)
Memorial WallOur sympathies to all our members’ families for those who have passed away in recent months...
We remember… Who passed away…
POHL-SULIKOSKY Joan Maureen 6-Mar-05 Retired member Auckland
COLCLOUGH Jack 21-Apr-05 Retired member Auckland
MARTIN Michael Charles 30-Apr-05 Retired member Wanganui
KITTO Rodney Wayne 2-May-05 Retired member Auckland
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