Saturday, 20 August 2022
Meet the JournalistsPremiumAucklandWellingtonCanterbury/South Island
CrimePoliticsHealthEducationEnvironment and ClimateNZ Herald FocusData journalismKāhu, Māori ContentPropertyWeather
Small BusinessOpinionPersonal FinanceEconomyBusiness TravelCapital Markets
Politics
Premium SportRugbyCricketRacingNetballBoxingLeagueFootballSuper RugbyAthleticsBasketballMotorsportTennisCyclingGolfAmerican SportsHockeyUFC
NZH Local FocusThe Northern AdvocateThe Northland AgeThe AucklanderWaikato HeraldBay of Plenty TimesHawke's Bay TodayRotorua Daily PostWhanganui ChronicleStratford PressManawatu GuardianKapiti NewsHorowhenua ChronicleTe Awamutu Courier
Covid-19
Te Rito
Te Rito
OneRoof PropertyCommercial Property
Open JusticeVideoPodcastsTechnologyWorldOpinion
SpyTVMoviesBooksMusicCultureSideswipeCompetitions
Fashion & BeautyFood & DrinkRoyalsRelationshipsWellbeingPets & AnimalsVivaCanvasEat WellCompetitionsRestaurants & Menus
New Zealand TravelAustralia TravelInternational Travel
Our Green FutureRuralOneRoof Property
Career AdviceCorporate News
Driven MotoringPhotos
SudokuCodecrackerCrosswordsWordsearchDaily quizzes
Classifieds
KaitaiaWhangareiDargavilleAucklandThamesTaurangaHamiltonWhakataneRotoruaTokoroaTe KuitiTaumarunuiTaupoGisborneNew PlymouthNapierHastingsDannevirkeWhanganuiPalmerston NorthLevinParaparaumuMastertonWellingtonMotuekaNelsonBlenheimWestportReeftonKaikouraGreymouthHokitikaChristchurchAshburtonTimaruWanakaOamaruQueenstownDunedinGoreInvercargill
NZ HeraldThe Northern AdvocateThe Northland AgeThe AucklanderWaikato HeraldBay Of Plenty TimesRotorua Daily PostHawke's Bay TodayWhanganui ChronicleThe Stratford PressManawatu GuardianKapiti NewsHorowhenua ChronicleTe Awamutu CourierVivaEat WellOneRoofDriven MotoringThe CountryPhoto SalesNZ Herald InsightsWatchMeGrabOneiHeart RadioRestaurant Hub

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.
Kahu

Police use of force report: Māori seven times more likely than Pākehā to be on receiving end

26 Aug, 2020 08:26 PM6 minutes to read
Justice advocates say the controversial Armed Response Teams (ART) trial, which occurred without community consulation, damaged trust and confidence in the force. Photo / Chris Loufte

Justice advocates say the controversial Armed Response Teams (ART) trial, which occurred without community consulation, damaged trust and confidence in the force. Photo / Chris Loufte

Michael  Neilson
By
Michael Neilson

Michael Neilson is a senior political reporter for the New Zealand Herald

VIEW PROFILE

Māori are more than seven times more likely than Pākehā to be on the receiving end of police force, a "shameful" statistic that has not changed in over six years despite numerous strategies to address it.

Justice advocates say the data - in the 2019 Tactical Options Report - is "shameful" and racist, while the Police Association say the disproportionate rates reflect wider failures of society and a broken mental health system.

In 2019 there was a substantial jump in incidents that involved police force - 4860, up from 4398 in 2018, and representing 0.16 per cent of all police interactions, up from 0.1 per cent the previous year.

On a per capita basis Māori were 7.2 more likely than Pākehā to be on the receiving end of such force, including OC (pepper) spray, empty hand tactics, Taser and firearms.

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

During offender proceedings, force was used against Māori 40 per cent more often than Pākehā - an increase from 24 per cent in 2014.

In particular Māori males aged between 17 and 40 years, who make up less than 3 per cent of the general population, accounted for 22 per cent of all offender proceedings, and 35 per cent of all use of force events.

Read More

  • Police Armed Response Teams were called out to Māori children as young as 12 - NZ Herald
  • Police apologise after incorrect information given to Mike Bush over Māori discretion rates - N...
  • Armed Response Teams trial: Police warned not consulting Māori could have 'severe' consequence ...
  • Revealed: Scepticism of police Turning of the Tide after previous major Māori strategy fails to...

The report also found increasing amounts of such incidents relating to mental health issues, with one in five involving either mental illness or suicidal behaviour.

Police Taser usage in 2019. Image / NZ Police
Police Taser usage in 2019. Image / NZ Police

The report authors discussed further work was needed to understand why the overrepresentation was so high for that group, a potential need to alter de-escalation strategies and improve community relations and trust in police.

But given the disproportionate rates against Māori had barely changed since the first such report in 2014, AUT associate law professor Khylee Quince said such comments were "disingenuous".

Such issues were even highlighted over three decades ago by Moana Jackson in his report He Whaipaanga Hou which canvassed racism within the justice system.

Related articles

New Zealand

Police force: Taser used on three 15-year-olds in 2018

11 Nov 11:03 PM
New Zealand|Crime

Police officer describes what it's like to be in the line of fire

11 Jun 03:31 AM
Kahu

Police admit to failings in arrest of young Māori boy

09 Jun 06:13 AM
New Zealand

NZ police not immune from scrutiny

09 Jun 09:26 PM

"The data concerning police use of force confirms long-term patterns of ongoing discrimination towards Māori, as well as males and young people.

"These behaviours are not new, and we should not be dancing around attitudes and behaviours of institutional and operational racism over three decades on."

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.
AUT law lecturer Khylee Quince says the data confirms long-term patterns of ongoing discrimination towards Māori. Photo / Jason Oxenham
AUT law lecturer Khylee Quince says the data confirms long-term patterns of ongoing discrimination towards Māori. Photo / Jason Oxenham

More concentration on inquiring into racism against Māori was required, along with tackling "embedded attitudes and behaviours that underpin the low trust relationship referred to in the report".

Subscribe to Premium

The number of incidents where people were injured by police had also substantially increased, from 826 in 2018 to 939 in 2019.

Most injuries were caused by empty hand techniques and police dogs, while the least involved Taser and pepper spray.

Māori were nearly nine times more likely than Pākehā to experience Taser deployment per capita.

Over half of all Taser discharges were directed at Māori, the vast majority (71 per cent) males aged between 17 and 40 years.

Police discharged firearms during eight incidents, where three people were killed, and three injured.

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

Police Association president Chris Cahill said the disproportionate rates were "a concern", but reflected the reality of what police were confronted with.

"Majority of events arise from family harm - 50 per cent, and mental health - 20 per cent, and those are both areas Māori and Pasifika are overrepresented in.

"That is an indictment on New Zealand, and police have to deal with those indictments."

Police Association president Chris Cahill says the disproportionate impacts reflect "indictments on society", which police had to deal with. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Police Association president Chris Cahill says the disproportionate impacts reflect "indictments on society", which police had to deal with. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Māori were subjects in 54 per cent of all events where force was used, while accounting for 44 per cent of all offender proceedings, including 48 per cent of violence offences.

Clearly relations between young Māori males and police was "strained", and Cahill said more needed to be done to improve it.

"That group is probably the most disenfranchised and alienated in society, reflecting a failure of our education system, our health system, and police are dealing with the other end of that."

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

Fewer incidents would also occur if more resources were put into mental health and family violence, Cahill said.

"We don't think police are often the best equipped to deal with people suffering mental health issues, but due to lack of mental health workers and crisis teams police are increasingly called on."

People Against Prisons Aotearoa spokeswoman Emilie Rākete said it was not good enough to simply blame the statistics on societal failures.

"These issues are caused by the structure of our society where Māori and Pasifika are exploited, but if our response is to beat, abuse and set attack dogs on us, to launch armed patrols in majority brown neighbourhoods, it is not good enough say it is not our fault."

Rākete, a doctoral candidate in criminology at the University of Auckland, said the latest statistics were "shameful", and indicated a failure of police strategies to address racism.

Police launched the Turning of the Tide strategy in 2012 to slash stubbornly high Māori crime and road safety statistics by 2018.

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

But last year it was revealed police met just two of seven targets, and over the six years Māori reoffending rates had actually increased, while for non-Māori they went down.

The low success rate raised doubts over how their new strategy, Te Huringa o Te Tai, a goal including a 25 per cent reduction in Māori reoffending rates and an increase in trust and confidence to 90 per cent by 2025 - would do any better.

"We have never had more brown cops, and Māori and Pasifika on community consultation panels, but these stats have almost never been worse," Rākete said.

"This approach is a proven failure, failed to reduce levels of racist violence."

People Against Prisons Aotearoa spokeswoman Emilie Rākete says funding needs to be diverted from police to mental health and community groups. Photo / Jason Oxenham
People Against Prisons Aotearoa spokeswoman Emilie Rākete says funding needs to be diverted from police to mental health and community groups. Photo / Jason Oxenham

She said police needed to be disarmed, and resources diverted into community groups and mental health to "solve the issues at the roots".

Police declined a request for an interview.

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

In a statement, assistant commissioner response and operations Tusha Penny said police were focused on Te Huringa o Te Tai to reduce the over-representation of Māori in the criminal justice system.

Police were also working with iwi and other partners in the community and wider justice sector, including Te Pae Oranga/Iwi community panels.

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

Roads closed, parking restricted as Parliament protest looms

19 Aug 09:43 AM
New Zealand

One person dead in crash involving pedestrian

19 Aug 07:10 AM
New Zealand|Politics

Ombudsman sends PM 'please explain' over Sharma allegations

19 Aug 07:04 AM
New Zealand|Crime

Kawhia shooting: Mum haunted by frightening escape into darkness with children

19 Aug 04:04 AM
New Zealand

Young candidate hopes to lead Nelson Council

19 Aug 05:59 AM

Most Popular

Ombudsman sends PM 'please explain' over Sharma allegations
New Zealand|Politics

Ombudsman sends PM 'please explain' over Sharma allegations

19 Aug 07:04 AM
Kawhia shooting: Mum haunted by frightening escape into darkness with children
New Zealand|Crime

Kawhia shooting: Mum haunted by frightening escape into darkness with children

19 Aug 04:04 AM
Premium
Cecilia Robinson rejoins My Food Bag board amid 'deeply disappointing' share price
Business

Cecilia Robinson rejoins My Food Bag board amid 'deeply disappointing' share price

19 Aug 05:32 AM

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.
About NZMEHelp & SupportContact UsSubscribe to NZ HeraldHouse Rules
Manage Your Print SubscriptionNZ Herald E-EditionAdvertise with NZMEBook Your AdPrivacy Policy
Terms of UseCompetition Terms & ConditionsSubscriptions Terms & Conditions
© Copyright 2022 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP