Changes underway to improve police

Northland police district Superintendent Russell Le Prou.

Annual survey ranks Northland worst in country

Northland's thin blue line is bluer than any other with police staff in the district the most dissatisfied with their workplace in the country.

But the region's top cop says work is being done to turn that around.

An internal survey asked staff to rate their satisfaction with the organisation's vision and purpose; their engagement with the job; communication; their colleagues and workplace respect and integrity.

The survey was done over a three-week period and 237 staff - or 63.4 per cent of staff employed by Northland police - filled out the survey.

Less than 30 per cent of police staff in the district felt they had a "common purpose", compared with 60 per cent nationwide, and 45 per cent said systems and processes enabled them to do their jobs properly, compared with 60 per cent nationally.

Just a third of police staff in the district feel their "contribution was valued" - a drop from the previous year and lower than 51 per cent nationally.

Less than 20 per cent believed any changes would be made based on the results of the survey.

According to the survey results, Northland police were toughest in the country when it came to rating their workplace satisfaction.

Northland police commander Superintendent Russell Le Prou said the survey was a "snapshot" of what people were feeling at that point in time and an indication of area that needed to be addressed.

"As police management we have to go to staff and listen to them. This is a process we go through so we can make improvements."

Since the release of the survey results there had been discussions held with staff in the region.

"We've got some plans in place and we have done some work but it's not over. We will keep focussing on improvements and that will be what the staff identify," Mr Le Prou said.

He said there had been a lot of changes in Northland last year in a short period of time which may have contributed to the low score when it came to police staff having a sense of "common purpose".

The changes included police moving towards a more proactive role rather than reactive. There had been internal changes as well as the way police worked on the front line with the addition of mobile devices. That had resulted in police being more visible on the roads and in the communities.

Mr Le Prou said indications meant the increased visibility had lead to dishonesty crime across the region over the last four months dropping by nearly 25 per cent. The offences included burglaries and thefts from vehicles.

"It takes a while for changes to embed and to see the results and benefits."

The latest crime figures showed Northland police had the second highest resolution rate in the country.

While Northland police staff felt more encouraged to provide ideas and suggestions than the previous year, year-on-year improvements still sat below the national average.