Far North cops tell a sorry tale

Northland police are unhappy in their work, according to a recent survey.

For the fourth year in a row, police in Northland have been revealed as being far from happy in their work.

The 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.

Sixty per cent of staff in the region completed the survey, recording an engagement rate of 17.4 per cent and a disengagement rate of 29.4 per cent. The remainder were ambivalent.

That gave Northland an engagement index of 57.2 per cent, the lowest in the country, followed by Eastern 61.8, Central 62.9 and Waikato 63.2. Auckland City (80.40 was the most engaged, followed by Waitemata (77.4) and third Counties/Manukau 76.7.

Less than a third of respondents agreed that the department cared about their views and opinions, that day-to-day decisions showed that quality services were a top priority for the organisation, that the department cared about the wellbeing of staff, that communication was open and honest, or that they felt their contribution was valued.

More positively, a large portion said they were committed to their work and believed that their team and supervisors behaved in a way that was consistent with NZ Police values.
Eighty-two per cent said their job gave them a sense of personal achievement and they were committed to their work.

Acting District Commander Inspector Dean Robinson said the survey indicated that overall the district had a dedicated and motivated workforce. The results were pleasing, and consistent with last year's.

"Our staff also say that the biggest thing that makes police a great place to work more than anything else is their co-workers and camaraderie, and the job itself," he said, while the announcement of 66 new staff over the next four years, with 20 to start within the next year, had been a welcome boost.

The survey had also identified several areas for improvement, however, including further enhancing communication, improving staff recognition and building a sense that NZ Police was an effective organisation.

"We acknowledge that while we have made some gains there is still a lot more work to do in a number of areas to lift engagement, and we will be focusing on these," Inspector Robinson said.