New Zealand’s Police Commissioner, Andy Coster, is an extremely smart man, and as such he recognises the complexity of crime and therefore that complex responses are required. Consequently, he has overseen the development of strategies that see police tackle crime in more sophisticated ways, one of which is the multi-governmental agency project called the Resilience to Organised Crime in Communities programme (ROCC). ROCC recognises that police can’t just arrest their way out of organised crime. Unless communities reject such crimes, there will always be new crooks to replace those who are sent to prison. This isn’t about ignoring traditional policing but adding to it. It’s complementing our short-term approaches like busting down doors with longer-term strategies that will mean fewer doors needing to be kicked down in the future.
This is a logical and important addition to our approach to crime, but any different approach takes selling; largely because it’s different, and because anything that doesn’t involve arrests or hard police power is quickly labelled soft on crime. Also, embedding new approaches into a large and often insular and conservative organisation like the police requires skill.
The commissioner knew he would need help with this, and that’s in part why he brought in Glenn Dunbier, a man whose quiet demeanour belies the respect in which he is held by all those who work with him.
Dunbier was given the role of Deputy Commissioner Operations, meaning he was the direct link to the 12 policing districts throughout the country, and he oversaw the rolling out of ROCC to a number of them.
In Hawke’s Bay, the collection of local agencies developed their ROCC focus, “Mums, meth and mahi”. In Dunbier’s words, these are the ideas that “bubble up from communities”.
If we can focus on mums, we in turn focus on the next generation; dampen demand for meth then we heal the broken and prevent crime; and getting people into work knits communities and the economy together. Dunbier says that if we “prevent lifestyles that feed people into the justice system then we are winning because once you’re in there it all becomes much harder.
“Of course, we must continue to punch above our weight in taking on the crooks and organised crime. We are the primary organisation that does that. It’s not either-or. It’s both.”
Dunbier believes the commissioner’s commitment to this dual focus is not only desirable but necessary. “Any policing agency around the world that just focuses on ‘tough on crime’ becomes more and more irrelevant to their communities.”
He cites issues in the US and the backlash that was the “defund the police” movement.
This hasn’t always been his view, and policing has changed considerably since Dunbier started. “For most of my career, I was only ever involved in operational, a frontline focus, I guess, but I can see this vision. It’s the future of modern policing and New Zealand can lead the way.”
Dunbier won’t see his efforts around ROCC come to fruition. He took a longer-term view; something only those without ego and a three-year electoral cycle can do.
Furthermore, he is leaving with the remarkable distinction of being somebody who is only ever talked about in positive ways. I can’t think of another person in the justice sector I can say that about.
Today marks Dunbier’s very first day out of the police in nearly 38 years. Enjoy it, Glenn, you’ve earned a rest. I am convinced future police officers and communities will see the benefits of your work.
Dr Jarrod Gilbert is the Director of Independent Research Solutions and a sociologist at the University of Canterbury.
