File photo / NZ Herald
There are not enough policewomen at senior levels, a Commission of Inquiry into police conduct has found.
The 2011/12 State Services Commission of Inquiry (COI) report, released by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) today, states that while public confidence in police is up and crime is down, "increasing the representation of women at senior levels remains a challenge".
Police HR Manager Alan Cassidy said police have a "realistic target of at least 10 per cent women commissioned officers by 2017," an increase of about two per cent.
He said police are trying to recruit more women.
"If we recruit more women constables, we'll then have a bigger pool of women officers to draw from, creating a sustainable solution, therefore reaching this target," said Mr Cassidy.
He said police are steadily making progress, "Over a 10 year period, from 2001, only 2.9 per cent of senior sergeants were women. In 2011, this figure increased to 9.9 per cent."
A visibly changing police culture has attracted more women to the police force, said Mr Cassidy.
Currently 26 per cent of recruits at the Royal New Zealand Police College are women, he said.
The report cited a recent UMR 'Mood of the Nation' report stating that confidence in police is up five per cent since 2010 and up 19 per cent since 2005.
The same report rated police as the second placed government department, behind the fire service, with approval of overall performance.
The COI report stated that recent events including the Canterbury earthquakes have helped to shape perceptions of police in a positive light.
The Assistant Commissioner commented that, "it is especially significant that we often have contact with people during stressful periods ... yet obviously many people end up being satisfied with the encounter."
The report stated that public trust and confidence in the police is shaped by media representation and personal experiences.
"An even slightly negative experience with police has a far greater impact than a positive one in shaping an individual's view of police performance."
Last year's PwC report referred unflatteringly to the 'DNA' and culture of the police.
Mr Cassidy said these comments have been superseded, with the report now saying New Zealanders can be proud of the record of performance and the culture of police.
Police Commissioner Peter Marshall publicly stated on his blog that there is a "night and day" difference between the two reports.
A new code of conduct, implemented in 2007 has helped to reshape 120 years of negative, ingrained police culture.
Instead of an "enforcement-centred model in which the main job of police is to catch criminals," police are now focusing on a "more proactive, community-embedded, preventive model," through a Police Excellence transformation programme.
Police are working on paradigm shifts from being "police staff-centred" to "public service-focussed" and changing a "prosecutorial mindset" to a "victim-centred mindset".
The reports were instigated in 2004, after then Prime Minister Helen Clark established a Commission of Inquiry to carry out an independent investigation into the way police dealt with allegations of sexual assault by members and associates of police.
The first Commission of Inquiry in 2007, led by Dame Margaret Bazley reported that urgent coordinated action was needed following the handling of complaints, including Louise Nicholas' rape allegations.
More recent COIs have focussed on utilising resources and getting better value for money, however changing negative police culture remains an underlying theme.