Sunday, 03 December 2023
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 Car GuideThe CountryPhoto SalesiHeart RadioRestaurant Hub
Voyager 2023 media awards
Subscribe

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Police feel pressure

Herald on Sunday
Saveshare

Share this article

facebookcopy linktwitterlinkedinredditemail
Photo / File

Photo / File

Tight budgets and heavy workloads are being blamed the "record levels" of personal grievances being laid by police employees.

The New Zealand Police Association confirmed there had been 25 cases since June 2013.

Among those complaints are two from staff members at Auckland central police station's file management centre.

The pair allege they were bullied between 2008 and 2014 and faced severe emotional harm as a result.

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

They also said when they took their concerns to managers, they were not taken seriously and called in an employment lawyer who filed an official complaint.

Greg O'Connor, the association's president, said that employment practice managers who were experts in the field of human resources were axed from police two years ago after a restructure.

Employment practice managers were hired after the 2007 Police Commission of Inquiry into police conduct.

The work load is now being picked up by staff members who have little experience in the field.

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

"Police are heavily stretched at every level and this is where shortcuts get taken. There are less people to deal with the issues and more issues arising. Often when you try to save money in one area, you end up spending it in another anyway," said O'Connor.

"Everyone talks about clearing out the back room, but when you clear out the back room you create more problems because you clear out the wrong people."

He added that apart from the cost of paying employees out for personal grievances, police also have to foot the bill for the cost of mediations and lawyers.

O'Connor said that police also modified the Code of Conduct process which removed the option of an external party hearing disciplinary matters.

Related articles

New Zealand

Drivers to wear blood test cost

19 Jun 05:00 PM
New Zealand

Police say sorry to jailed victim

20 Jun 06:00 PM
New Zealand

Former rugby star joins the force

25 Jun 08:12 PM

"Somehow there's a bit of a myth that police are easy on their own, the opposite couldn't be more true," said O'Connor.

"Externals tended to be people who took a broader view of the issues, whereas police are very hard on their own, much harder."

The association is often heavily involved in disciplinary proceedings, but O'Connor would not comment about individual cases.

Saveshare

Share this article

facebookcopy linktwitterlinkedinredditemail

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

TOP leader Raf Manji to leave after failing to enter Parliament

03 Dec 08:07 AM
New Zealand

Te Whatu Ora data breach: Man arrested for allegedly accessing Covid vaccination info

03 Dec 08:02 AM
New ZealandUpdated

NZ’s fifth Covid-19 wave prompts six-fold bump in booster shots

03 Dec 06:55 AM
New Zealand

One dead after quad bike rolls near Rakaia

03 Dec 06:37 AM

Top toys of 2023 for kids & ‘kidults’

sponsored

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

TOP leader Raf Manji to leave after failing to enter Parliament

TOP leader Raf Manji to leave after failing to enter Parliament

03 Dec 08:07 AM

Raf Manji is standing down after failing to get into Parliament this election.

Te Whatu Ora data breach: Man arrested for allegedly accessing Covid vaccination info

Te Whatu Ora data breach: Man arrested for allegedly accessing Covid vaccination info

03 Dec 08:02 AM
NZ’s fifth Covid-19 wave prompts six-fold bump in booster shots

NZ’s fifth Covid-19 wave prompts six-fold bump in booster shots

03 Dec 06:55 AM
One dead after quad bike rolls near Rakaia

One dead after quad bike rolls near Rakaia

03 Dec 06:37 AM
Toy trends for Christmas
sponsored

Toy trends for Christmas

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 2023 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP