Police Minister Mark Mitchell insists police recruitment goal achievable as Western Australia misses target

Police Minister Mark Mitchell still believes the 500 recruitment target is achievable. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Police Minister Mark Mitchell maintains the Government’s aim to train 500 new police officers in two years is achievable, despite Western Australia recently failing to recruit half of the officers it aimed to.

It comes as official documents detail the impact of recruitment struggles with estimates suggesting the police frontline is 174 officers short compared to how many officers police is funded to employ.

The Government, as per the coalition agreement between National and New Zealand First, had committed to training 500 police officers above normal attrition levels over two years, ending in November next year.

The Labour Party, which had trouble with its own police target policy when in government, has panned the target as unachievable. Mitchell himself previously appeared to advocate for a three-year timeframe but it was kept at two years.

Recruitment issues have been widely acknowledged. Mitchell had spoken about recruitment drives some Australian states had engaged in to lure Kiwi cops across the ditch.

However, that hadn’t helped Western Australia (WA) achieve its own target. The West Australian reported in July the state had recruited less than half of the 950 officers the governing Labor Party in 2020 had promised to achieve by June 30 this year.

In April, the ABC reported WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said they were 450-500 recruits below the target. He cited the impact of the Covid pandemic on workforce numbers and believed international recruitment was a successful strategy.

WA police minister Paul Papalia, in a joint interview with Mitchell during a visit to New Zealand last week, told the Herald there had been a “great resignation” following the pandemic but was optimistic recruitment growth would increase.

“We have something like 2700 Western Australians applying to join the police force and around 1900 from the UK and Ireland and New Zealand looking to join.”

Police recruitment struggles are well-canvassed. Photo / NZME

Papalia maintained the 950 target would be reached, but it would be after the initial deadline.

Mitchell, asked what hope he had in the Government achieving its own target, said WA’s experience showed, “You can’t always anticipate what’s going to change or what you have to deal with”.

However, he remained committed to the 500 target and the two-year timeframe.

“I’m not too bothered about what’s happening around the rest of the world in terms of how other jurisdictions are recruiting or what they’re doing, I’m very focused on what we’re doing here in New Zealand.”

A December briefing to Mitchell concerning how the 500 target could be realised pointed to the battle police currently had to recruit officers.

It stated as of November last year, the police were funded to employ 10,907 constabulary staff but only had 10,750 constabulary FTE - a shortfall of 157.

It also estimated that shortfall would grow to 174 by June this year. The Herald is waiting for police to confirm the actual shortfall.

To fill the 10,997 funded roles by mid-2028, the briefing said between 520 to 680 officers would have to be recruited each year for four years.

Adam Pearse is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team, based at Parliament. He has worked for NZME since 2018, covering sport and health for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei before moving to the NZ Herald in Auckland, covering Covid-19 and crime.