Police Commissioner Richard Chambers says the Public Service Commission review provides guidance on how the force can improve. Photo / Mark Mitchell
By Sam Sherwood of RNZ
A scathing review of police by the Public Service Commission has found an “integrity reset is urgently needed” because of a perceived culture that holds seniors to a “lesser standard than juniors”.
It also found a “wave of crime” arriving on New Zealand shores and says police are “struggling to keep up”.
In response, police have developed an implementation plan that includes a 10-year police capability plan.
The Public Service Commission (PSC) released its Performance Improvement Review (PIR) of police on Thursday.
An overview of the report said police needed to tackle three “major challenges” in the next five years.
“They need to rebuild police integrity; address persistent traditional crime while adapting to increasingly complex, digital, and transnational threats; and build their corporate performance in the face of ongoing fiscal pressures.”
In relation to integrity, the report referenced the Independent Police Conduct Authority’s damning report released in November about how senior police responded to allegations of sexual misconduct by former Deputy Commissioner Jevon McSkimming.
“The report revealed integrity failings across a small group of senior individuals. Our findings add to the scale of police’s integrity challenge: we found a perceived culture that holds seniors to a lesser standard than juniors, tribalism especially at senior levels, and complaint systems which can fail staff at all levels.
“An integrity reset is urgently needed. Police understand the scale and urgency of this issue, the recent leadership refresh has aimed to address these challenges, and they have initiatives well underway.”
The report says police leadership needs to sustain that effort over years to “embed integrity across the organisation”.
“Culture and systems from front-line decision-making to executive governance need to reinforce zero tolerance towards misconduct. We see a strong base to rebuild integrity: the police staff we met are committed to keeping our communities safe and lifting integrity across the organisation.”
Crime was also evolving with police “struggling to keep up”.
“A wave of crime is arriving on our shores which threatens our economic prosperity, democracy, and social cohesion. Transnational organised criminal groups are bringing increasing amounts of drugs, firearms, and laundered money into our communities.
“Increasingly, online fraud (which is the fastest growing source of harm in New Zealand) is originating offshore. Meanwhile traditional physical crimes persist, and they are growing more complex, armed, and violent.”
The report says police need to “operate effectively across two parallel worlds”.
“They must continue to respond to traditional, place-based crime – an area where stakeholders consistently report that police perform strongly as first responders. At the same time, police must rapidly build the capability, confidence, and tools required to prevent and respond to harm in digital, transnational, and increasingly borderless environments.
“This is not a challenge unique to New Zealand. Police agencies worldwide are grappling with the same fundamental shift in crime. The difference will lie in how quickly and decisively police adapt.”
Immediate action was required to “restore core investigative competence”.
“Investigation skills are deteriorating, particularly among less experienced officers, and this is undermining case outcomes and public confidence. Looking ahead, police must secure the right people, skills, tools, and technology to operate effectively in an increasingly complex, cyber-enabled crime environment.”
In relation to core policing, the report says police have “historically underinvested” in its “corporate backbone”.
“To operate effectively at police’s scale, complexity, and devolution, the organisation needs to lift its finance, workforce planning, property, asset management, technology, and risk assurance functions. Without this strengthened backbone, the frontline will be unable to scale to meet the demands of an increasingly complex, digital, and borderless crime environment.”
In a statement to RNZ, Police Commissioner Richard Chambers said he requested the PIR last year and asked it focused on integrity and conduct “as well as ensuring NZ police was well-placed for the challenges we face now and in the future”.
“It is the first such review of the organisation since 2012 and was aimed at providing an independent view of the organisation and constructive guidance on how to improve,” he said.
“The PIR points to the challenges police face in the years ahead, both internally and operationally. I am confident that with the right focus we can meet those.
“Many of the issues highlighted by the reviewers were not new or surprising, but have been long-standing problems and some will not be quick fixes.”
He said in many areas, police were facing problems that have built up over a number of years.
“The findings have also given me confidence the direction taken over the last year is the right one.
“As I had hoped when I asked for the review, the report identifies areas where further work is needed to be able to better support the frontline and deliver to communities.”
Police had considered the findings and recommendations and developed an implementation plan, which was released on Thursday.
“While some issues will require more immediate attention, a key part of the response is the decision to do a 10-year police capability plan. That will consider what police need over the medium to long-term to ensure we are well-placed to deliver.
“Those recommendations that link to public trust and confidence, such as integrity and standards, have been prioritised in that plan, as have recommendations relating to support for the frontline.”
Chambers said integrity and professional conduct were “fundamental for trust and public confidence”.
“Work on implementing the IPCA recommendations is well underway, and the PIR was supportive of the actions we have taken to address those problems.
“We have made excellent progress on the integrity action plan and these recommendations will further feed into that.”
He said recommendations around core policing and investigations techniques and training were another priority.
“This has concerned me for some time and work that was underway on modernising and improving training for recruits and more senior staff has been accelerated. The new curriculum for the 20-week programme for recruits has already been put in place, starting in January this year.”
Chambers said the review made it clear the “refocus to core policing and frontline support” was the right thing to do.
“It praised the progress on targets to reduce violent crime and youth offending, noting the greater visibility of police through beat teams, retail crime and gang disruption work.
“The review also recognised the dedication of our staff and found they were motivated to serve their communities and want to keep improving the way we work.
“We have had a challenging year, we have worked hard and it is encouraging to know we are on the right track in many ways.”
- RNZ