Darkside of the Force - Personnel Problems in New Zealand Police and Their Solution (From Police Source Book 2, 1985, P 705-718, Bruce Swanton et al, ed. - See NCJ-103725)

• NCJ Number: 103737
• Author(s): G Butterworth
• Date Published: 1985
• Length: 14 pages
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: Australia
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS.

Annotation

This paper examines personnel gains and problems in the New Zealand police force.

Abstract

The New Zealand national police service had 5,122 officers as of March 31, 1984, who performed typical police functions with the exception of traffic law enforcement, which is administered by traffic law enforcement agencies. Positive developments in police personnel in recent years have included improved professional education and training, deployment policies that provide the efficiency without overworking officers, and increased pay. Some personnel problems are increased stress due to a rising crime rate associated with high unemployment and increased ethnic diversity in New Zealand's population, diminishing public confidence in the police, the centralization and mobility of policing that some say has increased police isolation from the community, and the high percentage of older officers with high pay who are unfit to perform frontline duties and who are too numerous to fill the relatively small number of sedentary positions. Regarding the latter problem, recent official reports, notably the Hickson Report and the Personnel Policy Committee study, have< recommended the civilianization of suitable administrative duties to release sworn staff for operational duties, improvement in police physical and mental fitness programs, and the development of appropriate and fair exit mechanisms for officers no longer fit to perform the required duties.