NZ Police Citizens' Satisfaction Survey 2009
20 October, 2009 - 10:05
NZ Police Citizens' Satisfaction Survey 2009
Press Release
Public trust and confidence in New Zealand Police has increased since last year and overall satisfaction with service delivery remains high, according to independent research carried out for Police.
The Citizens' Satisfaction Survey 2009 canvassed the views of 8471 people, over a third of whom had experienced recent contact with police.
The survey showed 72% of people surveyed had 'full' or 'quite a lot of' trust and confidence in Police. It also showed 79% of people who had contact with Police were satisfied or very satisfied with the quality of service they received.
Assistant Commissioner Grant Nicholls says while police were always working to improve service delivery, he was pleased with these results:
"Good relationships between police staff and the public help to solve, resolve and prevent crime.
"People who have confidence in our staff are more likely to come forward with information, and this is critical to successful policing."
Key results:
Service Experience (Those respondents with recent police contact)
• 91% said staff were competent (2008: 89%)
• 79% were "satisfied" or "very satisfied" with the quality of service received. (2008: 80%)
• 78% said their individual circumstances were taken into account: (2008: 75%)
• 73% said it's was an example of good value for tax dollars spent (2008: 70%)
Public Perceptions (full sample of respondents both with and without recent police contact)
• 72% had full/quite a lot of trust and confidence in Police (2008: 69%)
• 66% felt safe/very safe in their neighbourhood after dark (2008: 65%)
• 67% agreed/strongly agreed police are involved in their communities' activities (2008: 58%)
ENDS
Contact:
Police National Headquarters media team: 04 474 9482 or 04 460 2986.
Editor's notes:
• Assistant Commissioner Grant Nicholls is available for interview.
• The full report and executive summary are available on the Police website at http://www.police.govt.nz/resources/2009/citizens-satisfaction-survey
Citizens' Satisfaction Survey 2009 background:
• The survey was first carried out in 2008. It replaced other surveys previously used by Police and has become the organisational monitor for measuring how the public perceives police, and the quality of service people received when interacting with police.
• It has two sections:
Service Experience: Asks people who have had contact with Police over the last six months about their levels of satisfaction with aspects of the service they received.
Public Perceptions: Asks people who have and have not had contact with Police about their levels of trust and confidence in Police and their perceptions of safety and the role of Police in the community.
• A targeted sample of people was surveyed who had called the Communications Centres plus a random sample of the general population.
• The combined sample was 8471 people. Margin of error: +/- 2%. Around 38% of the final sample had had some form of contact with Police during the previous six months.
• The survey was carried out by independent research company Gravitas Research & Strategy Ltd.
• This year's survey was conducted throughout the year from 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009.
• The survey focuses on the six key measures which are known to have greatest impact on satisfaction with public services.
These measures are:
o The service experience met my expectations
o Staff were competent
o I was treated fairly
o Staff did what they said they would do
o My individual circumstances were taken into account
o It's an example of good value for tax dollars spent.
