In an effort to attract new staff that are representative of the local communities it services, NZ Police has run two seminars in the past week, specifically for Asian Aucklanders.
NZ Police recruitment and Asian Liaison staff were very pleased with the positive attendance, with over one hundred people turning up to each seminar. NZ Police Ethnic Advisor, Kefeng Chu is pleased with the potential amongst the candidates who attended the evenings.
"Over 90% of those who attended are educated to a tertiary level and a good proportion of them have great communication skills and strong networks within Auckland communities" Mr Chu said.
At a recent conference, senior Auckland based Police staff outlined some insights into the practical benefits created by having Asian staff in their team. Identified benefits included an increased ability to: • understand the difficulties faced by ethnic minorities • gain vital information in a timely manner • transcend real and perceived cultural barriers • offer an immediate, quality service to more New Zealanders.
According to NZ Police Recruitment Marketing Manager, James Whitaker, recruiting more Asian people is one of NZ Police's key recruitment priorities, particularly in the Auckland area where the Asian population is rapidly growing.
"A few years from now, around 40% of Aucklanders will identify themselves as Asian New Zealanders, we've got to ensure that our staff can form positive links with their surrounding communities, understand the people they work with and have a strong awareness of the operations of certain criminal groups...this will help us to be increasingly effective in the future".
"Although NZ Police wishes to recruit people from specific sections of society, all recruits must meet all our requirements and every individual we employ is selected according to their own merit and the value that they would bring to our organisation" Mr Whitaker said.
Mr Whitaker believes the strong attendance at the events is a result of specifically targeted advertising and the strong connections NZ Police already has with members of Auckland communities.
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