Police Perceptions of Maori, 1998 - New Zealand Police

Police Perceptions of Māori
March 1998

A Report to the New Zealand Police and the Ministry of Māori Development: Te Puni Kōkiri
Gabrielle Maxwell, Catherine Smith
Institute of Criminology, Victoria University of Wellington. March 1998
A Victoria Link Project


Summary and discussion

The seventy five percent response rate for this survey is satisfactory, especially when compared with market research surveys and other recent surveys within the police which, in the last few years, have rarely obtained response rates above 60%. The 737 respondents largely comprised those with at least 5 years service who were currently or recently engaged in front line duties. The sample, although not representative of the New Zealand population as a whole with respect to sex or ethnicity, appears to be representative of the New Zealand Police ranked at senior sergeant or below in these respects allowing for the booster sample of women. Only 8% of the sample identified as Māori although another 6% identified as having some Māori ancestry and 18% were women. The inclusion of an additional sample of women among the particpants is unlikely to have affected the balance of responses. The booster sample of those at the level of sergeant and senior sergeant may have resulted in slightly more favourable responses on Māori issues.

In going about their work, police officers reported that, for the most part, Māori and non Māori were treated similarly. A greater tendency to suspect Māori of an offence was reported by about a third and nearly half reported that police officers generally were more likely to query vehicle registration when a Māori was seen driving a 'flash' car. However, many respondents commented that policing behaviour was more related to other factors such as context and attitudes than to ethnicity.

At least two thirds reported that they had heard colleagues using racist language about suspects or offenders. Much of this was in private rather than face to face with offenders and suspects. However, as some respondents commented, adverse effects are likely to arise from the use of racist terms, either privately or publicly. The data also suggest that, on average, almost one in four police officers have negative attitudes to Māori. A similar proportion of police officers were seen as having negative attitudes to Pacific Island and Asian peoples. On the whole, there may have been some decrease in negativity toward Māori over recent years but most respondents thought it had stayed the same.

The survey shows that discriminatory language and behaviour are part of the police occupational culture. But this is not surprising given overseas research on police cultures and the evidence of racist attitudes in the wider New Zealand society. In terms of the amount and extent of discrimination, however, it is not possible to compare the findings here directly with other studies of police overseas, with the views of other occupational groups in New Zealand or with the rest of New Zealand as a whole.

Questions can and should be asked about the accuracy of police self report as a method of establishing what is actually occurring. It can be suggested that these results underestimate discriminatory behaviour because many police officers will have responded in ways that are consistent with presenting a good image of themselves and their colleagues. Others with negative attitudes may have failed to respond. It would indeed be surprising if, to some extent, these figures are not an underestimate of negative behaviour and attitudes within the police. And there is undoubtedly a gap between the overall presentation by the police of their own behaviour and that reported in the studies of Māori views of the police reviewed earlier. There is no easy way of reconciling the discrepancies between different self report studies of different populations using different methodologies. Observation of police behaviour by detached and independant observers could provide more certain answers. But whatever the reality, this study serves to define police officers' own reported views about themselves and their colleagues. Furthermore, there is considerable internal consistency in the comments made by police supporting their views which suggests that the police are accurately reporting negative attitudes and discriminatory behaviour that do exist. It is only the degree and amount that remains in doubt.

The findings on police behaviour and attitudes towards Māori reported here suggest that strategies certainly need to be developed to eliminate negative attitudes, to avoid the over-policing of Māori and to correct bad practices that may have arisen in police station talk. Senior front line supervisors have a crucial role in establishing norms and ensuring that racist language does not become customary. Training and best practice guidelines for them could increase their skills in mentoring new recruits as well as in regulating inappropriate behaviour.

The above results, in particular the view that policing behaviour differentially targets those displaying certain attitudes and behaviour or congregating in particular areas, supports Jackson's (1989) hypothesis of target amplification. In other words, Māori may be more likely than Caucasians to be identified by the police and treated as suspects because of policing strategies. A second hypothesis advanced by Jackson to explain differential outcomes for Māori was that of institutional racism: the consistent display by the police of different attitudes and behaviour toward Māori because of their ethnicity. Most police officers do not accept that this is the predominant ethos within the police but most also report that a minority of their colleagues do display different attitudes and behaviour toward Māori compared to Caucasians.

Respondents were asked about relationships between Māori and other police officers. Overall, 80% saw these relationships as being very good but this was a view less likely to be held by officers of Māori descent compared to officers identifying as New Zealand European. Māori police officers were seen by about a fifth to a third of respondents as having an advantage in dealing with Māori victims and offenders.

About a third said that it was more difficult for Māori to deal with racially abusive comments and the Māori police officers were even more likely to say this. Nearly a half of all officers thought it was more difficult for Māori to deal with deaths because Māori were more distressed by having to handle a dead body, especially when they were not certain that appropriate protocols had been followed. On the other hand, other respondents said that Māori had an advantage in dealing with Māori deaths because of their knowledge of the relevant customs.

A number of items canvassed views on Māori political aspirations. Nearly half these items were endorsed by at least half the sample. Most of the sample agreed with items affirming the importance of settling Waitangi Treaty claims, honouring Māori language, respecting and preserving Māori customs and improving the social and economic condition of the Māori people. There was more disagreement with such items as giving Māori guardianship of native plants, restoring Māori fishing rights and creating a separate justice system for Māori.

Collectively, these items gave a spread of opinion and met other statistical criteria that enabled some of them to be used to derive a score for the respondents on a scale of attitudes to Māori political aspirations. Scores on this scale were used to determine factors affecting perceptions and attitudes. Māori officers, older officers, senior sergeants and those no longer in the front line were more likely to have favourable attitudes than New Zealand European officers, younger officers, constables and those in the front line. Increased contact with Māori in one's private life, either through social activities or family membership, was also associated with more favourable attitudes although work contact with Māori seemed irrelevant. Several officers mentioned their experiences with marae programmes as increasing their understanding of Māori issues. These findings suggest that, given the right type of contact with Māori people, it is possible to increase understanding and promote positive responses.

Finally, a number of questions explored responses to proposed policies and strategies aimed at building responsiveness to Māori. Overall, respondents agreed with most of the proposals or were at least neutral toward them. However, proposals to recruit and promote Māori, to emphasise police commitment to the Treaty of Waitangi and to provide Māori translation on request were disagreed with by a significant minority. Comments indicated that issues of equity were at the heart of much of the disagreement and suggest that affirmative action policies in recruitment and promotion of Māori police will meet with considerable resistance. Increasing Māori representation will be best achieved by ensuring that well educated Māori are recruited.

The views of police of Māori descent and those who identified themselves as New Zealand European or Pakeha were compared. In general, the two groups did not hold different views on police attitudes, language or behaviour. But on specific aspects of behaviour, officers of Māori descent were more likely to report discrimination, especially in responding to members of the public, stopping cars, using abusive language with offenders and treating suspects roughly. Police of Māori descent were also more likely to report that the police had negative attitudes to Māori. One interpretation of this is that Māori officers were more likely than others to see the actions of their colleagues as displaying negative attitudes and behaviour toward Māori. Another interpretation is that Māori officers were more likely to describe real differences in behaviour and this is supported by the fact that, on several of the behavioural items, there were no differences in the perceptions of Māori and other police officers. It is not possible to check either of these interpretations without carrying out an observational study.

The findings raise questions about the position of the Māori police officer within the service and the extent to which he or she has a distinctive view. The data show that often the views of Māori police officers are indistinguishable from those of other police. Some of them clearly share the negative views and attitudes toward Māori offenders that characterise some of their colleagues. Perhaps this is not surprising.

Other research demonstrates the power of the occupational culture in shaping the attitudes and behaviour of groups within the police who do not fit the traditional police stereotype. Heidensohn (1992) discusses the conformity of women to the male police culture in England. One study cited by Heidensohn actually showed that policewomen were more similar to their male colleagues on a number of personality measures including femininity than they were to nurses (p 93). She cites a description of the phenomena as a mark of the conquest of biography by occupation (p 89). A parallel can be drawn with the results here where the attitudes of some of the officers of Māori descent may well be more similar to those of other police than to those of Māori outside the service.

On the other hand, Māori police officers were much more likely to endorse proposals for policies that would enhance their status and improve attitudes towards them. The differences between Māori and other officers on these items were, for the most part, the largest found in the study. Again there is a parallel with research on women which shows that although women in male occupations may often appear to share their male colleagues attitudes, they are, nevertheless, keen to see changes that will improve the status of women. And, as already noted, favourable attitudes to Māori political aspirations were held more among those of Māori descent than among those who identified as New Zealand European or Pakeha and among those who have contact with Māori in their private lives than those who had less contact.

A number of comments made by respondents raise issues about the nature and consequences of this research. It has been suggested that the questions encourage the simplification of views, that they encourage racism or the opposite, and are likely to damage the public image of the police by exposing the opinions of some about inappropriate practice. Each of these issues deserves debate. First, the issue of simplification of views is certainly a real one when fixed option questions are used. We hope that here a balance has been provided by presenting examples of the variety of comments that individual police officers expressed.

Second, with respect to encouraging the expression of biased views, it was certainly not the intention of the questionnaire to encourage police either to express racist views or to endorse what some have seen to be a 'politically correct' position that accepts the preferment of Māori political goals over the aspirations of others. Rather it was the intention to describe the variety of views held by police officers about these aspirations in order to facilitate debate about the police role with respect to Māori with whom they have contact and about the position of the Māori officers within their own ranks. We hope that this is what will occur.

The third issue to be considered is whether the results reported here will have negative consequences for the police or, indeed, for race relations in New Zealand. People will undoubtedly have differing views on this too. It is our view that accurate description of people's views and behaviour is important and necessary at the present time. If positive aspects of race relations are to be maintained and negative aspects are to be reduced, there needs to be a debate that is based on knowledge of reality rather than ill-founded accusations from one group or another. By describing the range of views, this research will allow for that debate to occur within the New Zealand Police and this may lead to constructive changes for both the police and those with whom they interact. The research debate may also provoke increased openness about broader issues of attitudes and perception across ethnic groups in New Zealand that underlie these findings. Police views and actions do not exist in isolation from the attitudes and behaviour of the wider community.

So how does one interpret these results? Do they show racism in the police? The answer must be that there is some evidence of racism in the New Zealand Police but these views are held by a minority. There is also evidence of strongly and widely held beliefs among the police in equity in treatment regardless of ethnicity and a commitment to professional policing. Many of the policies currently being proposed as ways of improving police responsiveness to Māori will be welcomed by police and can contribute to constructive changes. Others will require further debate. And the results of the research may contribute to the development of a greater social consensus about how best to create a professional police force in which equity is a reality for all ethnicities.

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Table of contents

List of Tables
Executive summary
Introduction
Method
    Questionnaire design
        Police behaviour
        Police officers' attitudes
        General questions on policy and strategy
        Background characteristics
    Piloting
    Sample selection
    Distribution of questionnaires
    Responses
    Data presentation and analysis
Results
    Description of sample
    Police attitudes and behaviour in general
        Police responses to differences in ethnicity
        Racist language
        Specific police responses to Māori and Caucasian
        Negative attitudes to different ethnic groups
        Changing attitudes over time
        Māori and other police officers
    Police officers' attitudes
    Factors affecting attitudes
    Police policy and strategy
    Differences in the views of Māori and NZ European police officers
        Policy proposals
Summary and discussion
References
Appendix

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Download full report

See also Māori perceptions of the Police, September 1998.