Report from the Commissioner of Police to the Minister of Police on issues relating to policing in the Auckland area

21 November 2002

Executive summary

Purpose

This report covers information requested by you on options that I wish to advance with you to improve policing responses in the Auckland region.

Background

You requested a report covering Auckland issues in a letter dated 30 August 2002. The specific terms of reference were to address:

• the wider context for policing in Auckland;
• crime trends in Auckland, and strategies which address these offending patterns;
• resource allocation processes, staff recruitment, retention and deployment issues, and associated financial and administrative arrangements;
• management and administrative structures, especially operational and administrative command arrangements; and
• the need for community engagement in police strategies.

A high-level report (Part A) covering these issues was delivered to you on 30 September 2002. Following discussion on that report I am now pleased to advance a variety of options for your consideration (Part B) that address your primary areas of interest. Part B provides my assessment under the following categories:

1. Auckland crime strategies.
2. Resource allocation issues (resource allocation, staffing and deployment).
3. Financial and administrative arrangements.
4. Community engagement.

I appreciate the fact that some of the issues that I raise in this document are matters that you will wish to consider in the context of budget bid considerations with other Ministers. I understand that any matters for budget consideration need to go through the normal business case preparation and appropriate Ministerial approvals.

There are some proposals however that I will wish to pursue as part of normal operational management within baseline funding and if you agree, I will announce them and commence implementation. I look forward to working with you as implementation unfolds.

Summary of proposed solutions

As outlined, Part B of this report promotes a variety of proposed solutions. Some will involve potential budget bids while others will be implemented within baseline budget allocations. In summary the proposed solutions are:

Crime Strategies

• Mobile DNA collection capacity across the Auckland districts (paragraph 58). [In this report capacity refers to an additional resource, whereas capability refers to improving or increasing the competencies and skills of an existing resource base.]
• Further expansion of non-sworn scenes of crime forensic capacity and capability (paragraph 59).
• Improved investigative capacity (paragraphs 60-61).
• Improved clan-lab response capacity (paragraph 62).
• Improved organised crime investigative capacity (paragraph 63).
• Introduction of Crime Stoppers initiative (subject to community support) (paragraph 64).
• Additional focus on tackling vehicle-related crime (paragraph 65).

Resource allocation

Resource allocation formula

• Review of allocation processes and in particular assess the impact of Auckland-based organised crime on national crime victimisation (paragraphs 66-67).
• Improved police response capacity (paragraphs 68-69).
• Development with local government of a five-year police resource strategy covering recruitment and retention (paragraphs 70-71).
• Developing a Statement of Intent with Government (paragraph 72). [A Statement of Intent is a movement towards an outcome based reporting regime.]

Staffing

• Implementing recruitment initiatives (trainee programme, UK recruitment, targeted recruitment of Mâori, Pacific and Asian people) (paragraphs 73-74).
• Review and potential reversal of deployment arrangements of Auckland-based police elsewhere in New Zealand and to some tasks on behalf of other agencies (paragraphs 75-77)
• Review of leave without pay provisions and policy (paragraph 78).

Deployment

• Review of police rosters across Auckland districts to unify deployment in a manner that better matches resources to risk and demands for service (paragraphs 79-80).

Finance and Administration

• Small regional adjunct to Office of Commissioner based in Auckland (paragraphs 81-84).
• Deployment of Assistant Commissioner to Auckland effective 29 October 2002.
• The Assistant Commissioner and an adviser will work on: - Developing a regional Auckland demand and response strategy; - Reviewing serious crime investigation and intelligence gathering, assessment and dissemination capacity and capability across Auckland districts.

Community engagement

• Police access points to be maintained at current levels and only amended to better reflect community demands (paragraphs 85-87).
• Creating police liaison roles in local government offices (paragraph 88).
• More structured accountability arrangements with local government (paragraph 89).
• Introducing a telephone reporting line for non-emergency calls and reports (paragraph 90).
• CCTV and expanded use of initiatives aimed at crime reduction through urban design (paragraph 91).
• School-based police liaison officers (paragraph 92).
• High police visibility through concentrated and co-ordinated deployment using the Spot Light policing approach (paragraph 93).
• Engagement with the Minister of Police, local government and Police Executive on Auckland policing issues on a regular and programmed basis (paragraph 94).

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Table of contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
    Purpose
    Background
    Summary of proposed solutions
PART A - PROBLEM DEFINITION
    INTRODUCTION
    WIDER CONTEXT FOR POLICING IN AUCKLAND
    - Demography
    - Socio-economic factors
    - Transport issues
    - Impact on policing
    CRIME TRENDS AND STRATEGIES
    - Strategies
    - Crime Priority
    RESOURCING ISSUES
    - Current allocation model
    - Funding arrangements
    - Resource allocation in Auckland
    - Auckland staffing issues
    - Budget initiatives and other actions
    - Options for the future
    MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURES
    - Auckland-specific structures and processes
    - Options for the future
    COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
    DISCUSSION
    CONCLUSION
    - Actions taken
PART B - COMMISSIONER'S ASSESSMENT OF POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS
    Auckland Crime Strategies
    Resource Allocation Issues
    Resource allocation formula
    Staffing issues
    Deployment issues
    Financial and Administrative Arrangements
    Community Engagement
FURTHER ENGAGEMENT
Endnotes

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