Police Strategic Plan to 2006 - New Zealand Police

Police Strategic Plan to 2006

Released February 2002

Introduction

A fundamental responsibility of government is to protect the citizens of New Zealand. To achieve this government transfers specific powers to government agencies, such as New Zealand Police, to carry out the tasks required for the development of a safe and progressive society. Police is a national organisation responsible for the twenty-four hour a day service delivery of law, order and safety services to all parts of New Zealand. Police fulfil their role within a partnership arrangement with many other organisations, but most importantly with the people of Aotearoa - New Zealand.

The strategic plan signals policing development that is stable but not static - the strategy does not set out wholesale or rapid change. Changes that are necessary will occur in a measured way and with reference to current environmental conditions and the anticipated future.


Police strategic goals

Police have identified two strategic goals that align with the Police mission statement, the expectations of Government and the community. The strategic goals are:

  • Community Safety; and
  • Crime Reduction.


Core functions of Police

The core functions describe the heart of Police service delivery. It is from the core functions that the specific policing programs and functional strategies are developed. The core functions explain at a high-level how Police will achieve their strategic goals. The core functions of Police are to:

  • Maintain order and preserve the peace
  • Assist members of the public when they call for Police services
  • Police the roads
  • Prevent and detect crime; and
  • Enhance partner agencies and the community's ability to reduce crime and enhance road safety.

The following list summarises key issues to be noted in Police's Strategic Plan to 2006. Police will:

  • Target and focus on core operational policing to increase safety and reduce crime. Prioritising crime and safety targets on reoccurring crime and safety problems, recidivist offenders, repeat victims and high impact and high volume crimes.
  • Achieve national priorities and targets for violence, youth safety, organised crime, burglary and road safety, in addition to District priorities for local crime and safety issues. Priorities will be informed through community consultation, targets set in the Crime Reduction Strategy and National Road Safety Strategy and by prioritising on high value and high impact crimes.
  • Build partnerships and community engagement with central and local government, non-government organisations, Mäori, groups, individuals and international policing agencies. Effective partnerships will be characterised by the benefits of working together and not by the localisation of resources. Greater emphasis will be placed on supporting partner agencies to play their part to achieve common safety objectives.
  • Use problem solving and intelligence approaches together with good basic policing.
  • Continue to develop a skilled, diverse workforce of capable Police, with an emphasis on Police capability, leadership and management skills, retaining staff in core operational roles and Police integrity.
  • Allocate resources based on changing needs, locally and nationally.
  • Monitor and evaluate what is effective, locally, nationally and internationally creating a culture that challenges, consults and compares what Police do to find the most effective work practices.


Links to other strategies

In addition to the environmental context, some of the important connections that this strategy makes are:

  • Police's commitment to integrating Treaty of Waitangi principles and Mäori values into policing
  • Police's role to contribute to the targeted crimes and focus areas in the Government's Crime Reduction Strategy and national Road Safety Strategy; and
  • Police's commitment to work in partnership with government departments, non-government organisations, groups and individuals to enhance community safety and reduce crime.

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