Evaluation of the Blue Light initiative, Sept 2005 - New Zealand Police

Evaluation of the Blue Light initiative

September 2005

Prepared for New Zealand Police by Vicki Wilde and Mathea Roorda


Summary

Background to the evaluation

This report presents findings from the evaluation of the New Zealand Blue Light initiative conducted by Vicki Wilde and Mathea Roorda. The purpose of the evaluation is to develop a detailed picture of Blue Light in New Zealand, including the organisational and governance structure, the range of activities that are delivered; to assess whether Blue Light is operating as intended, and the extent to which the initiative might be contributing to the Police goals of ?reduced youth offending? and ?increased community safety?.

The evaluation is based on data from 37 Blue Light branches. The evaluation methods included a written survey, telephone interviews and two case studies which involved face to face interviews with Blue Light staff, committee members, community representatives, and young people in North Rodney and Ngati Porou.

Findings

Governance and management

A key issue identified by branch staff, Blue Light board members and the national coordinator is the degree of buy-in police management have to Blue Light. The board chair estimates that about 50 per cent of area commanders recognise and value the work Blue Light is doing. This support provides Blue Light staff with the mandate to plan activities and makes it easier to recruit and retain people to the Blue Light committees. However, findings from the written survey suggest a significant number of branches struggle to get support for their activities from police management. Two branches said they are in recess due to lack of support from management, and another is to close later this year.

Blue Light branches are accountable to their district commanders, not the national Blue Light coordinator or to national headquarters. The current organisational structure means that the national coordinator has no accurate assessment of the number of active Blue Light branches in New Zealand and what is happening at the branch level in terms of financial status, types of activities they are involved in and what they are achieving.

All but three of the branches that responded to the survey operate with a committee. Committees consist of police staff (sworn and non-sworn) and community members. A small number have members from community agencies, local government or central government. About half the branches surveyed operate with an annual business plan.

Most respondents said they are happy with the support their branch gets from the national Blue Light body. An area of need, identified by 20 respondents, was assistance with funding.

About 50 per cent of respondents identified funding as a barrier to their branch offering Blue Light activities.

Activities

Nationally, 30 per cent of Blue Light branch activities in the last twelve months were one-off events and 26 per cent were annual. These tended to be bigger events which required either more organisational support and/or funding. Thirteen per cent of activities/events were provided monthly and tended to include mainly dances or sports events, while 8 per cent were provided weekly and tended to be linked with school programmes. A further 22 per cent were held in timeframes other than those given in the survey and tended to be more frequent than monthly.

The most common activities/events in the last 12 months, in descending order of prevalence were dances; fun days (including the national Rainbow?s End Fun Day and locally organised fun days); camps; fishing trips/competitions ; sports events; PCT fear factor (including national and locally organised competition) and the rewards for kids programmes (including special activities/trips or camps)

In 13 branches, the level of Blue Light activity is increasing. Another 13 branches said the level of activity was staying the same while in 11 branches, the level of activity is decreasing. Costs/funding, time and staff support (including support from management) are important influences on the level of activity in Blue Light branches.

Success

Respondents identified two ways they measure success. This is through young people?s participation and enjoyment of activities and events, and through feedback they receive from participants, parents and the community.

The most successful activities include camps, dances, PCT fear factor and fun days, including those held at Rainbow?s End. Not surprisingly, there is a link between activities considered successful and those that are most commonly held.

Outcomes

It appears that many branches are achieving and often exceeding their Blue Light aims particularly building positive relationships between young people and Police, providing fun, safe, social and challenging activities and some believe they are reducing youth offending. Respondents said that many participants show changes in personal and social development as a result of their involvement in Blue Light activities. Where the Police emphasis was more strongly on law enforcement activities, branches faced more barriers to offering activities and achieving Blue Light aims. Few branches identified crash reduction as a specific aim although several did provide road safety education and related competitions. This area had the least evidence of outcomes across all branches.

Suggested changes

Respondents offered three main suggestions for how Blue Light activity could be increased in branches. These included: branches having greater access to funding including securing funding in advance, more Police staff and community involvement (for some this meant having a paid coordinator and for some it meant recruiting people from a wide spectrum of the community, establishing a staff support officer and encouraging more Police members onto the committee), and having more support from Police management including more positive attitudes and valuing the pro-active approach to Policing that Blue Light offers.

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Table of contents

Executive Summary
1 Background
2 Methodology
2.1 Written survey
2.2 Telephone interviews
2.3 Case studies
3 Brief recent history of Blue Light
4 Findings
4.1 Governance and management
4.2 Funding
4.3 Activities
4.4 Success
4.5 Outcomes
4.6 Issues facing Blue Light branches
5 Conclusions
6 Case studies
6.1 North Rodney Case Study
6.2 Ngati Porou Blue Light Ventures Incorporated

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