Annual Report for the year ended 30 June 2008 - New Zealand Police

Presented to the House of Representatives pursuant to section 44(1) of the Public Finance Act 1989.

ISSN: 1177-1526 (Print)
ISSN: 117-1815 (Online)

The Minister of Police WELLINGTON

Pursuant to the provisions of Section 101 of the Policing Act 2008 and Section 44(1) of the Public Finance Act 1989, I submit my report on the operations of the New Zealand Police for the year ended 30 June
2008.

Howard Broad
Commissioner of Police


Commissioner’s overview

Introduction

While high-profile crime and policing operations dominated the headlines, organisationally the 2007/08 financial year was one of progress as the benefits of the three-year programme of increased investment in extra staff became apparent.

We made significant headway with several of the tougher tasks relating to community reassurance, policing with confidence and organisational development identified in our Strategic Plan.

At times this wasn’t easy given our operating environment and in my mind this added extra value to our successes.

Operational Activities

Several of the year’s more high-profile crimes were indicative of the changing nature of New Zealand society and by extension, policing.

The homicide of 27-year-old Anan Liu in September underlined the fact that we’re now working in a global environment. Her husband Nai Yin Xue abandoned their three-year-old daughter Qian Xun Xue in a Melbourne railway station. He was subsequently deported from the United States and charged with murder on his return to New Zealand.

This incident highlighted the difficulties now facing investigators working in a global communications market. A routine investigation soon became international news and media were quickly in direct competition with Police and other institutions involved with the inquiry.

We now expect this as part of business-as-usual policing.

Anan Liu’s death, the conviction of two Chinese students for murdering fellow student Wan Biao in 2006 and other offences against ethnic New Zealanders during the year demonstrated the increasing need for Police to get alongside these communities and engage with them in meaningful ways.

I’m pleased to say that while this has presented some challenges, considerable progress continues to be made.

Also in September, a Christchurch police officer was placed in the tragic position of fatally shooting Stephen Bellingham. The matter is still before the Coroner’s Court however once again Police had cause to consider whether the gap between pepper spray and firearms in the use of force model is too wide.

In December, Police launched Operation Valour after the theft of a treasured collection of war medals from the Waiouru Army Museum. The medals, including nine Victoria Crosses, two George Medals and one Albert Medal, were recovered in good condition in February.

Three young women became victims of high-profile homicides during the year. British tourist Karen Aim was killed in Taupo, while Marie Davis and Emma Agnew both died in Christchurch. Investigators made arrests and laid charges in each case.

Criticism was levelled at Police after a jury found Chris Kahui not guilty of the murder of his twin three-month-old sons. This was a difficult investigation, especially given the age of the infants, and my staff did everything possible to assemble the facts and put them before the court.

In October, Police acted on information gathered in 2006 and 2007 that a number of people had been conducting and participating in training camps in the Eastern Bay of Plenty involving firearms and other weapons. Specialist armed police carried out search warrants at locations throughout New Zealand in relation to firearms offences.

This was a difficult operational decision that because of its nature stirred strong emotions, particularly amongst Maori. It also caused much controversy and debate elsewhere in the community.

A lesser-known aspect of the operation is that it came near the beginning of a series of planned engagements between myself as Commissioner and Maori around the country.

Even though these meetings proved on occasion to be tense explorations of different points of view about the criminal law, I found them a welcome opportunity to speak face to face at an early stage and explain why Police acted as we did. This constructive, forthright debate has in my view further advanced the relationship between Maori and Police.

The impact of the operation was particularly acute on the people of Tuhoe, as three of the 51 search warrants were carried out in the Ruatoki valley. This was a difficult operational setting and the action was interpreted as an assault on that community. Finding a path towards reconciliation is still under action.

After several years of steady improvement in the road toll, the end of calendar year road toll showed a small increase. Overall, New Zealand’s road toll has been dropping for more than a decade despite an increase in the number of licensed drivers, more vehicles on the road, and more powerful vehicles becoming available.

We responded to this challenge and increased our road policing efforts, in particular our high profile booze bus operations. Early indications are positive.

The New Zealand Transport Strategy (NZTS) goal in the area of road safety is to reduce the number of road deaths per year to fewer than 300, hospitalisations for longer than one day to fewer than 2,200 and hospitalisations for longer than three days to fewer than 1,400 by 2010.

To acheive this goal, Police will need to continue to provide innovative, consistent and unrelenting pressure on the risks on our roads.

During the year, progress was made on several initiatives aimed at enhancing our operational capability.

The Taser trial was successfully completed and a tender for encrypted digital radio facilities for Police specialist groups was awarded to Tait Communications Ltd.

We released the New Zealand Police E-Crime Strategy to 2010,
which outlined ways Police will address the use of technology
by criminals and respond to new types of electronic crime.

Strong partnerships with other agencies were further developed during the year as Police continued to work with justice sector, health, social development and education agencies involved in the effective interventions programme to address crime and its effects.

Organisational Developments

This year has seen good progress with implementing recommendations from the Commission of Inquiry into Police Conduct (COI ).

A new Code of Conduct applying to all members of New Zealand Police was introduced in February.

The Code sets clear standards and behaviours expected of all police employees. Breaches are dealt with under a new disciplinary system, which is aligned with employment law principles operating in the private and public sector.

The revised Police Regulations that came into effect on 1 February, combined with the Code of Conduct, enable us to address behavioural issues in a more efficient, appropriate, impartial and timely manner.

A draft Professional Distance Policy covering sexual conduct with the public, complainants and work colleagues has been written and circulated for consultation.

Another COI recommendation was that Police implement an ongoing measure of organisational health. The first step was taken in October when 6,500 staff were invited to take part in an organisational health audit to help determine levels of employee engagement.

The initial audit showed the needs of all employees were not being met in a way that provides for a strong and healthy workplace. Issues centred around concerns about recognition, fairness and equipment.

Employee engagement of all staff will continue to be measured annually, with discussion on the outcomes being used to develop action plans to respond to the issues raised.

In December Police welcomed the Independent Police Conduct Authority’s report into Operation Austin, the investigation into historic sexual offences by serving and former police officers.

The report said the operation was an exceptional, major criminal investigation, which reached a high standard of excellence. The Authority praised the ground-breaking processes for dealing with victims of sexual offences.

Also this financial year, the Government announced the establishment of an organised crime agency to lead cross-government coordination in intelligence gathering, sharing and enforcement around serious and organised crime, including serious fraud.

The new agency, known as the Organised and Financial Crime Agency of New Zealand, is hosted by Police. Establishment was completed during the year and the agency began operating on 1 July 2008.

I was pleased to make some key appointments to my senior executive team during the 12-month period.

Superintendents Russell Gibson, Dave Cliff and Allan Boreham were appointed to District Commander roles, while progress was made on filling Assistant Commissioner vacancies.

The appointments have brought considerable talent and experience to the executive table.

Recruiting

This past year has seen the organisation grow, both in numbers and in experience.

With 8,196 police officers in our ranks (not including recruits in training) at the end of June 2008, Police finished the second year of its three-year growth phase ahead of target.

Staff numbers (full-time equivalents) have grown by 10.5% in the two years since the current recruitment drive began on 1 July 2006. Over 600 of the additional staff are police officers.

I’m excited about the degree to which many New Zealanders like what our organisation stands for and want to be a part of it.

Our new staff come from a wide range of communities and each person brings a wealth of experience along with them, enriching our organisation.

Attracting quality staff in a competitive labour market requires innovation and we’re using more new media channels to connect with our target audience.

The extra staff have enabled Police to become more involved in helping communities respond to crime and safety issues identified locally as priorities.

North Shore City, for example, was the recipient of one of the Community Problem Solving Teams. One of its first steps was to engage with the North Shore City Council to combat graffiti.

In a three-week period, the four-person team arrested and charged the city’s six most prolific graffiti offenders.

Almost $100,000 in reparation was requested through the Courts. There was an immediate 90% drop in reported graffiti, which levelled out over the following months to a constant reduction of just over 50%. This has saved hundreds of thousands of ratepayer dollars and enhanced the aesthetics of local neighbourhoods.

Mobile police stations, youth action teams, mall and prison inquiry constables, Crime Scene Attendants and boy racer teams are some of the other initiatives under way around the country.

I look forward to more innovation as Districts put the extra resources to good use in helping their communities address the issues that really matter at a local level.

New Legislation

During the year, the review of the 1958 Police Act maintained its momentum through public consultation.

The consultation was well-regarded and included more than 80 public meetings, recognising the fact that policing touches peoples’ lives in many different ways.

The public were encouraged to make submissions and their views were later reflected and published in a document titled: ‘Public views on policing - an overview of submissions on policing directions in New Zealand for the 21st Century’.

In September the team leading the review took consultation to a new level with the novel approach of creating a Policing Act ‘wiki’.

The wiki provided an online space, similar to a whiteboard, where the public could post their ideas on what a new Policing Act could say. It gave New Zealanders an innovative way to suggest wording for a new Act of Parliament.

In December 2007 a Policing Bill was released for public consultation. This was followed by a unanimous select committee process which saw the Bill reported back to Parliament for its third reading on schedule.

Conclusion

This financial year has had its share of challenges. I’d like to thank New Zealand Police staff for their continued professionalism and their dedication to what can, at times, be an extremely difficult job.

While the year will be remembered for its controversy, it’s also been a time of considerable progress and growth.

The organisation I lead is vastly different from the one I joined. I gain a great deal of personal satisfaction from reflecting on our increasing maturity, our expanding mix of ethnicities, gender and talent, and our willingness to front up to the challenges posed by a rapidly changing global and domestic environment.

The progress achieved this year will serve us well into the future.

Howard Broad
Commissioner of Police

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Table of contents

Summary of Key Achievements
Introduction
Community reassurance
Policing with confidence
Organisational development

1. Strategic Context
1.1 Strategic Plan to 2010
1.2 Progress on Police outcomes
1.3 C ommunity reassurance
1.4 Policing with confidence
1.5 O rganisational development
1.6 W orking across the whole of government
2. Reducing Inequalities and Managing Risk
2.1 Key interventions
2.2 Managing risks
3. Statement of Service Performance
3.1 Statement of Responsibility
3.2 Statement of Service Performance for the Year Ended 30 June 2008
4. Financial Statements
4.1 Financial Statements for the year ended 30 June 2008
4.2 Audit report
5. Information Required by Statute
5.1 Interception warrants
5.2 Call data warrants
5.3 Road blocks
5.4 Tracking warrants
5.5 Bodily samples
6. Organisational Information
6.1 Good employer requirements
6.2 E quity and diversity – focus for 2007/08
6.3 D istrict Equity and Diversity Strategic Plan 2008
6.4 Recruitment and appointment
6.5 Statistics about women, Maori and Pacific peoples
6.6 Effective consultation with and representation by women
6.7 I mplementation of policies, procedures and strategies
6.8 E limination of discriminatory practices
6.9 Support for people with disabilities
6.10 Support for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex communities
6.11 Equity and diversity networks
7. Statistical Information

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