 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Asian officers enhance organisation
The number of Asian police officers in Auckland looks likely to increase
thanks to an influx of people working towards acceptance at the Royal New Zealand
Police College (RNZPC).
Auckland City District Asian Liaison Officer, Jessica Phuang, says as
more Asians migrate to New Zealand, more are wanting to make a difference in
the community.
“
A lot of Asians find it frustrating that police officers don’t always
understand them. Their expectation of police is different because of where
they grew up. With more Asian officers on the street, they can explain that
although things were a certain way in Asia, they are different here. There
are a lot of language and cultural differences.”
Jessica says one recent arrival from China begins training at the RNZPC
in August and four others have recently passed the physical and written tests.
A further three are sitting written tests this month.
“
Each of them has a very good chance of achieving recruit status,” she
says. “They really inspire me because of their enthusiasm.” Another
27 are progressing through the recruitment process.
One woman initially failed her swimming test with a time of 2min 23s.
With her second attempt she improved her time to 59s and on her third attempt
she passed the 54s requirement. Another practised the arm movements in front
of an instructional video in her lounge – and has successfully passed.
Kefeng Chu, Strategic Advisor with the Mäori Pacific Ethnic Services,
OoC, says public perceptions about Asians need to be changed.
“
People say Asians can’t swim, but most of them live in inland areas so
they have never had the opportunity to learn to swim. Often it’s just
a matter of how police encourage and motivate them to succeed. They are a very
motivated group.
“
Having more Asian officers is positive for police because it enhances
the whole organisation’s capability in cross-culture communication,” he
says.
The fact more Asians are actively seeking to join police is an indication
they feel more confident in wanting to become part of the community. “They
want to contribute to the society,” he says. “One way to do that
is to be members of the police.”
One of the ways Jessica helps potential recruits learn more about police
work is to organise volunteer rosters at the public counter of Auckland Central
Police Station.
“
They get first hand experience, deal with real time inquiries and observe
police culture. It’s a great place to learn. They are enjoying it very
much. The officers have been supportive and it’s really made them go ‘I
want to have a role in this organisation’.
For more information about Asian-speaking volunteers working at Auckland
Central Police station, or other ethnic related resources, see the Intranet
site under Mäori Pacific Ethnic Services/Ethnic/Initiatives.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
