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What’s the story in Taumarunui?
“Misconduct plagues police force” was the banner headline
on a Sunday Star Times feature story on 23 May.
 Using an internal police report from 2002 into issues at the Taumarunui
police station as a starting point, the paper investigated “whether
a malaise” has set in to New Zealand Police.
Fair enough question. Police are accountable and the public has a right
to know if officers are acting unprofessionally and not delivering the
quality of service that’s expected of them.
And you can’t blame a journalist for swooping on a report however
it’s conveyed to her. Right now allegations of police misconduct
are hot news and the story was a gift.
But here’s the rub. If you are one of the 24 or so staff at Taumarunui
and you see a national newspaper bagging your station with no apparent
attempt to see what things are like 18 months on from the quoted report,
or to have a chat to community leaders to get their perspective, you’d
be a bit grumpy.
So Ten-One decided to spend a couple of days in Taumarunui to see what
else the Sunday Star Times could have reported had they visited the town
and put the allegations into context.
We’re not claiming everything is rosy but we did find plenty of
support for police, the job they’re doing and the way they’re
doing it. And lots of commitment and a sense of pride in their achievements
from staff themselves.
Behind and despite the headlines, Taumarunui is ticking over nicely.
Reported crime in the Ruapehu Area, of which Taumarunui is a sub-area,
has dropped 29.6 percent in the past five years – making it among
the top three performing areas in the country.
To achieve these kinds of results, policing in Taumarunui went through
a lot of change. Inevitably this brought tensions.
The current Taumarunui team seems functional, focused and they get on
well together.
As Central District Commander Superintendent Mark Lammas says, you can’t
achieve the sort of results that Taumarunui has turned in if you’re
at each other’s throats.
One of the things that irritated Taumarunui staff and community leaders
about the Sunday Star Times story was the negative impression the old
allegations created of current policing and of the town itself.
This inevitably has spin-offs for recruitment.
Taumarunui station has historically been hard to staff. The council,
hospital and school also have trouble attracting staff and poor media
coverage reinforces the negative perceptions that put people off working
there.
Police staff elsewhere in the country were a case in point. After reading
the Sunday Star Times story, several phoned up mates in Taumarunui to
commiserate and ask: “Why would you want to work in a place like
that?”
There are plenty of reasons, according to Acting Area Commander Senior
Sergeant Steve Mastrovich. He says Taumarunui has a lot to offer but
he can understand why someone working in a big city might not think so.
“
When you’re working in Auckland for example, you think there might
not be a pulse outside. People worry that if they’re not at the
cutting edge, they’ll get left behind. But that’s not the
case at all.”
The opportunity to gain experience in a bigger range of policing activities
than in the cities is one of the attractions.
“
Here, you get to have a go at everything. For example SAR – if
you want to get involved, we will provide work time and send you on land
SAR and other courses.
The squad is always crying out for members and it’s an important
part of the job here.”
Newly grad-uated constables can also expect to assume greater responsibilities
in a wider range of work earlier than their city counterparts.
But perhaps the biggest difference is the style of policing.
“
Here, you’re able to breathe,” says Steve. “You’re
not chasing your tail. You follow things through to the end and you’re
involved in solving community problems. It’s quite refreshing.”
He says many cops are keen to maintain the anonymity that goes with city
policing and that’s another factor that puts people off working
in small towns.
“
You don’t have to stand up and be counted in the city. Some people
say that’s a good thing and I used to think like that. But working
here makes you take ownership. You’re more focused on doing a good
job and creating a resolution to problems. You work to make sure you
don’t get repeat victimisation.
“
People don’t come charging in here complaining about police attitudes,
because you are immediately accountable.”
Sergeant Paul Francis agrees.
“
You tend to take more responsibility for your community because you are
an integral part of it. Small town policing is more friendly – we’ve
got a good, supportive community here.”
And despite what you might read in the paper, the police staff like and
support each other too.
“
We’ve got a good team here. We’ve got high calibre cops and
ethics, and we get on well together.”
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