Full house for careers event

Police hosted more than 300 people at the Fickling Centre in Three Kings, leading to 128 registrations of interest and 48 people signing up with the Auckland Safety Patrols, a first step toward a career in policing for many.

 

A post advertising the event on the NZ Police Recruitment Facebook page reached more than 28,400 people, with 770 likes, comments or shares. The event webpage on Newcops attracted 3,317 views.

 

The event was open to all but had a particular focus on Auckland’s fast-growing East Asian communities. Other events have targeted specific ethnic groups, such as African and Middle Eastern communities.

 

Having police staff from the communities concerned sharing their personal stories is particularly powerful, says Cam Moore, senior marketing adviser.

 

 “The ‘extraordinary work stories’ campaign has a done a good job raising awareness and interest in a police career among our diverse audiences,” says Cam.

 

“Combining this with a special recruitment event aimed at a particular group can generate strong engagement within that community.

 

“We advertised the event in ethnic media networks – and we were sure to invite families to come along, as parents are key decision-makers.”

 

Around 2.5 percent of constabulary staff are from ethnic minority backgrounds, other than Māori and Pasifika. The equivalent for the population at large is around 14 percent, while around one third of Auckland’s population was born overseas.

 

“We’re seeking to attract people with the language skills and empathy to reflect the communities we police,” says Cam.

 

The 48 who signed up with Auckland Safety Patrols after the careers event were from Chinese, Korean, Indian, Pākehā and Russian backgrounds. “Nobody is excluded,” says Cam.