NZ Police numbers are looking positive due to a lower level of attrition and ongoing recruitment activity.
Between 30 June and 31 August, the number of sworn staff has increased by 76 people - 21 more than NZ Police had anticipated at this point of its recruitment drive. This positions NZ Police well with respect to achieving Government's target of putting 1,000 additional sworn staff on the street by 2009.
Fifty-six new officers graduated from the Royal NZ Police College on 7 September, meaning the total number of sworn staff presently available for duty is over 200 higher than the same time last year.
As NZ Police anticipated, the sworn attrition rate reduced to 4.7% at the end of August, maintaining an overall average of below 5% which is amongst the lowest of any large employer in the country.
The loss of just 7 sworn staff in August is encouraging.
"Even more encouraging is that attendances at seminars at the Greenlane Recruitment office for greater Auckland went up from 125 in January to 303 in August," the General Manager of Human Resources, Wayne Annan, said today.
"More people are booking for seminars, more people are attending and more are completing recruit registration forms.
"Another 80 recruits are planned to enter the Royal New Zealand Police College on 25 September and a further 61 are waiting to enter the College.
"This is all taking place ahead of our new advertising activity which will commence in late October and which will build the platform for even more recruits in 2007," said Mr Annan.