Kua tīmata Ngā Pirihimana i te wāhanga hou o te rangahau i te tika me te tōkeke o ngā mahi pirihimana
E pānui ana Ngā Pirihimana o Aotearoa i te tukanga komihanatanga mō ngā wāhanga rangahau e toru e tū mai nei, ko tana aronga kia matatika, kia tōkeke hoki ngā mahi pirihimana mō ngā hapori katoa.
Kei tēnei rangahau, ka mahi tahi ki ngā hapori me ngā pirihimana aroākapa ki te kite ko wai ka whakatūria e Ngā Pirihimana, ka kōrero rātou ki a wai, ā, he pēhea tā Ngā Pirihimana aro ki a ia, te whakatau āhea e tika ana ki te whakamau tangata, me ngā whakatau e pā ana ki te hāmene tangata.
Ko tēnei wāhanga mahi, e mōhiotia ana hei kaupapa Understanding Policing Delivery (UPD), i pānuitia e te Kōmihana Pirihimana a Andrew Coster i te Maehe 2021 nōna i kōpou i te Tiamana o te Paewhiri Motuhake, a Tā Kim Workman.
Hei whakatūturu i ngā ratonga mahi tika, mahi tōkeke a ngā pirihimana mō ngā hapori katoa, ko tā te Paewhiri Motuhake, he kite mēnā he ngākau kino ki roto i ngā mahi Pirihimana e ūtonga ana ki ngā hapori ahurei, ka mutu, he aha tōna roanga.
Ko te mahi tuatahi o te kaupapa, ko te whakahaere i ngā arotake ā-motu e rua mō ngā kōrero e pā ana ki ngā mōhiotanga kāore anō kia whai hua me te whakarite ara mā Ngā Pirihimana kia whakatika i ngā hua mō ngā hapori katoa haere ake nei. Nā ngā arotake e rua, kua whakaritea me pēhea te aro a te Paewhiri, otirā kia riro mā te kaupapa Māori ngā rangahau e tū mai nei, e whakamōhio me tā rātou mate ki te kimi i ngā tūtakinga tūturu i waenga i ngā pirihimana me ngā mema nō ngā momo hapori maha.
Hei tā Tā Kim Workman, “Kei te aro noa ngā rangahau o tāwāhi k ngā tatauranga e pā ana ki te ngākau kino o Ngā Pirihimana me te kore aro ki ngā hapori, Ngā Pirihimana me ā rātou tūtakinga. Ko tā te Paewhiri Motuhake, he tō mai i ngā tangata mātauranga, rangahau, me ngā rangatira o ngā hapori kia rerekē ai te whakahaere o ngā mahi rangahau. Kua roa e whakawhanake ana i tētahi kaupapa e aro ai ki ngā pirihimana me ngā hapori hei hoa i te tukanga rangahau, kaua hei tangata noa.”
I te rangi nei, ka tīmata te Paewhiri Motuhake ki te whakarite i ngā kaupapa rangahau hou e toru ka tīmata hei te wāhanga tuarua o 2022.
Hei tā Andrew Coster, Kōmihana o Ngā Pirihimana “E hīkaka ana ahau ki te tautoko i ngā mahi a te Paewhiri Motuhake i a rātou e tīmata ana i ā rātou mahi rangahau mō tēnei wāhanga mahi. Nā ēnei mahi ka taea e ngā Pirihimana ngā whakaaro o te hapori te āta whakamōhio, me te āta tohu mēnā he āhuatanga me mātua panoni e mātou kia pai ai ā mātou kaupapa here, tukanga, tikanga rānei. He wāhi nui tō UPD i ngā mahi whānui e whakahaeretia ana e mātou ngā ratonga pirihimana hei māngai, hei urupare hoki ki ngā hapori katoa - inā hoki, kei te mōhio mātou mā te mahi tahi rawa me ngā hapori e whakaheke mauroa ai te hara me te tūkino. Ko te whāinga o tēnei mahi kia riro mā te rangahau hei tūāpapa e tutuki ai te wāhi ki a mātou kia tika, kia tōkeke hoki te ratonga pirihimana ki te katoa.”
Hei tā ngā kōrero tāpiri ake a Glen Wilcox, mema o te Paewhiri Ā-ture Māori Motuhake ki Tāmaki Makaurau, me te Paewhiri Motuhake UPD "e haere atu ana nga pirihimana ki te mahi pai. He pai tena ! Ahakoa tena, ko te nako o te rangahau neki, ki te whitikoro ki te hunga a nga hapori, te ropu pirihimana hoki, kia rokohina ai, mena e mohio ake ana ratou i nga tikanga titaha, me te aweawe o aua tikanga ki te oranga o te tangata, ki te whanau, ki te hapori, to tatou motu hoki. Katahi ka taea e nga pirihimana te ata whakahuri i aua tikanga titaha hei painga mo nga tangata katoa o Aotearoa.”
Hei tā Ahorangi Tūhono Khylee Quice, Ngāpuhi, Te Roroa, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungunu: Manukura Ture ki Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makaurau, mema hoki o te Paewhiri Motuhake o UPD, “Ko ētahi o ngā mahi pirihimana o mua, o nāianei hoki nō roto o Aotearoa, kua pēnei te mataku me te rangirua o ētahi o ō tātou hapori. He whakapapa huhua tō ēnei whakaaro me ngā wheako, he hua nō te mahi pirihimana whakatoihara ahakoa i takune, kāore i takune rānei. Ka roa rawa te whakawhanake me te whakaū i te panonitanga tūturu, mauroa hoki ina pupuritia, whakaaetia hoki e te katoa. Mai rānō he mea āki au nā te tūturu o tā Ngā Pirihimana ū ki tēnei kaupapa whakahirahira.”
Ko Kaimātātaki Scott Gemmell te Toihau Ā-Rohe o Counties Manukau East me te Tiamana o te Rōpū Tohutohu Mahi o Ngā Pirihimana, e mahi tahi ana ki te Paewhiri Motuhake me ngā kairangahau kia āta rangahau he aha i pēnei ai ā mātou mahi, me pēhea hoki mātou e whakatau.
Hei tā Kaimātātaki Gemmell, “E hīkaka ana ahau ki te kite i tēnei kokenga whakahirahira ki tā mātou wāhanga rangahau. He tino nui ki a mātou me ngā hapori ko wai ka whakatūria e mātou, āhea e tika ana te whakamaua o te tangata me ngā tangata ka hāmenetia e mātou. He take matawhāiti te ngākau kino ki ngā hapori me ō mātou kaimahi anō hoki. E manawanui ana mātou ki te aro nui ki tēnei take - inā hoki he nui te take ki ngā hapori, he nui hoki ki a mātou.”
Mā te whakapono mai a te hapori i te tika o ā mātou mahi e taea ai e mātou rātou te tiaki. He āheinga nui kia pātata atu ai ki ngā hapori ki te mahi tahi ki a rātou kia heke i ngā mahi hara me ngā mahi tūkino e pā ana ki a rātou i ēnei wā nei. Koinā te take ka tae ai mai ō mātou pirihimana ia r, ā, he whāinga hoki kāore e kore kei te whakaarohia tahitia e mātou me ngā hapori.”
Atu i te whakaterenga o te mahi kōmihana i tētahi atu wāhanga o te rangahau, ka whakarewa te kaupapa i te ranghau kua oti kē, me ngā puka whakarāpopototanga.
Hei tā Tā Kim Workman, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa, Rangitāne o Wairarapa, “Kua tīmata pai te kaupapa rangahau o UPD. Kua whakaae Ngā Pirihimana me te Paewhiri Motuhake, mēnā e hiahia ana mātou kia matatika, kia tōkeke hoki ngā mahi pirihimana ki Aotearoa, e rua ngā mata o te kokenga ki mua. Tuatahi ake, ka riro mā ngā taunakitanga tēnei rangahau e arataki. Tuarua, ki te kimi mātou i tētahi whakaturetanga, he tikanga, he kaupapa here, he tukanga rānei, ka mahi tahi mātou ki Ngā Pirihimana me ngā hapori ki te āta mōhio he aha i pērā ai, me pēhea hoki tātou e whakatika ai. He nui ngā rangahau kua kitea e au e noho puehu ana i te pae pukapuka. Hei aha māku tērā, he pērā i taku pāengaenga ingoa, taku kōrero hua kore rānei. Mēnā he raru, ko tā mātou hiahia kia mahi Ngā Pirihimana me te Paewhiri ki te whakapai ake, kia tere hoki ngā panonitanga e tika ana.”
Police embark on new phase of research into Fair and Equitable policing
New Zealand Police is announcing the commissioning process for the next three areas of research with the aim of ensuring fair and equitable policing for all communities.
The research will involve working alongside communities and frontline police officers to explore who Police stop and speak to and how the Police engage with them, decisions around when and why the use of force is justified as well as decisions around laying charges.
This body of work, known as the Understanding Policing Delivery (UPD) programme, was announced by the Police Commissioner Andrew Coster in March 2021 when he appointed the Chair of the Independent Panel Tā Kim Workman.
To ensure that police are delivering a fair and equitable service for all communities, the Independent Panel’s purpose is to identify whether, where, and to what extent, any aspects of bias that affects specific communities exist within the Police’s operating environment.
The first action of the programme was to commission two reviews of existing national and international literature on the subject to identify knowledge gaps and to provide Police with clear and actionable ways to improve outcomes for all communities in the future. These two reviews have informed the Panel’s approach, especially that future research be led by kaupapa Māori methodology along with the need to explore the real-world interactions between police and the members of a range of communities.
Tā Kim Workman said, “Overseas research into perceived Police bias has relied heavily on data alone, without fully engaging with communities and Police officers and their interactions. The Independent Panel brings together a diverse group of academics, researchers, and community leaders, to ensure that this research is conducted differently. We have taken the time to develop an approach which will engage police officers and communities as partners in the research process, rather than as subjects."
Today, the Independent Panel starts the process of commissioning the next three topics of research which will commence in the second half of 2022.
Andrew Coster, Commissioner of Police said, “I’m looking forward to supporting the work of the Independent Panel as they start our active research phase of this work. This work will enable Police to understand how different communities perceive us and clearly identify if there are any changes that we need to make to improve our policies, processes or practices. UPD is a critical part of a range of wider work we are undertaking to make sure our police service is representative of and responsive to all communities – because we know we can only reduce crime and harm in the long term when we work together with communities to do that. Our aim with this work is to give us a strong evidence base to help us make sure we are delivering a policing service that is fair and equitable for all.”
Glenn Wilcox, member of the Independent Māori Statutory Board in Tāmaki Makaurau and of the UPD Independent Panel added in his own words, “The police endeavour to do a good job. That's good! Even so, our research focus is to discuss with people in the community including members of the police to find out, if they are aware of any biased practices and the impact of those practices on the wellbeing of individuals, families, society and our nation. Then Police can work to change those biased practices for the benefit of all the people of New Zealand.”
Associate Professor Khylee Quince, Ngāpuhi, Te Roroa, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungunu: Dean of the School of Law at Auckland University of Technology and a member of the UPD Independent Panel said, “Some of the past and present policing practices in Aotearoa have contributed to relationships of fear and mistrust amongst some in our communities. These attitudes and experiences have a long-embedded whakapapa that is the culmination of many decades of inequitable policing, whether deliberate or not. Enduring and authentic transformational change will take time to develop and implement if it is to be sustained and built upon consensus. I’ve been encouraged to date by Police’s genuine commitment to this ground-breaking kaupapa.”
Inspector Scott Gemmell is Area Commander for Counties Manukau East and Chair of the Police’s Operational Advisory Group, who work with the Independent Panel and researchers so they can really explore why we do what we do and how we make the decisions we do.
Inspector Gemmell said, “I’m excited to see us take this important step towards our active research phase. Who we stop, when we use force and who we charge are of huge importance to us and to communities. Bias can be a really sensitive topic both for communities and for our staff. We’re determined to front foot this issue – because if it matters to communities, it matters to us.
"We can only keep communities safe if they have the trust that we’re doing the right things in the right way. This work is a huge opportunity to get closer to communities and work with them to reduce the crime and harm they currently experience. That’s why our officers come to work every day, and it’s a goal I know we share with the communities we serve.”
Alongside the launch of the commissioning of the next phase of research, the programme is also releasing the research that has been completed to date along with summary materials.
Tā Kim Workman, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa, Rangitāne o Wairarapa, said, “The UPD research project has got away to a promising start. The Police and the Independent Panel have agreed that if we want fair and equitable policing in Aotearoa, then the way forward is two-fold. First, we will take an evidence-based approach to this research. Second, if we find legislation, practices, policies or processes that are unfair or inequitable, we will work with the Police and communities to understand why it is happening and what we need to do to put it right. I’ve seen too many research reports that end up gathering dust on someone’s bookshelf. I’m not interested in that, any more than I’m interested in name calling and empty rhetoric. When there’s an issue, our intention is that the Police and the Panel will work through what we need to do to improve things and move quickly to make the necessary changes.”
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre
Note to editors:
More information about the work of the programme, the Independent Panel and their research to date can be found here.
Researchers interested in bidding can find more information here.