Stuart Nash
Wellington, December 19, 2017
I acknowledge a decade of efforts to transform the culture, conduct, policy and practices of the Police.
The final audit of the Police response to the 2007 Commission of Inquiry into Police Conduct was today presented to Parliament by the Office of the Auditor General.
It concluded that “the Police are now a fundamentally better organisation than they were in 2007.”
It also noted that “our audit work showed that the Police have a firm basis for continuing to improve. The Police are aware that the end of the 10-year monitoring period does not mark the end of their progress.”
Long Legacy
Dame Margaret Bazley’s 2007 report has a long legacy.
She identified systemic issues for the organisation which it has been working for ten years to address. There is still work to do but they have come a long way.
I congratulate the Police Commissioner and his predecessors who have worked to implement change that matters.
There is still much to do to ensure Police are representative of the communities they serve. We need more female officers and greater ethnic diversity for example.
Police and others, especially victims’ advocates, deserve acknowledgement for the efforts they have put into transforming the way the organisation deals with sexual assault investigations. The culture of the workforce and its approach to performance and discipline has also changed.
More diversity needed
I am determined that this should continue. I encourage potential recruits from all walks of life to consider applying for a career in Police. I am heartened by the impact of the latest recruitment campaign where 40 per cent of new applicants are female.
I will continue to monitor the way Police respond to the important questions first raised in 2007. While unfortunately there may be future examples of unacceptable behaviour by some employees, I am encouraged and heartened by the transformational change achieved within the wider organisation.
Stuart Nash is Police Minister of New Zealand.
