6. RON MARK (NZ First) Link to this
to the Minister of Police
In what capacity are civilians being employed by the Police to carry out roles traditionally performed by sworn police officers?
Hon ANNETTE KING (Minister of Police) Link to this
Civilian police, or non-sworn staff, have been part of the Police for a number of decades now. Non-sworn numbers have increased over that time, focusing on roles that were previously undertaken by sworn staff, such as emergency-call takers, prosecutors, and legal advisers, to name but some of them. This has allowed sworn staff to focus on the roles that require their range of constabulary skills, experience, and powers.
What plans are in store for the future use by the Police of civilians, and can she assure the House that their future use will not lead to an erosion of the responsibilities of uniformed police?
Like many jurisdictions, I suspect we will see a continued use of civilians within the New Zealand Police because they have a very good role to play, but there is a good opportunity for New Zealanders to have an input into the make-up of our police through the review of the Police Act that is currently taking place. It is fair to say that the use of civilians in the New Zealand Police has grown over time without much planning or looking forward as to their appropriate use. I think this is the time to look at how we could use both civilians and sworn staff within the New Zealand Police through the review of the Act.
Simon PowerCan the Minister confirm that two temporary decoy cops were directed to an incident in Wellington in January this year to deal with an intoxicated and extremely aggressive offender, but were unable to call for assistance because it took 10 minutes of wrestling before they pepper sprayed him and were able to handcuff him; and why has the situation got so bad that she is sending untrained civilians into situations that should be reserved for fully trained sworn officers?
That is not the right situation to send non-sworn staff into. These officers were temporary sworn staff, and even in that case the Police would prefer it did not happen. However, when a situation does arrive and there are people close to the scene, there are occasions when temporary sworn officers will go to the scene to see what action they can take. It is not ideal, and it does not happen very often. In fact, the member was able to find only one incidence of that out of the five incidences he received from an Official Information Act request.
Jill PettisHas the Minister seen any reports on the benefits of the increased number of non-sworn police staff?
Yes, I have. In fact, the use of non-sworn staff, particularly in answering 111 calls, has seen a big improvement in the ability to perform in call handling. This is an area where we have seen considerable improvement since the review of the 111 emergency calls, and a lot of those staff are non-sworn staff. We have seen much faster response times, and I believe that the public are getting a better service because of it.
Can the Minister assure the House that the use of untrained civilians to undertake police duties will be restricted to ensure that civilian employees are kept out of dangerous situations, such as the one previously outlined by Mr Power?
I have been assured by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Rob Pope, that that is the expectation of the New Zealand Police. That is what police are asked to do. As I said in a previous answer, there are times when temporary sworn police officers are used in other duties. The Police would prefer that not to happen but, having said that, I think the public would prefer the people who were closer to that scene at that time to take some action.