Commission of Inquiry into Police Conduct

Fourth quarterly report on the Implementation of recommendations by the Ministry of Justice and the Independent Police Conduct Authority as at 31 March 2008

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS FOR THE QUARTER SUMMARY

Introduction

1 The Commission of Inquiry into Police Conduct (COI) was established in February 2004 to carry out a full, independent investigation into the way in which New Zealand Police had dealt with allegations of sexual assault against members of the police and associates of the police. The COI Report was released on 3 April 2007 and made 60 recommendations for change.[1] The Commissioner of Police is responsible for implementing 48 recommendations, with 12 recommendations to be implemented by the Ministry of Justice and the Independent Police Conduct Authority and a further three by the State Services Commission (SSC).

Police

2 This quarter has seen the introduction of the new NZ Police Code of Conduct, with the revised Police Regulations effective 1 February 2008, covering all staff both sworn and non-sworn. The Code of Conduct sets clear standards and behaviours expected of all police employees, with breaches of these standards being dealt with under a new disciplinary system. The Code of Conduct is currently being rolled out within the organisation using the methodology below with the process expected to be completed by the end of June 2008.

3 New Zealand Police have employed 12 of the 13 Employee Practice Managers to guide and assist with the implementation and ongoing operation of the new disciplinary processes both at national and district levels. A induction conference has been delivered, with the Employee Practice Managers introduced to the new disciplinary process.

4 A further achievement is the dissemination of the results of the August 2007 Organisational Heath Audit - Employee Engagement Survey, within the organisation. Presentations are cascading throughout the organisation to ensure the results are delivered to all staff in a consistent and timely manner. These results form the baseline for ongoing annual audits, the next audit due to be undertaken in August 2008.

5 The methodology for implementing the recommendations is by way of business implementation plans. These plans consists of two parts:

7 Te Haerenga, a Maori focused roadshow, visited 12 cities around the country from Whangarei on 17 March 2008 to Invercargill on 2 April 2008. Te Haerenga is a unique presentation in which currently serving Police officers with varying whakapapa share their work stories through a mixture of waiata, korero and kapa hapa. Te Haerenga involved NZ Police engaging with and performing to Iwi and other Maori organizations and individuals.

8 The first Citizen Satisfaction survey commenced on the 12 March 2008 as part of the Service First Project. This survey will be conducted over a period of three months and will include up to 10,000 NZ Citizens. The first report is due in April 2008 and the final baseline report due in July 2008. The survey asks general questions about levels of trust and confidence in New Zealand Police, and specifically seeks information on people’s experience of contact with Police. The results from the survey will be used by Police to help improve the way services are provided. For more information about the survey, go to: www.police.govt.nz/news/survey2008.html.

Justice

9 Good progress is being made on developing the Independent Police Conduct Authority Amendment Bill, which will implement recent Cabinet decisions to enhance the role of the Authority. The proposals to enhance the role of the Authority implements a recommendation of the COI: to review the secrecy provisions to ensure that they do not inappropriately prevent the Authority from investigating complaints that may result in criminal or disciplinary proceedings being taken against a member of the Police. A summary of the recent Cabinet decisions can be found at: Beehive - Cabinet approves changes to Independent Police Conduct Authority.

Independent Police Conduct Authority

Good progress is also being made by the Authority to implement the recommendations that relate to the Authority’s processes and procedures:

• The backlog of complaints have been reduced by 620 files (aged 12 months and older) in the period February 2007 and February 2008;

• Processes have been instituted to better facilitate oral complaint taking and providing more contact with complainants; and

• The appointments of a chief executive and a permanent media liaison officer have greatly strengthened the operational, administrative, governance and communications capacity of the Authority.

Table

Progress reports on the implementation of the recommendations will be made quarterly. The table will then be updated and published. The following table provides an update on the implementation of the COI’s recommendations to 31 March 2008.

Footnote

1 The full report can be found at: http://www.cipc.govt.nz/cipc.nsf/wpg_URL/Agency-Commission-of-Inquiry-into-Police-Conduct-Report-of-the-Commission-of-Inquiry-into-Police-Conduct?OpenDocument.

Recommendations, status, progress and estimated time to completion

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