Police News May 09.indd - New Zealand Police Association

New Zealand Police Association• A view of the kitchen in the second Waiheke holiday home.• A view through the lounge windows and out on to the deck of the latestWaiheke Island holiday home purchased by the Police Welfare Fund.Who can use the holiday homes?The 56 holiday homes operated by thePolice Welfare Fund are extremely popularwith members and occupancy levelscontinue to be high.Most members are well aware of theirobligations regarding the holiday homebooking system but unfortunately a verysmall minority let the team down.Pete Hayes, Manager of the Police WelfareFund, said there had recently been severalinstances where extended family membersand others have been using the homeswithout the member, or the member’scurrent spouse, being present.Occupancy rules clear“The rules of occupancy are quite clear.The member or the member’s currentspouse must be present during the wholeterm of the occupancy. Where this is notthe case we will evict the unauthorisedoccupants from the home and take actionagainst the member concerned,” Mr Hayestold Police News.“We feel sure this abuse of the holidayhomes is not widespread, but it is timely, inlight of these incidents, to remind membersthat such use is clearly against the rulesand the consequences for the member whomade the booking may affect their continuedaccess to homes and other Welfare Fundbenefits,” he added.ID checksStaff who issue keys at police stations(where applicable) may ask for ID and whereappropriate may refuse to issue keys if theyare in any doubt about the legitimacy ofthe occupancy. The local holiday homecaretaker has the authority to deal withthe matter as he or she sees fit. This mayinclude refusal to issue keys and evictionif necessary, without a right of refund.All caretakers have been asked to makeregular checks on members using thehomes.It is unfortunate that such a small numberof members have necessitated suchaction being taken, but the Police WelfareFund has to ensure that these valuableassets are there for the exclusive useof members. If you have any queries orrequire copies of the Holiday Home rules,please contact the Member ServicesCentre on 0800 500 122 or (Internalextension 44446).NZ Crime and Safety Survey on the wayThe Ministry of Justice recentlylaunched the New Zealand Crime andSafety Survey 2009, which gathersinformation on people’s experience ofcrime and their views on public safety.Approximately 5,400 people throughoutthe country will be randomly selectedto take part in interviews over thenext four months. Information fromthe three-yearly survey will be used inwork to create safer neighbourhoodsand communities.“This survey provides informationabout crimes that have not beenreported to the Police, which enhancesour knowledge of New Zealanders’experiences of crime,” Minister of JusticeSimon Power said.Only a third of offences reportedResults from the last survey, which wascarried out in 2006, showed only a thirdof offences recorded in the survey werereported to the Police. People are alsogiven the opportunity to express theirviews on safety and the impact of crimeon their lives.“The information gathered helps identifythose most at risk of becoming victimsof crime, the type of crimes beingcommitted but not reported, and theservices that victims are using,” MrPower said.A research company, National ResearchBureau, will conduct the interviewsand expects to be finished this workby June.The survey data will be analysed bystaff at the Law Faculty of VictoriaUniversity, the Ministry of Justice, andan independent statistician. A reporton the key findings is expected to beavailable by mid-2010.May 200991