time to lower the BAC limit - New Zealand Police Association

New Zealand Police AssociationPolice Association welcomes IPCA child abuse reportThe Police Association welcomed the Independent PoliceConduct Authority’s report into backlogs in the investigationof child abuse files.“This is an area that has been of concern to members workingin the child abuse area for some time. The Police Associationdrew attention to the problem in 2006 and we welcome theIPCA’s focus on it,” Police Association Vice-President StuartMills said.A Police News investigation published in the September2006 issue headed New Zealand’s “Dark Secret” (opposite)highlighted the problem and the concerns overstretchedinvestigators had about it. In the Wairarapa, there was abacklog of over 100 child abuse cases. Two years later, Policelaunched Operation Hope and it quickly became a nationwideinquiry. Police have now apologised for not properlyinvestigating child abuse cases.Police Commissioner Howard Broad said that Police had “letthese people down”.Duty of careIndependent Police Conduct Authority Chair Justice LowellGoddard said Police may have failed in their duty of carebut Commissioner Broad has rejected this assertion. JusticeGoddard said Police needed to focus on having dedicatedchild abuse teams.Mr Mills said: “Clearly sufficient resources were not allocatedto child abuse investigations in the past. There was pressureon to get results in volume crime areas like burglaries andtheft ex-car. Those were strategic targets and performancewas measured against the targets. Resources tended to follow.This meant that in a few areas - but by no means across theboard - CIB staff were left stretched too thin across other typesof crime including child abuse.”Difficult and complex work“We believe this was largely because, historically, some highleveldecision-makers didn’t fully appreciate what’s required todo ‘business as usual’ policing, like child abuse investigations,properly. Child abuse investigations are difficult, complex andtime consuming,” Mr Mills said.• Saliel Aplin and OlympiaJetson• Coral-Anne Burrows• James Whakaruru• Chris and Cru Kahui• Lilybing Karaitiana-Matiaha- photos courtesy of TheDominionPostSuffer the little children…By Steve Plowman, Editor, Police NewsJames Whakaruru, Lilybing Karaitiana-Matiaha, Saliel Jalassa Aplin, OlympiaMarissa Jetson (Saliel’s half-sister), Coral Anne-Burrows, Delcelia Witika,Chris and Cru Kahui – their names and faces make our blood run cold.They are, of course, the victims of New Zealand’sdarkest secret – child abuse. These are some of thechildren who who paid with their lives – their namesand faces constant reminders of New Zealand’sshameful record of violence towards our innocents.A United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) report,places us as the third worst country in terms of childabuse maltreatment deaths of 27 ‘rich’ countries.In 1994 we ranked sixth.Babies under a year old are at much higher risk inNew Zealand than elsewhere, accounting for 30% ofall child deaths from maltreatment here against 24%internationally.Types of abuseThere are four main recognised types of child abuse- physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse andneglect. Emotional abuse can be a component of theother three types but it is not uncommon for all fourtypes of abuse to co-exist.A review of every death for children aged 0–14 years byDr Peter Watson in 1999 found that homicide was oneof the three leading causes of death. This unpublisheddata provides compelling evidence, which suggeststhat New Zealand’s ‘dark secret’ is that a child’s rightto life and security is not being adequately met in NewZealand.New Zealand’s social agencies, along with specialistPolice Child Abuse Teams (CAT), are at the coalface ofdealing with the problem of maltreatment of the mostdefenceless members of our society.Worsening situationThe situation has continued to get worse with a 45%increase (a record 13,017 cases) in established childabuse cases identified by the Department of Child,Youth and Family last year. Suspected child abusenotified to CYF continues to rise – up from 53,000cases last year to 63,800 this year – a 20% increase.During the past four years notifications have risen 86%.The number of children suffering substantiated abuse orneglect was up 62% in the same period. (Source: CYF).Every day 35 New Zealand children suffer from abuseor neglect. Seven of them will be admitted to hospital.Ten children will be killed this year by a supposed‘caregiver’. The problem in identifying ‘at risk’ childrenis extremely difficult. A study in 2004 showed that only20% of families where a child homicide occurred hadpreviously had contact with Child, Youth and Family(CYF).CYF figures show that, during the month of June, therewere 3003 files marked “urgent”, “very urgent” or“critical” which require further action. The criticality of acase is only assigned once the case has been assessedas requiring further action. “Critical” notifications are themost extreme classification and require attention within24 hours.That’s an increase over those three file classifications of75% in three years (1720 files in June 2003).Disproportionate representationWhile child abuse is by no means an ethnic problem – itis more closely linked to poverty than ethnicity – Maorichildren are more at risk and are disproportionatelyrepresented in child abuse statistics.Fifteen percent (15%) of the population are Maori but45% of notifications are for Maori children. Thirty-fivepercent (35%) are for NZ European children, 11% forPacific Island children and a little over 2% are for Asianchildren. Maori children die from maltreatment at arate, which is twice that of NZ European children (1.5per 100,000 for Maori to 0.7 per 100,000). Cautionis needed in disaggregating data by ethnic groups,however, and these figures should be viewed in light ofthe fact that Maori children are more exposed to the riskof fatal child maltreatment associated with having a stepparent, as Maori children are twice as likely as“Let’s not forget also that it was child abuse investigatorsthemselves who brought this issue to light, because of theirconcern that they were not getting the support they needed todeliver the service they wanted to deliver. It has taken a lotof courage to do that, knowing it would invite an enormousamount of scrutiny and potentially criticism, and that speaksvolumes for their commitment to the job and concern for thevictims of this sort of crime.”Mr Mills said he believed that the NZ Police are committedto addressing the problems originally identified by the PoliceAssociation investigation and by the subsequent IPCA report.Pahiatua police officer takes part in hair-raising eventAbout now would be a good time tostart telling Constable Peter Knight ofPahiatua hair-raising stories.Constable Knight recently raised $1,000for the Shave for a Cure campaign.The campaign is the Leukemiaand Blood Foundation’s signaturefundraising event where people canparticipate in shaving off their locks as away to show empathy and solidarity forsuffers of leukemia.It was the second time Mr Knight hadtaken part in the event.“My wife Karyn organised one last yearand we were so pleased with how itwent, we were keen to host another.“It’s such a good cause and the day’sactivities never fail to give people a fewgood laughs,” he said.Mr Knight and his wife had a specialempathy with the campaign – MrKnight’s grandfatherdied of cancer, as didMrs Knight’s father.Thirty people, includingthe Mayor ofthe Tararua District,Maureen Reynolds, • Constable PeterKnight.and several membersof the local volunteer fire brigade, tookpart in the event.June 2010123