Bald On The Beat - New Zealand Police Association

PoliceNewsThe Voice of PoliceWrite it here! Letters to the Editor are welcome.Signed letters are preferred, but in all cases the writer’s name and address must be supplied. Names will be published unless there is a goodreason for anonymity. The editor reserves the right to edit, abridge or decline letters without explanation. Email to: editor@policeassn.org.nz orwrite it to the Editor at PO Box 12344, Wellington. Letters under 400 words are preferred.Training for new recruitsI question the wisdom of the current trainingsystem for new recruits.After graduation, training is carried out throughVictoria University, with new memberscompleting a set number of assignments priorto permanent appointment being achieved.The speed at which the member completesthese assignments is the major contributingfactor for the granting of their permanentappointment.Trainees with no prior university experienceare clearly disadvantaged as they are notfamiliar with completing assignments in theuniversity format, thereby taking them longerto complete their training.Having seen some of the assignments thattrainees are required to complete, I fail to seetheir relevance. A lot of the material is suitablefodder for management consideration, butI feel its relevance to new frontline staff isquestionable.Surely, it is more desirable that membersbe trained in being able to pick the criminalliability of an offender, arrest them withas little fuss as possible, and successfullyprosecute them? Is it necessary to know theirmotivation?Do we want our trainee staff to be competentand efficient frontline police personnel (i.e.good crim-catchers), or academics?In the not-too-distant past all training wasinternal, supervised by a crusty sergeant inthe In-service Training Section who knewthe job, its requirements, expectations, andobligations.They were in a position to correct trainees’inadequacies directly, or speak to supervisingNCOs so that perceived problems could beaddressed.A university tutor cannot possess thenecessary knowledge or ability to guide juniorstaff. When were they last in the situation ofhaving to deal with a drug or alcohol-inflamedsituation, needing split second evaluation andaction?The Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB) hashad the sense to retain its In-service TrainingSection and few can argue that detectiveconstables and detectives are, across the board,the best-trained and most knowledgeablemembers in the department, particularly inregard to serious frontline offences.Why then have we developed an externalsystem to train and assess our most valuablemembers, the frontline uniformed staff?Surely there are sufficient qualified NCOsto resurrect the Uniform In-service TrainingSection. If not, why not re-employ some of theaforementioned “crusties” to guide our youngstaff?I hate to think what the department pays toVictoria University to provide their “trainingservice”. I think there could be some enormoussavings by returning to the internal trainingmodel. To continue with the current systemis an abdication of our responsibility to guideand train new uniformed staff in carrying outtheir duties responsibly and in safety.Ray Smith(Howick)Thanks to the Police ‘family’I would like to thank all departments of the NZPolice Force for the beautiful flowers, cards,letters, telephone calls and kind words andthoughts following the recent, very sad loss ofour husband and father Percy Ruri (golfer).And thank you to Bruce Horne and the RotoruaPolice Staff and surrounding districts as farfield as Wairewa, for making Percy’s send off avery proud and memorable occasion.It made us very proud of Percy’s chosenprofession.To the dog handler section and their dogs,‘beautiful’, right down to the dogs saluting.To Percy’s Intel girls, thank you for taking careof him away from home. I know you gave himspecial care throughout his sick spells.A special thank you to George, Kim, Willie,Wallace and their wives for the huge support,caring, kohas, food and liaison with my familyand making this sad occasion bearable for us.And lastly, to the Rotorua Police Chaplain,Jerry Harlow, thank you for easing the pain.Please accept this as a personal acknowledgementto all NZ Police Staff.Carole Ruru and Family(Rotorua)P.S. Percy Ruru (golfer) loved the Michael Hilladvert!Defer, delay and denyFor 34 years I’ve been a member of theAssociation and I have considered it to be, in thebroader sense, my union. I’ve read the objectives,service, mission and values statements of thePolice Association. They tell me, and anyoneelse who cares to read them, that memberscan rely on the Association to assist them inemployment disputes with their employer, theNew Zealand Police Department.My experience between 2001 and 2006 wasthat after two years of verbal complaints,nothing was done to alleviate problems withinour office. When I reported the issues inwriting, band-aids were placed over festeringsores, and nothing was done to rectify thecause. The local Human Resources OfficeOSH officer became involved but was laterwarned off the inquiry, given a slap on thewrist and told it had nothing to do with thatoffice – this from someone from the Officeof the Commissioner. Nothing further wasdone. Two further written reports outliningthe major issues were similarly ignored.Fourteen months after the first report wassubmitted one member of the office washospitalised and on sick leave and shortly after,two other members from an office of six staffwere off on sick leave (I am told there is nosuch thing as stress leave), all at the same time.The office collapsed, just as I had predictedin my first report to the Police administration.My regional manager asked me (at a meeting,while I was on sick leave) if I had consideredlooking for another job and even suggestedpositions that might be suitable. All I had donewas report the problem.I always believed my Association, my union,would come to the aid of its members againstthe excesses of their employer, and especiallyin such circumstances as I have mentionedabove. There is no evidence that it came tomy defence or the other members in the officewhich raises the question, what does one haveto do to get assistance from the Associationin employment issues where the PoliceDepartment has breached sections of theHealth and Safety in Employment Act 1992?What I have learnt from this whole sorryepisode is, if you report problems (as you arerequired to do) there is a very high price topay for your health and sanity. The report isignored; a brick wall erected so you can beatyour head against it, and the boss can hidebehind it knowing full well the only redressyou have is to sue in the Employment Court. Ihave also learnt the administration concept of‘defer, delay and deny’ is endemic within theNew Zealand Police administration.Colin A MacDonald(North Shore City)Anomalies with long service awardsI have read the article in the October issue ofPolice News about ‘Eligibility to long serviceawards’.I believe the article missed an issue pertainingto the long service award though.My situation is this: I joined the Police as anon-sworn member in May 1992 and becamea sworn member in 2000. My service iscontinuous, apart from the odd day a longtime ago as LWOP (leave without pay).I have had my previous non-sworn servicecredited.Because I am now sworn, my service is notrecognised even though I have given almost 15years of my working life to the department.I am not asking to be recognised as a SeniorConstable as some have suggested. But it is304December 2006