FAKE dOPE REAl TROublE - New Zealand Police Association

News/viewsSome time ago, I wrote in this columnof my concerns at how the role of seniorsergeant is being diminished, and beingremoved from the administrative chainof command. Instead, the position nowbecomes more of a functional one, oftenwith no direct reports.As someone who spent much of hiscareer in the CIB before arriving at uniformsenior, I had failed to understand theimportance of this rank as a buffer betweenadministration at commissioned officerlevel and street-level supervision. Not beingelbow deep in either meant being ableto see things that could easily be missed– especially around staff behaviour andwelfare.Now the modern officer is often bettereducated and trained than in the past, butwe are a broad church in Police, recruitingfrom all backgrounds. Some will alwayscope better than others with the pressuresof being a police officer, both the on andoff duty aspects of it. Identifying those whomay be struggling, or worse, before it is toolate, is challenging.The field training officer position canassist, but, like the sergeants, they canquickly become bogged down with theirown work. When one of our own goes offthe rails – and there have, unfortunately,been several high-profile cases recently –it’s easy to simply make the “bad egg” call.It’s easy to say warning bells were missed.The Early Intervention process is a positive,but I wonder whether removing seniorsergeants from their line supervision rolehas been a mistake.Sometimes we don’tunderstand the value ofsomething until we don’thave it any more.The change managers overseeing the newpolicing structures often speak of whethera position “adds value”. Sometimes we don’tunderstand the value of something untilwe don’t have it anymore. We have araft of new tools atour disposal, fromTaser and readyaccessfirearmsto smartphonesand iPads. Each brings with it a newopportunity to “get it wrong”, with seriousconsequences for individuals and Police.I just wonder whether removal of animportant oversight level such as linesenior sergeants is a serious mistake.I would hate to see us bring in araft of new compliance and “tick-box”bureaucracy that will just bog supervisorsdown more, when the answer is under ournoses.We are in a people business. Peoplemight be the answer to some of our issues.president@policeassn.org.nzBravery awards 2013Nominations are now open for this year’sPolice Association Bravery Awards.Both constabulary and non-constabularymembers are eligible for nomination foracts of bravery in the preceding year,between July 2012 and June 2013.Nominations, which opened on June 1and close on July 31, must be submittedthrough the Association’s area committees.Nomination forms and criteria can bedownloaded from the Association’s website,www.policeassn.org.nz. You must belogged in as a member to access the forms.The Bravery Awards were establishedto honour outstanding acts ofbravery by Police, on or offduty, and to acknowledge peerrecognition.Our last Bravery Awardrecipients were former constableMarty Stiles and Constable MikeWardle, who were involved in anincident in Christchurch in 2010during which Senior ConstableBruce Lamb was shot in the face,his police dog, Gage, was killed and hiscolleague, Constable Mitch Alatalo, wasshot in the leg.A third award was also made, but due tothe nature of the police work, the recipientcould not be publicly identified.The design of the Bravery Award isbased on the sternpost of a Maori waka,traditionally carved to provide guardianshipduring a journey. The cast bronze award alsoincorporates a Police chevron and is toppedby a flame of pounamu, representing valourand high esteem.Constable Mitch Alatalo, left, and Senior Constable Bruce Lamb, right, with award recipients former constable MartyStiles and Constable Mike Wardle after the 2011 presentation.new zealand police aSSOCIATION june 2013 115