Selwyn Times: November 18, 2020

POLICE SAFETY Orders are
immediate orders issued by a
qualified constable at a family
harm episode. PSOs require a
bound person to surrender any
weapons in their control or any
firearm’s licence and vacate any
land or building occupied by a
person(s) at risk regardless of
whether the bound person has
a legal or equitable interest in it.
PSOs can be issued for up to 10
days.
What is a PSO
A PSO provides an additional
tool for police attending
family harm episodes. They
enable frontline officers to take
immediate action to protect
persons at risk of family harm
when an investigation fails to
establish sufficient evidence of an
offence.
A PSO provides time for the
person at risk to seek support
and assistance, including applying
for a temporary protection
order if desired and for the
bound person to cool down and
also seek support and assistance.
A PSO is issued in circumstances
where the police believe
on reasonable grounds that
family violence has occurred or
might occur. The person at risk’s
consent is not required.
A bound person is a person
against whom a PSO has been
issued.
A person at risk is the person
at a family harm episode who
is deemed to be most at risk of
being harmed once officers have
left a scene and for whom police
have issued a PSO to protect.
Also includes children that usually
reside with the person.
The effects of a PSO
Longer effects:
In addition to the immediate
effects of the order, the bound
person must not:
• Engage in behaviour that
amounts to any form of family
violence against a person at risk.
• Make any contact with a person
at risk that is not authorised.
• Encourage any person to
engage in behaviour against or
to contact a person at risk, where
13
Police Safety Orders
Area response manager
Senior Sergeant Dean
Harker follows his
October 7 article about
family harm and looks at
Police Safety Orders
Dean Harker
Selwyn Police
the behaviour or contact, if engaged
in or made by the bound
person, would be prohibited by
the order.
Breaching a PSO
Although breaching a PSO is
not an offence, the bound person
can still be taken into custody if
a constable believes on reasonable
grounds that the bound
person has refused or failed to
comply with the order or a condition
of the order.
If the bound person absconds
the court may issue a warrant
to arrest the bound person if it
is required to bring them before
the court.
The court may:
• Release the bound person
without any further order.
• Direct the police to issue
another PSO.
• Issue a Temporary Protection
Order (if the person at risk does
not object).
The court does not need an
application from anyone to issue
a TPO.
No criminal convictions result
Reporting family harm
events can be done in a
number of ways:
• Phone 111 when you
need immediate help with
a life-threatening or time–
critical emergency
• By phoning 105 –
when no one is injured
or in danger, there is no
serious risk to people or
property, the crime isn’t still
happening.
• By reporting online at
105.police.govt.nz
• Or by phoning into your
nearest local police station.
There are a number of
support groups around
the Selwyn district and
nationally Women’s Refuge
Crisis Line (24hr) 0800
REFUGE or 0800 733 843
www.womensrefuge.org.nz
Provides a national 24hr
crisis helpline. Provide
women and children
emergency accommodation
and confidential advocacy
services
Shine national helpline
(9am to 11pm) 0508 7744
633 www.2shine.org.nz
Provides a national
helpline for people needing
support, information and
advice to help victims of
Wednesday November 18 2020 Selwyn Times
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family violence become
safer.
Oranga Tamariki – Ministry
for Children (24hr)
0508 326 459 www.
orangatamariki.govt.nz
If you’re worried about a
child and want to report a
concern.
Local policing matters:
Over the last few
weeks we have had a
disappointing amount of
drivers apprehended for
drink driving across the
Selwyn district, some of
these have come from
the drivers being involved
in crashes or complaints
from the public where their
erratic driving has raised
concerns.
Over Labour Weekend
local police attended a
number of serious and
non-serious incidents, a
lot of these crashes can be
put down to speed and, or
distraction.
We are still getting
vehicles broken into and
property being stolen
at night and we always
encourage people not to
leave valuables in your
vehicle and to lock your
vehicle.
Be safe and feel safe.
from the issue or breach of a
PSO.
Other offences, such as assaults
or property damage, will
be investigated and charges laid
where sufficient evidence exists.
When we call, hundreds
of Kiwi businesses answer.
At Fire and Emergency, 80% of our people are volunteers, many running or working at businesses
just like this. In an emergency, their businesses proudly allow them to rush out and help.
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