Newstalk ZB
By Sam Sherwood of RNZ A scathing review of police by the Public Service Commission has found an “integrity reset is urgently needed” because of a perceived culture that holds seniors to a “lesser standard than juniors”. It also found a “wave of crime” arriving on New Zealand shores and says police are “struggling to keep up”. In response, police have developed an implementation plan that includes a 10-year police capability plan. The Public Service Commission (PSC) released its Performance Improvement Review (PIR) of police on Thursday. An overview of the report said police needed to tackle three “major challenges” in the next five years. “They need to rebuild police integrity; address persistent traditional crime while adapting to increasingly complex, digital, and transnational threats; and build their corporate performance in the face of ongoing fiscal pressures.” In relation to integrity, the report referenced the Independent Police Conduct Authority’s damning report released in November about how senior police responded to allegations of sexual misconduct by former Deputy Commissioner Jevon McSkimming. “The report revealed integrity failings across a small group of senior individuals. Our findings add to the scale of police’s integrity challenge: we found a perceived culture that holds seniors to a lesser standard than juniors, tribalism especially at senior levels, and complaint systems which can fail staff at all levels. Scrutiny has been put on the response of senior police to allegations of sexual misconduct by former Deputy Commissioner Jevon McSkimming. Photo / Mark Mitchell “An integrity reset is urgently needed. Police understand the scale and urgency of this issue, the recent leadership refresh has aimed to address these challenges, and they have initiatives well underway.” The report says police leadership needs to sustain that effort over years to “embed integrity across the organisation”. “Culture and systems from front-line decision-making to executive governance need to reinforce zero tolerance towards misconduct. We see a strong base to rebuild integrity: the police staff we met are committed to keeping our communities safe and lifting integrity across the organisation.” Crime was also evolving with police “struggling to keep up”. “A wave of crime is arriving on our shores which threatens our economic prosperity, democracy, and social cohesion. Transnational organised criminal groups are bringing increasing amounts of drugs, firearms, and laundered money into our communities. “Increasingly, online fraud (which is the fastest growing source of harm in New Zealand) is originating offshore. Meanwhile traditional physical crimes persist, and they are growing more complex, armed, and violent.” The report says police need to “operate effectively across two parallel worlds”. “They must continue to respond to traditional, place-based crime – an area where stakeholders consistently report that police perform strongly as first responders. At the same time, police must rapidly build the capability, confidence, and tools required to prevent and respond to harm in digital, transnational, and increasingly borderless environments. “This is not a challenge unique to New Zealand. Police agencies worldwide are grappling with the same fundamental shift in crime. The difference will lie in how quickly and decisively police adapt.” Immediate action was required to “restore core investigative competence”. “Investigation skills are deteriorating, particularly among less experienced officers, and this is undermining case outcomes and public confidence. Looking ahead, police must secure the right people, skills, tools, and technology to operate effectively in an increasingly complex, cyber-enabled crime environment.” In relation to core policing, the report says police have “historically underinvested” in its “corporate backbone”. “To operate effectively at police’s scale, complexity, and devolution, the organisation...
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