KEY POINTS:
The police say historical convictions for minor offences should never be a barrier to entering the force.
But National Party police spokesman Chester Borrows said yesterday the police were recruiting more people with convictions as they struggle to meet the Government's promise of 1000 extra frontline officers.
Mr Borrows released figures showing that of the new recruits accepted last year, 25 had convictions, compared to three in 2003.
"Most were dealt with by the Youth Court and by diversion, but three were classified as criminal convictions," Mr Borrows said.
"There is a pattern emerging here and it is a very disturbing one - Labour is allowing the quality of police recruits to drop."
Mr Borrows, who has previously complained about the standards for recruiting and the calibre of the recruits, said the Government had promised quality would not be compromised.
Police human resources manager Wayne Annan said recruits were all thoroughly vetted and scrutinised to ensure they were suitable candidates.
"There are many more recruits going through the college now than five years ago, so an increase is to be expected," he said in a statement.
"The police policy on applicants with convictions has not changed for many years."
Mr Annan said decisions were made on a case-by-case basis and took into account a number of factors including the age of the person when an offence took place, the seriousness of the offence and the amount of time passed since the offence.
"In many cases we find the convictions are for minor offences which were committed at a young age, and the person concerned has since led an exemplary life."
The average age when the offence was committed was 20 years and there was an average of 12 years between the offence and the recruitment.
"New Zealand police are firm believers in justice and the fact that people can learn from mistakes made as a youth," Mr Annan said. "There are, from time to time, people who warrant a second chance."
- NZPA
