Overloaded officers facing burnout or breakdown, say police

Police say they are frustrated that crimes are not immediately investigated, and are burning out under heavy workloads.

Responding to a string of cases reported in the Herald of discontented victims tired of waiting for officers to investigate crimes, two representatives of frontline police say they are also disheartened that offenders do not face justice.

Police Association representative Mark Leys, a Counties Manukau sergeant, said there was not enough staff to investigate all crime "so we simply prioritise and stuff just drops off, or falls between the cracks, or doesn't get properly looked at".

The veteran officer said it was a continuing frustration for police but they accepted "that's the way it's got to be because we just don't have the people".

"Occasionally you see [police officers] who can't accept that, who try their damnedest to do everything, and their shelf life in this district is about two years before they have a breakdown and move on."

Mr Leys said a retired detective sergeant told him he had difficulty sleeping at night because of an unresolved sexual abuse case. The child was still in the home with her alleged abuser because the case was sitting in a pile of similar ones that had not been investigated.

Mr Leys was not surprised to hear that victims felt police treated their complaints as insurance jobs.

"When you're exposed to it day after day after day and it's your 10th burglary scene for the day, it's really hard to be passionate about it or care.

"You have to try and remind yourself that this is probably the only time this person is ever going to get burgled, and it's huge for them ... But for the policeman it is really hard to get your head around that."

Another association representative, Steve Hawkins, a sergeant based at Whangaparaoa, said police had to prioritise the workload and "some of the other stuff just falls off the bottom, unfortunately".

Files were "sitting in a corner, waiting" in the Auckland City, Counties Manukau and Waitakere districts, he said. Extra police would help "to a degree" but the force was lacking experience.

Criminal investigation branches were having difficulty recruiting and retaining staff, said Mr Hawkins.

Police were not trying to hide the problem - "it's a reality now of policing and a lot of people out there expect delays when they report offences".

"Some of them expect more than a delay ... their matter just won't get investigated."