Pike River families say they still trust police

NZ Herald

6 Oct, 2011 04:30 PM3 mins to read

Grey District mayor Tony Kokshoorn offers support to a distraught family member of the 29 miners trapped in the Pike River coal mine last year. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Families of Pike River mine victims say they are among more than three-quarters of the public with confidence in the police despite strong criticism over its handling of the mine tragedy.

Latest survey results show that public confidence in police has increased to 77 per cent, up from 75 per cent and 69 per cent the previous two years.

Police deputy commissioner Mike Bush said: "It's likely that things like our response to the Pike River tragedy and the Christchurch earthquakes will have impacted on public perceptions of police".

The fallout from the Pike River tragedy last November, where 29 workers died in underground explosions, saw search and rescue head Superintendent Gary Knowles deliver a tearful apology for police shortcomings in how the victims' families were dealt with.

"I can understand your criticism," he said to the families of the 29 dead men at the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the tragedy.

"But at the end of the day I did my best."

Families' spokesman Bernie Monk, who lost his son Michael, 23, in the mine, said they still had every confidence in the police.

"A lot of people were put under stress in that situation and....no-one was up to that magnitude of a disaster. Mistakes were made by everyone I think. (Police) were the first to admit to me that mistakes were made. An apology was given, we accepted it, and we moved on."

Police had made necessary changes and "we are all heading in the right direction", Mr Monk said.

Mr Bush said it was encouraging to see improved perceptions of police activity in communities such as parts of Counties Manukau, where neighbourhood policing teams had been in place for some time.

In Counties Manukau, peoples' positive perceptions of police responsiveness to the needs of the community had risen from 70 per cent in 2009/10 to 77 per cent in 2010/11.

Meanwhile, the health and safety and systems at the Pike River mine will be under the spotlight when the Royal Commission of Inquiry resumes next month. It will be February before the immediate cause of the explosion at the mine is examined.