Gang members accounted for 9% of TOR events despite making up only 0.2% of the national population. Police are 45 times more likely to use force in these interactions.
“We recently announced additional resources to establish Gang Disruption Units and boost Community Beat Teams around the country as part of this work.”
Gang members were more likely to be armed with a firearm, 25%, than non-gang offenders, 8%.
“We know that firearms carry a higher risk of serious injury and death and so we make every effort to minimise their use.
“Through preventative work around the country, police are investigating and seizing firearms to take them out of the wrong people’s hands,” Johnson said.
In 2023 there was a slight drop in the number of incidents involving firearms by offenders where police also used firearms.
In 98% of events involving police use of a firearm, the firearm was not fired.
Police discharged a firearm at seven separate events during 2023.
Johnson said that taser use has remained stable since 2018, with tasers deployed at one in four events where they are presented.
“The Frontline Skills Enhancement training (FSED) and the Tactical Response Model (TRM) continue to make a difference to our frontline staff when using de-escalation tactics.”
FSED involves four days a year of enhanced scenario-based training, focused on appropriate de-escalation, decision-making under cognitive load and proportional tactical responses.
Of all TOR events, 8% occur in the custody environment.
“Custody staff interact with a range of people, some of whom pose a real risk to themselves or others.
“Approximately 120,000 people are in police custody each year, and we must ensure tactical options are available to keep our staff safe and ensure our detainees receive appropriate care,” Johnson said.
TOR events in custody present a higher risk of injury to staff, with one staff member being injured for every 10 events compared to every 12 events in non-custody settings.
The report found Māori continue to be overrepresented in use-of-force events, with Māori accounting for half of all TOR events.
Māori men aged 18-45 make up only 3% of the general population but account for 30% of TOR events that result in a charge being filed for violence offence/s.
A recent major report into unconscious bias among the police has found being Māori increases the chance of being prosecuted by 11% compared with Pākehā.
Jaime Lyth is a multimedia journalist for the New Zealand Herald, focusing on crime and breaking news. Lyth began working under the NZ Herald masthead in 2021 as a reporter for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei
