School athletics organisers find broken glass scattered on field, police pay issues rise amid the new minister’s expectations and why more Kiwis are buying second-hand this Christmas in the latest NZ Herald headlines. Video / NZ Herald / ABC Australia
Mitchell, who had been a vocal critic of Coster while Opposition police spokesman, yesterday announced Coster had his confidence but also released a letter stating his expectations of New Zealand Police’s priorities.
They included: more policing in public spaces, shifting mental health callouts to other agencies, filling recruit courses amid Australia’s recruitment drive for Kiwi officers, ensuring gangs don’t “take over towns, public roads or spaces”, and developing an organisation-wide programme to “identify efficiencies and back-office savings” that go towards front-line policing.
Mitchell today said believed Coster could achieve the various expectations.
“Yeah, absolutely I do,” Mitchell said when asked if Coster could carry out his wishes.
“The expectations have been set, we’re just going to pick that up now and get going.”
National's Mark Mitchell is the new Police Minister. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Among the most challenging tasks would be relieving police of mental health callouts, given the absence of a suitable, round-the-clock workforce that could replace officers.
Mitchell admitted that would be tough and could take multiple years or multiple terms of government.
“That’s very hard because it’s all about labour workforce.”
Speaking to Newstalk ZB’s Jack Tame this afternoon, Coster said Mitchell’s letter was a very clear set of expectations.
“He and I are very aligned on the shifts required in policing and what’s required to make them happen”.
Coster said they need to spend less time “doing the business of others”, particularly responding to family harm incidents where there’s no violence.
“We need to be able to increase our visibility in public,” he said.
“Our people do an amazing job there and they want to help the people but in the end if we are spending most of time in homes then we are not able to do the visible policing that’s wanted.”
Coster said the style of policing used in New Zealand is “spot on”.
“They do hold serious offenders to account, they are holding gang members to account for their offending and they are also spotting situations where an alternative approach will work better to prevent harm,” he said.
He said the invitation to be more focused on the things that only police can do is welcomed.
“Unfortunately we can end up being the 24/7 social service because others are not available. I think there is an opportunity under social investment to see greater community-based service delivery, which will help police to focus on our core,” he said.
Coster said he has been really clear to Mitchell that police will respond to the priorities set by the Government.
He said to spend more time on visible crime in communities and gang-related enforcement, police will need to free up their front line on where they are significantly consumed at the moment.
“Police officers are not best placed to provide mental health care or the ongoing social support that families need after an incident.
“The amount of time that takes because of the lack of follow through by others is much greater that it would need to be,” he said.
Coster said Mitchell expressed confidence in him during their meeting and has done so publicly since the letter’s release.
“I’m really confident in our ability to work together well,” he said.
On police workforce, the coalition Government had agreed to train 500 police officers in the next two years.
National had campaigned on training 300 officers but NZ First’s policy to train 500 over 18 months meant National had to compromise.
Mitchell, specifically referring to it as a NZ First policy, clarified it wouldn’t mean there would be 500 more police in two years’ time as it didn’t factor in officers who left or retired.
In his letter, Mitchell spoke of the “large challenge” of filling recruit courses as Australia sought to attract Kiwi officers. Despite that, Mitchell stood by his target to fill the courses.
“We’re going to have to work on that and plan on that in terms of how we make sure that police is still a very attractive job that we’re still attracting the best people ... that the training is attractive.”
He said crime reduction targets, promised before the election, wouldn’t be published until after Christmas. National’s boot camps for serious young offenders also wouldn’t be ready until the first quarter of next year.
Police Association President Chris Cahill, speaking to Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking, wasn’t assured when asked if Coster was still “the man for the job”.
“Well he’s the man that’s there and we’ve got to move on.”
Police Association president Chris Cahill said the expectations would be largely well-received by frontline officers. Photo / Mark Mitchell
On Mitchell’s letter, Cahill said he expected mostly positive reactions from ground-level staff.
“I think most frontline cops will be on board with the reset in focus.
“I think they’ll be very enthusiastic, it’s pretty clear now what they want is to get out there and put some pressure on criminals and put some pressure on crime.”
Cahill said the letter showed police were being asked to work less in the prevention area, and more in direct response.
“I think you can’t say that Andrew Coster didn’t have ideas around the prevention space and long-term changes.
“What he’s been told now is that he’s got to focus on the here and now, so I think it’s pretty clear in that letter of expectation that that’s what he’s got to focus on.”
Cahill said the ideas in the letter were good in theory but police need more resources to achieve the goals set out.
“The challenge, of course, is who is going to do all of this if we’re losing cops to Australia.”
Adam Pearse is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team, based at Parliament. He has worked for NZME since 2018, covering sport and health for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei before moving to the NZ Herald in Auckland, covering Covid-19 and crime
