Other Publications
The Police Association regularly makes submissions on legislation affecting policing and law and order. Those submissions are published here once select committee privilege no longer applies. That is usually after the committee holds its hearing on the relevant bill.
The Association also publishes policy statements, speeches, and other documents from time to time. Available publications of these types are also listed below.
Recent Media
View recent media of interest:
- > Police numbers drop as officers leave
- > Police budget cuts causing deep unrest
- > Ex-cop airs frustrations about police
- > Crime drops despite pressure, stress
- > Changes to police training regime concern Association
- > New training rules mean fears for police safety
- > Fears police training changes will put officers at risk
Prohibition of Gang Insignia in Government Premises Bill - Submission
The Police Association welcomes the Prohibition of Gang Insignia in Government Premises Bill as a timely attempt to grapple with New Zealand’s worsening gang problem at a national level.
Lobbying Disclosure Bill - Submission
The Police Association supports the broad intent of this bill, which is to ensure there is some transparency about who or what organisations are influencing public policy and/or legislation through lobbying activity directed at elected or appointed officials. There are, however, considerable practical difficulties with the bill as drafted, which would appear to make breaches of its requirements very difficult to avoid.
Bail Amendment Bill - Submission
The Police Association is supportive of the intent of the Bail Amendment Bill and the improvements to bail law proposed in the bill. In our view the current bail system is not fundamentally flawed or in need of a major overhaul, so we see these incremental changes as appropriate. The reforms contained in this bill will be greeted positively by members.
Association response to media reports of Police budget shortfall
In recent days there have been media reports that Police is facing a $360m budget shortfall over the next four years, and suggestions that cuts including job losses of both constables and non-constabulary employees will be necessary to meet this shortfall. We believe this story has been intentionally leaked to the media in an attempt to ‘pre-condition’ members ahead of this year’s pay round. The current collective contracts expire at the end of June this year and negotiations will not commence until closer to that time.
Towards a Safer New Zealand: Police and Law & Order Policies for the Future
The New Zealand Police Association's 2011 policy document, Towards a Safer New Zealand: Police and Law & Order Policies for the Future, was released on 18 October 2011.
Sentencing (Aggravating Factors) Amendment Bill - Submission
The Police Association welcomes the opportunity to submit on the Sentencing (Aggravating Factors) Amendment Bill. The increasing number of serious assaults suffered by police officers is an issue of major concern for members. The figures disclosed in the Regulatory Impact Statement accompanying this Bill provide sound evidence that concern is well founded.
The Association believes an assault on a police officer is immediately made more serious because it is also an assault on the rule of law. Consequently, it is appropriate that the fact an assault was committed against a police officer ought to be an aggravating factor at sentencing.
Bail in New Zealand - Submission
The Police Association welcomes the opportunity to comment on the proposals contained in the consultation document Bail in New Zealand: Reviewing Aspects of the Bail System. The changes in this document might best be described as incremental improvements and would be greeted positively by members if they were to be brought forward as reforms.
From an Association point of view, the single biggest improvement proposed is the ability to arrest (without warrant) a defendant aged under 17 years for breach of bail.
Criminal Procedure (Reform and Modernisation) Bill - Submission
The Police Association welcomes the Criminal Procedure (Reform and Modernisation) Bill as the culmination of a lengthy project to revise and consolidate criminal procedure statute.
The Association believes this Bill should assist in promoting greater efficiency in the criminal justice system without compromising the interests of justice.
Alcohol Reform Bill - Submission
The Police Association welcomes the opportunity to submit on the Alcohol Reform Bill. Problems associated with alcohol misuse have a major impact on members in both their professional capacity, and as members of the communities affected.
We believe that we need to be conscious of the need to strike the right balance between regulation and enforcement, and New Zealanders’ expectations of acceptable behaviour as we tighten the law through this Bill.
Controlling and Regulating Drugs - Submission
This submission outlines the Police Association’s stance on the Law Commission’s Issue Paper on the Review of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975. The Association sees this as an opportunity to focus attention on the dominance of internationally linked organised crime in the illicit drugs trade. It is also an opportunity to focus attention on the adequacy or otherwise of current levels of government investment in drug education, addiction treatment and rehabilitation.
Alcohol in our Lives - Submission
The Police Association welcomes the opportunity to submit on the Law Commission’s issues paper Alcohol in Our Lives.
Police have an acute and genuine concern to see alcohol-related harm reduced, which is borne of their personal on-the-job experience, where they see a level of harm most New Zealanders do not. This submission outlines the key issues in liquor regulation of concern to Police Association members, which are: purchase age, hours of trade, parental supply, licensing, enforcement/penalties and drink driving limits.
Search and Surveillance Bill
The Police Association welcomes the introduction of the Search and Surveillance Bill. It provides not only an opportunity to codify existing law, but also to update provisions to take account of new and emerging crime patterns (such as organised crime) and new technology. It also provides an opportunity to reconsider jurisprudence that has emerged over the years in regard to (for example) human source information as justification for a search warrant, in order to ensure the underlying policy considerations are appropriately balanced.
Land Transport (Enforcement Powers) Amendment Bill And Vehicle Confiscation and Seizure Bill - Submission
The Police Association welcomes the introduction of the Land Transport (Enforcement Powers) Amendment Bill and Vehicle Confiscation and Seizure Bill as an opportunity to address some of the major concerns associated with habitual irresponsible behaviour involving motor vehicles. The package addresses the ‘boy-racer’ problem by tweaking and revising a wide range of inter-related offence, penalty, and enforcement provisions.
Sale and Supply of Liquor and Liquor Enforcement Bill - Submission
The Police Association welcomes the introduction of the Sale and Supply of Liquor and Liquor Enforcement Bill. There is widespread concern among police officers at the consequences of excessive alcohol consumption, both in terms of road trauma and crime, and most officers believe that tightening laws around sale and supply of liquor will make a positive difference.
CYPF (Youth Courts Jurisdiction and Orders) Amendment Bill
The Association welcomes the Children, Young Persons, and Their Families (Youth Courts Jurisdiction and Orders) Amendment Bill. Amendments to Youth Court orders and provisions for transfer of offenders to the District Court for sentencing are welcome and overdue, and will improve the options available to the Youth Court to respond to offending.
However, a serious deficiency remains in dealing with serious recidivist young offenders who have committed offences that are not purely indictable offences. Section 18 of the Sentencing Act 2002 needs to be amended to allow for imprisonment to be considered in the worst such cases. This would mean effective and appropriate sentencing options were available for the full range of youth offending. See submission for further details.
Criminal Investigations (Bodily Samples) Amendment Bill - Submission
The Police Association welcomes the introduction of the Criminal Investigations (Bodily Samples) Amendment Bill. In particular, the Association welcomes the policy decision to introduce a new DNA sampling and profiling regime for arrestees and those against whom police intend to lay charges.
Sentencing (Offender Levy) Amendment Bill
This Bill is likely to be effective at raising additional revenue from convicted offenders. It will achieve this aim by ensuring the Offender Levy is applied to all convicted offenders, regardless of the nature, number or seriousness of their offences. However, those guilty of the worst crimes, being those that typically generate the greatest concern about victim impact, are likely to continue to evade any meaningful financial obligation to their victims.
Because of the flat rate and general nature of the Offender Levy, it seems unlikely to have any real psychological impact on offenders in terms of encouraging them to accept responsibility for their actions or develop empathy for the victim.
The additional revenue generated by the Offender Levy will be available to Government to purchase additional victims’ services. However, we believe the Bill needs to be clarified in respect of the sort of ‘support’ for victims that is envisaged, so that victim expectations are not unfairly raised (e.g., by mistakenly believing the Levy will be used to pay them compensation).
