President's Column - Once again, it's going to be damned interesting year in policing
“The current Police administration is far less inclined than the previous one to act on criticisms as if they were all true. This hopefully means that there is a greater confidence that we generally are in the right. We hope that attitude continues.”
I write this column sitting at a West Coast breakfast table, morning milking completed, and contemplating a return to the hurly-burly of the Wellington political scene, which so dominates our policing lives.
My rural relatives are as apprehensive about the changing economic world as those in the cities. The dairy payout will almost halve this year, so their concerns will go well beyond getting production up. Survival, for some, will be the real issue.
For us in the Police, we know that whatever happens, demand for our services will only increase and it is our ability to adequately respond to those demands, which is our issue.
The media and opposition politicians will be hovering voraciously for examples of where we don’t, knowing such failures make good headlines and attack fodder against the Government.
And that is where it becomes important not to have policing led by such headlines and criticisms. They always hurt and one only has to sit with staff in a station discussing the latest negative headline to feel the anger and frustration they feel.
That was the case at New Year in Waihi Beach when excellent work by staff sorting out local drunks ended with a headline criticising police for over-reacting. This criticism of staff really rankled when the staff had worked way beyond the end of their shift to keep the town safe. Like many of these stories however, it went nowhere and was literally the next day’s fish and chip wrapping.
What I have learned in this job is ignoring criticism is always an option; the saying goes you should starve idiots of oxygen.
The current Police administration is far less inclined than the previous one to act on criticisms as if they were all true. This hopefully means that there is a greater confidence that we generally are in the right. We hope that attitude continues.
Two significant court cases will occur this year in which attacks on Police integrity will be the major defence. The Bain case and the Operation Eight Urewera case have both become politicised and polarised.
Staff in both of these cases have done excellent work and it’s important we hold the line.
It’s our job to get the evidence to court and we have to rely on good strong judges to control the politics around the case.
Another positive is that I now detect in New Zealanders an understanding that a lot of what is published in the media is exaggerated and sensationalised. It is an important role for the Association to remind the public of that.
Once again, it’s going to be a damned interesting year in policing.
I’ll now enjoy my last few days on the farm where measuring success or failure is far less complicated; as in, can I pay the bills or not?
Have a good 2009.
