Urgent action must be taken to address the growing strain being placed on police officers, former Police Association president Chris Cahill says.

Mental health is “the most pressing issue facing both the association and Police leadership today”, Chris said in his opening address to the 90th Police Association, Te Aka Hāpai annual conference in October.

Some 54% of members identified mental health as a serious issue within police culture in the association’s 2025 Member Survey – 56% also reported working while mentally stressed or traumatised.

Calling the figures a “stark insight into the scale of the problem”, Chris also referenced research that found one in 10 New Zealand police officers meet the criteria for PTSD.

He called for the Government to allocate funds from the Proceeds of Crime to support mental health initiatives for Police personnel, saying “it would be a powerful and symbolic step to use the consequences of crime to support those who bear the burden of confronting it every day”.

Patch ban a gamechanger

Chris also focused on the Government’s work on community safety, praising the new laws introduced to tackle gang activity. He said gang conflict warrants and the gang patch ban were particularly effective measures.

“The ability to stop and search gang members during notifiable conflicts has shifted the balance in Police’s favour,” he said. “The gang patch ban has been a gamechanger – making communities feel safer and reducing gang influence. Gangs have recognised the rules have changed and Aotearoa is better for it.”

He also welcomed continued support for the Firearms Registry as well as legislation targeting anti-social road users.

Warning that rising unemployment and low productivity could further fuel social unrest and crime, Chris urged politicians to continue prioritising long-term solutions over “popular decisions that protect their seats”.

‘The law must catch up’

Looking ahead, the outgoing president implored lawmakers to modernise legislation around policing technologies, such as body-worn cameras and facial recognition technology. Some technologies were ready to go, he said, but outdated laws and strict court rulings were holding Police back.

“When our Supreme Court rules that a photograph of a criminal in a public place constitutes a ‘search’, it shows a disconnect with modern realities and with the communities Police serve.”

Facial recognition technology could be transformative for law and order, if used responsibly, he said.

Call for reform inside Police

Another area where Chris saw the need for reform was Police’s disciplinary processes. There are serious systemic issues to tackle around internal performance management and employment investigations.

Chris highlighted what he saw as a flawed application of the Code of Conduct, saying he didn’t believe it was ever intended to be used for performance issues and in general should be targeting behavioural issues or poor cultural concern. 

“Managers must step up and directly address performance and poor decision-making, rather than deflecting responsibility through a code investigation,” he said. “That’s a supervisory duty – not something to be outsourced.”

He also wanted to see the end to involvement from the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) in employment matters, saying it should keep itself independent and they are not part of the employee employer relationship and should not be influencing this process. 

‘Strength lies in unity’

Reflecting on the association’s growth, Chris said the Police Welfare Fund had become one of the strongest in the country, providing benefits that “rival or surpass any comparable union”.

He warned against moves to allow members to “cherry-pick” products or to dismantle the model amid rising health insurance costs. “Our strength lies in unity. Dismantling our model won’t solve the problem; it will destroy it just when it’s most needed.”

Chris said it had been “an honour and a privilege” to lead the organisation. 

“Representing you all has been the highlight of my life. The association thrives on the passion of its members, the dedication of its staff and, most importantly, its clear mission: enhancing the wellbeing of Police and their whānau.”