This week, we marked an important milestone at the Royal New Zealand Police College in Porirua. There was a cake to celebrate the 123rd birthday of NZ Police - an impressive achievement in its own right. But more than that, we wanted to celebrate that the college had met its goal of training 1,000 recruits between July 2006 and June 2009.

 

That effort means the number of police constabulary has increased by 13.2% over the last three years.

 

Among the 1,000 were representatives from a range of cultures and ethnic backgrounds, including people from Zimbabwe, Malaysia, Philippines, Turkey, the first Japanese national and the first Sikh to become New Zealand Police officers.

 

At no other time in our history have we recruited and trained such a diversity of staff.

 

It's timely, because the New Zealand population has never been so diverse either.

 

You can imagine how difficult it is to be the victim of crime anywhere, at any time. But when you don't speak the language, or your cultural background is different, it's even more distressing.

Having a police officer on hand who can easily understand your predicament makes a huge difference. (Better Work Stories www.newcops.co.nz)

 

Many of our new officers from other cultures have chosen to work within their ethnic communities. They empower people to prevent crime, stay safe, and help victims through police processes.

 

We now have about 50 Asian-background officers in the Auckland region, and a growing network of Asian, Pacific and Iwi liaison officers.

 

Training 1000 recruits in three years was a big task for our recruitment staff and the police college. I was very proud to officially mark the achievement by presenting a plaque. Its design incorporated traditional Maori, European, Chinese, Indian, Vietnamese and Middle Eastern patterns in a fern frond - a very appropriate symbol of new growth.

 

Read more:

New Iwi Liaison Officer to Build on Police Ties - Southland Times, Oct 2008

A Shift in the Police Force - Sunday Star Times, Jan 2009

A Practical Reference to Religious Diversity - NZ Police handbook

Sergeant Robyn Best (right) receives a plaque from Acting Commissioner Lyn Provost to celebrate the training of 1,000 new police officers over the last three years.