Quarterly Summary - June 2008

This quarter sees the completion of the rollout of the Code of Conduct within NZ Police, with outstanding items such as additional training and awareness sessions to be delivered.

A comprehensive guide for supervisors has been produced and distributed throughout NZ Police. This provides clarity to all involved in the disciplinary process and includes detailed end to end stepped guidance. 

The draft "Professional Distance Policy" which covers Sexual Conduct with the Public, Complainants and work colleagues has been written. This policy aligns with the Code of Conduct and has been circulated to relevant groups for consultation.

The NZ Police Commissioner's Circular relating to the establishment of the national disciplinary committee has been completed. This gives effect to improved timeliness, transparency and consistency in determining disciplinary outcomes. 

The first matters considered by NZ Police to be serious misconduct have proceeded to disciplinary hearings, thus completing the first cycle of the new code of conduct processes introduced on 1 February 2008. These processes are much more efficient and streamlined in comparison to the former Tribunal processes. This is demonstrated by all hearings for serious misconduct under the new code, having occurred within 10 days of the confirmation of the appointment of the person to undertake the disciplinary hearing.

The Human Resources and Professional Standards employees have co-located within NZ Police Headquarters. This co-location will assist these groups to work more closely together and enable the integration of processes and systems to commence.

A conference for Employee Practice Managers, Human Resource Managers and Professional Standards Managers was held in May. This conference consolidated early learning and built a community of specialists in standards and conduct. It also saw the completion of the training milestone for the Employee Practice Managers. 

The new Internet gateway, that provides enhanced Internet monitoring and reporting capabilities, has been successfully implemented within NZ Police. This significantly improves NZ Police's ability to monitor individual users Internet use and identify potential issues requiring early intervention. Regular monthly reporting is in place and trends of inappropriate use are steadily declining. An established "Use of Information" Steering Committee provides the governance across Internet use and meets monthly to review the reports. This recommendation is now complete and ongoing reviews and reporting will be managed as part of business as usual. 

292 Adult Sexual Assault Investigators have been trained in the year to June 2008 which is a third of the target audience. This training will continue for the next 2 - 3 years for a near complete coverage. 

The NZ Police Executive Committee (PEC) has mandated Ethics Training for all staff for the year to June 2009. This is to be delivered in conjunction with the implementation of the new Code of Conduct and the new Policing Bill.