In a move that signals NZ Police's commitment to improving its performance management systems and the way it addresses complaints, NZ Police is soon to establish a team of Employment Relations staff that will work to address a number of recommendations that were made in Dame Margaret Bazley's Commission of Inquiry.
The team's role will include putting in place a disciplinary and performance management process underpinned by a Code of Conduct covering all staff.
It is envisaged that the new Code of Conduct will allow NZ Police to receive a complaint from the public, review the issues raised in the complaint, discuss the matter openly with the employee involved, then (if necessary) enter directly into performance monitoring and guidance, or an appropriate disciplinary process. Complainants will be informed at particular decision points along the way and will have their concerns addressed more efficiently.
Performance or misconduct issues could arise through management intervention or as a result of public disclosure. The revised Employment Relations framework would enable staff to be handled effectively under a sound employment model focused on improving performance but enabling disciplinary action when necessary. For example, under the proposed system, if a complaint is received relating to inappropriate use of force and the staff member involved was not found guilty via the judicial system, NZ Police would still be able to apply performance management measures if it believed it was necessary. In extreme cases, repeated inappropriate behaviour could result in dismissal.
According to NZ Police's Human Resources General Manager, Wayne Annan, "the team will be charged with driving a number of initiatives that will see the organisation shift from an offence based system to a professional development and management system... what this means is that NZ Police will be able to deal with issues (like complaints from the public) in a much more timely and open manner."
Ends:
Media contact: 027 275 2612