Cook Islands Police Service has become the first Pacific jurisdiction to formally launch a prevention-centred operating model as New Zealand Police’s new approach to supporting our island neighbours takes root.
Cook Islands Police Commissioner Mara Tetava presented the Prevention Operating Model (POM) at a ceremony last week.
Superintendent Eric Tibbott, National Manager Prevention, attended to mark the long engagement between Cook Islands Police and New Zealand Police, particularly our International Service Group (ISG) and National Prevention Centre (NPC).
New Zealand Police’s new Pacific Island Prevention Programme (PIPP) aims to support police in the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Niue, Samoa, Tokelau, Tuvalu and Vanuatu and help them develop POMs.
After the Cook Islands, police in Niue are the most advanced in implementation of a POM.
The Cook Islands POM recognises five drivers of demand – Alcohol, Roads, Family Harm, Youth and Maritime.
Unveiling it, Commissioner Tetava said the core challenge to his staff would be to operate with a prevention mindset that looks beyond simply responding to crime, and adopt a partnership approach with local communities.
Eric says he is proud Cook Islands Police has taken this step.
“We’ve seen a significant and positive change in communities we police in New Zealand since we introduced the Prevention First model in 2011 so this is really good news for people living in and visiting the Cook Islands,” he says.
“It takes effort to operate with a prevention mindset and take every opportunity to prevent harm. But I think we all agree that it’s better to prevent crime before it happens, and keep communities safe.”
Pacific police leaders have been supported in developing prevention-centred models since attending a Pacific Island Prevention Workshop at Police National Headquarters (PNHQ) in Wellington in August.
Inspector Steve Dunn, manager of the Overseas Assistance Programme within the ISG, says the adoption of such models will allow New Zealand Police to end a “one size fits all” approach to support for Pacific nations.
“What this allows us to do is tailor our support to align with the country’s own priorities, which they’ve identified as their drivers of demand,” says Steve. “We can offer tailor-made support to achieve the biggest impact on their priority areas.”
He says a prevention-centred operating model also commits police to enter into partnerships. “Community links are very strong in the Pacific,” he says.
“Faith and religious groups are very strong. There are also potential private and public partners - that’s an area where we see some real opportunities because they perhaps haven’t tapped into those sort of resources previously.”
By way of ongoing support, New Zealand Police staff will travel to the Cook Islands in July to deliver tactical options training “so Cook Islands Police are equipped and enabled to keep themselves and Cook Islanders safe,” says Steve.
PIPP unifies the former Pacific Prevention of Domestic Violence (PPDVP) and Partnership for Pacific Policing (3P) programmes, which ceased on 31 March 2018.