Extraordinary story: Cultural understanding in action

When a woman falsely accused her Indian mother-in-law of assault she wasn't counting on police officers being able to speak Hindi.

Despite high public trust & confidence ratings for New Zealand Police, it is not uncommon for people to be frightened of police based on bad experiences in other countries. Constable Manreet Bassi, from Auckland City District, explains how her ability to understand Hindi turned that around.

"A woman accused her elderly Indian mother-in-law of assault. When I arrived at the address the elderly woman, who was wearing a sari, opened the door. Seeing my police uniform, she turned and fled in terror.

"Cautiously, I followed the woman and found her cowering in a basement. Instead of launching into questions, I knelt before the woman, showing her respect as is our custom. Speaking in Hindi, I established that she'd never struck anyone in her life. She explained that her daughter-in-law had it in for her & her injuries were probably self-inflicted.

"It turned out that the daughter-in-law had thrown herself down some stairs to make it look as though she had been badly beaten. Clearly the complainant didn't count on officers being able to speak Hindi!"

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