Quarterly Summary - December 2010

Key Achievements

Recommendation 2 – General Instructions Automatically Updated

"New Zealand Police should ensure that general instructions are automatically updated when a change is made to an existing policy"

Any change to existing corporate instruments involves the identification of other instruments (whether general instructions, Police Manual chapter or otherwise) that are impacted upon by the change. These instruments are automatically updated in tandem by the business owner under the oversight and monitoring of the Corporate Instruments team. Systems are in place to ensure this happens.

Recommendation 3 – Develop Policy Principles

"New Zealand Police should develop a set of policy principles regarding what instructions need to be nationally consistent and where regional flexibility should be allowed."

Rec.3 was re-opened on the basis that there was interdependency on Rec 2. However Police consider Rec 2 is now complete, which consequently means Rec 3 is also complete.

General Instructions are national instructions and cannot be issued by districts.

Local Orders apply at district level. When under development Districts are required to consult the Team Leader: Corporate Instruments, to ensure that they do not repeat, are not in conflict or not inconsistent with national policy. When published in the national electronic database they are also placed on a cyclic (currently two yearly) review process.

Police has developed and implemented a national framework consisting of policy principles, standards and templates that ensure all instructions are nationally consistent while allowing regional flexibility in implementing policies.

Further Progress

Recommendation 51 – Organisational Health Audit

As part of our ongoing focus into monitoring our progress on the Workplace Survey, Police have recently completed a Pulse Check of a random sample of staff. The Pulse Check survey consisted of seven questions to indicate progress on Action Plans. The results of this survey indicate that approximately one in five people believe progress has been made over the last six months. 

Recommendation 60 – OAG Audit of the COI

Police received the Second Monitoring Report from the Auditor General in June 2010. Several recommendations were been made and Police are addressing these.  The CoI has been included as a priority action for Police for the 2011/12 year.

The third (2010) annual State Service's Commission review to examine the change process undertaken by Police (following on from the recommendations of the CoI) was completed in December.

Police have indicated that it will focus on key themes in order to drive change in a way that ensures the 'intentions' of CoI and the subsequent SSC and the OAG reports are achieved. Police are continuing dialogue with the SSC and the OAG.