Some non-sworn police jobs in Hawke’s Bay will be dis-established while some new positions will be created after a review of staffing for Eastern District.
The review has identified 9.5 positions across Hawke’s Bay that will be dis-established, while 5.5 new positions will be created in different workgroups. Most of those people in dis-established roles will be able to apply for the new positions. Four positions in total will be lost in the area, that includes Napier, Hastings and Waipukurau.
The number of uniformed staff will not be affected by the changes.
Eastern District Commander Superintendant Sandra Venables said the changes were the result of a requirement to meet resource allocation targets that each police district must meet each year. The district was also re-aligning several positions to meet the requirements of Prevention First.
“Every financial year the 12 Police districts around the country are allocated a certain number of non-sworn positions. These numbers - called resource allocation targets or RAT- may change each year depending on a number of factors.
“The Eastern District over the past few years has exceeded its allocated non-sworn numbers. This has come about due to changes in job structures over the last few years, including the setting up of support services such as the File Management Centre and Criminal Justice Support Unit where new positions were created,” Ms Venables said.
The introduction of Prevention First into Police had brought about many positive changes to the way police worked with victims and the community. It also meant that police had to change some roles to enable more prevention work to be carried out in the community.
Ms Venables said a consultation document was issued to non-sworn staff last month that outlined proposed changes. Submissions were received from staff and considered before final decisions were made as to what positions would be affected.
The affected positions are mainly administrative. Some positions will change from full-time to part-time.
Ms Venables said the Eastern District was also currently conducting a review of all frontline positions to see how staff and resources could be used more efficiently.
“While frontline staff numbers will not be reduced, there may be changes to some roles. It’s all about putting our staff in the right places at the right time to prevent and respond appropriately to crime in our community,” she said.
Police resources were also being looked at, including the creation of one central cell block for Hawke’s Bay which is likely to be based in Hastings. Opening hours of police public counters across the district were also under review.
Despite the merger of Napier and Hastings into the Hawke’s Bay Police area in 2012, there was still a replication of some services in both cities.
“We have to use our resources wisely and more efficiently and having one cell block for Hawke’s Bay makes more sense financially and in practical terms for our staff.
There is also a need to look closely at how many people visit our public counters, especially at night, and whether it is viable to have them open 24 hours a day,” Ms Venables said.
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