Award for online guardians

Police has enjoyed another successful night at the annual Institute of Public Administration NZ (IPANZ) awards.

Operation Hyper, a joint entry from Police’s online child exploitation team OCEANZ, Customs and the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA), won the award for Excellence in Regulatory Systems. Three other projects involving Police were finalists in their categories.

In 2014 Operation Hyper led to the exposure of an international paedophile network and seven convictions in New Zealand and overseas. Seven children were made safe from actual or potential abuse situations.

“These offenders are well-organised, often highly skilled people who network together,” says Detective Pete Sweeney, of OCEANZ.

“There is a phrase that has been bandied about recently and it is very true - it takes a network to beat a network. So law enforcement, in New Zealand and worldwide, can do the same - get organised, share expertise and pass on information in a timely manner, especially when there are children at risk.”

The operation has been hailed internationally as an example of excellence in a particularly difficult field of regulation, with Police, DIA and Customs using different regulatory tools to collaborate.

The agencies have established a protocol for running future joint agency operations which will allow for a fast, coordinated approach. 

Police’s Mobility project - which has equipped staff with smart phones to give them more time on the street and less in the station - was a finalist in the Improving Public Value Through Business Transformation category.

It lost out to Canterbury District Health Board, which also won the Prime Minister’s Award for Public Service Excellence – won last year by the far-reaching Policing Excellence change programme – for its development of an integrated health system boosting health care in the community.

“Massive congratulations to OCEANZ,” says Police Commissioner Mike Bush. “Their award is a testament to the hard work of the team in this vital area and an endorsement of the effectiveness of working in a multi-agency environment.

“Mobility is internationally recognised and was a very strong contender but the calibre of finalists this year was very high. Congratulations to Canterbury DHB for its outstanding win. They are modelling the way in culture, leadership and innovation.”

The other Police finalists were:

·        Closing the Information Gap (Excellence in Integrity and Trust) – with the Ministry of Justice and Department of Corrections

·        Social Sector Trials (Excellence in Achieving Collective Impact) – with the Ministries of Social Development, Health, Education and Justice.

Our picture shows, from left, Detective Pete Sweeney; Carolyn Tremain, Comptroller of Customs; and from the DIA Jon Peacock, Team Leader Censorship Compliance, and Maarten Quivooy, General Manager Regulatory Services (Picture: IPANZ)