Authorised Speech to CHRISTCHURCH COMBINED ROTARY

Thank you to Christchurch Combined Rotary for inviting me to speak on policing - the challenges ahead. It is good to be back in Christchurch….

On becoming Minister of Police in December last year, I soon realised that there was much that had to be done to get the New Zealand Police back on track.

The expectations are simple: Police need to catch crooks, and prevent crimes from occurring. It is however, a complex process in achieving these expectations.

The previous government had neglected to ensure that wise and responsible accountability measures were in place. This became glaringly obvious, especially with the Police.

The consequences of zero-accountability were:
· the INCIS blowout - up to $80 million!
· the Police Budget blowout - of $20 million+
· and an inexperienced police frontline.

On taking over this portfolio, it became clear, there were three main factors negatively impacting upon the Police. These factors were: INCIS, the Police Review, and a glitzy mirror-glass corporate culture.

Clearly, these three factors had to go.

And, lurking barely disguised, was the past National government's plan, scribed by its Finance Minister Bill English, to cut $24.7 million from this coming financial year's police Budget.

Additional to this, I discovered that the New Zealand Police had blown this current year's budget by $20 million+

As if this wasn't bad enough, eating away in the background was the ongoing effects of the Police Review.

The Police Review was impacting on the Police's ability to function as a modern, equipped, crime-fighting organisation.

The previous government touted loudly that the Police Review would save $50 million. I found the Review had in truth saved $18 million, BUT cost $17 million to run.

That was a $1 million saving for all the pain of staff cuts, experienced staff, non-sworn staff, and the eventual cuts to sergeants, senior constables, and constables. It was clear that this Police Review, a festering sore for police morale, had to be canned!

It was, by any organisation's standards, all pain and no gain.

This Police Review was clearly ideologically driven. It certainly was not causing practical improvements to the way police did things.

The signals of trouble were there. But the previous government failed to examine the ongoing consequences of its actions and directives. It drove New Zealand's crime fighting organisation down to the degree that police-morale right across the board suffered.

It has been a commitment of mine as Minister of Police to inject hope, optimism, purpose, and progress into the futures of men and women who have chosen the Police as their life's career.

So, we canned the Police Review. We replaced the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the INCIS fiasco with a less costly Ministerial Inquiry. We cut the $500,000 per month ongoing costs for the INCIS Mainframe - that mainframe is now up for sale.

And as Minister of Police, I signalled to Police Headquarters that a change of culture be recognised. Police District Managers became Police District Commanders once again.

This name change to District Commander was a revelation. Police of all ranks, from all over the country, welcomed this with open arms. They recognised the change as symbolic and as an end to the overly bureaucratic influences that had taken hold of their abilities to fight crime.

The new Government's commitments:
Accountability is perhaps the most important thing that this new Government has signalled. The public sector has been given a clear message that the public of New Zealand and indeed this Government will not tolerate waste.

In my Police Portfolio, much of this year has been absorbed in re-introducing accountability measures to the New Zealand Police hierarchy.

And it has been made clear, that this accountability extends to those at the very top of their Police careers.

Former Police Commissioner Peter Doone realised this and stood down.

The new acting Commissioner Robbie Robinson and his supporting staff meet with me regularly each week for a summit meeting where I am informed of policing matters and issues and events which have arisen at any given time.

Each month the police Commissioner and his assistants now report to me directly with the latest figures to show how many burglaries have been reported to police and how many have been solved. This is broken down district by district and is designed to impress upon District Commanders how serious this Government takes its commitment to the New Zealand public, to reduce the advent of burglaries and to aid the police in improving the resolution rates of these crimes.

Meeting the Challenges - In general we are now task focussed. Focussed on the incidence of crime, the surrounding culture of crime, the steps individuals make leading up to committing a crime, and pro-actively guiding individuals away from entering into a life of crime.

Government policies are now focussed on Closing The Gaps. On Youth and Crime. And on realising that burglaries are often the nucleus of the criminal culture.

But all of us have a part to play. We cannot look the other way when a person tries to sell us stolen goods. We can not ignore any incident of suspicious behaviour. W must all be diligent, keep our eyes peeled for wrong-doing. If we see or hear something that is perhaps linked to a crime, then we must tell the police.

This "No-Tolerance" approach to crime - It is a Community Commitment.

Some challenges meeting New Zealand's policing needs have simple answers.

Here in Christchurch a simple but effective method of reducing the incidents of vehicle theft is being examined. The Under-25s Sticker Scheme is said by police to be responsible for reducing the number of vehicles that were stolen in and around Christchurch over the past year.

The Under-25 Scheme is controversial. While it is supported by Christchurch mayor Garry Moore, by a substantial proportion of the Christchurch public, and by the Police, the scheme is under attack from youth advocates and some politicians.

The argument centres on a series of questions. Is the scheme discriminatory against people under the ages of 25? Some say the Scheme places a guilty until proven innocent bent on youth, particularly youth found driving a vehicle displaying an Under-25 Sticker. Is this wrong? Is this Scheme operating contrary to the Human Rights Act? Crown Law is examining the issue.

Other simple changes to policing will also produce favourable results.

Police Traffic Cars need to be clearly identified. Police cars and taxis look too much alike. Most cars on New Zealand roads are white, and police cars too are white. Police cars blend into the scenery. Being seen is good pro-active policing. We need to do something about this.

And are Police Officers visible enough? People often mistake police officers for security guards. In days not that long ago, police were highly visible - why? Because they wore Police Helmets!

FACTS OF NOTE:
The incidence of recorded crime throughout New Zealand peaked in 1996 and has curled downward slightly over recent years.

In 1996 there were a total of 475,154 incidents of recorded crime - with a resolution of 179,826 crimes, or 37.8% of all recorded crimes.

In 1999 there were 455,552 incidents of recorded crimes - with a resolution of 174,576 crimes, or 38.3% of all recorded crimes.

However, lurking within those figures is a trend where violent crimes remain high and show a slight increase. In 1996 there were 39,642 incidents of violent crime in New Zealand. Of those 77.5% were solved.

In 1999, 40,274 incidents of violent crime were recorded. Of these, 30,690 or 76.2% were solved.

The number of homes being burgled is also high. While police figures show a slight drop in the number of burglaries recorded - these figures do not separate commercial burglaries from domestic burglaries. Information I have received indicates the number of homes being burgled is increasing.

In 1996 77,960 cases of burglary were recorded. Of these, only 9692, or 12.4%, were solved.

In 1999, 78,527 cases of burglary were recorded. Of these, only 8752, or 11.1% were solved.

Burglary is one of the most common crimes impacting on and facing New Zealanders and their families. Burglary crime effects almost all of us. How many in this room tonight have been burgled or know of a relative or close friend who has been burgled? And of those who indicated having experienced a burglary crime, how many can say the crime was solved with the crooks being caught?

Clearly, this is not good enough.

The message has gone out to Police Commanders and all officers, that we will no longer tolerate burglaries being classified as low priority. It is not acceptable for police to take days to get to the scene of a burglary. There is no acceptable excuse for that.

It is well chronicled that property crime is the largest single category of crime reported to police. Burglary matters to people more than other types of crime. It is a fact that some serial rapists started off their criminal life as burglars.

These factors show why it is vitally important that we as a Government, and New Zealand as a community commit ourselves to a no-tolerance attitude toward burglary, property, and dishonesty crimes.

To this end, the Government will be setting up M.A.P.S - Map-based Analytical Policing System throughout the country by the year's end.

M.A.P.S. is a crime analysis tool that uses screen based maps to enable officers to analyse information and intelligence on criminals and crime, and directs police patrols to crime hotspots.

M.A.P.S has proven to be a huge asset to Wellington police since November 1999 in their fight against burglaries, youth offending and violent crime. This will provide Police with the information needed to crack sophisticated and highly organised burglary rings.

Intelligence and IT go hand in hand. Both are now vitally important to a modern crime-fighting organisation.

But we will not pour millions of dollars down the drain in the hope that something good MAY come of it.

In the future the Government will take a smaller modular approach to developing crime fighting IT systems. M.A.P.S. is an example of this.

Such systems will be tested to insure information and intelligence can be stored on gangs and criminal activity and processed. If successful, the modules will be approved. This is a sensible approach. Rather than the past government's "Big Bang" INCIS approach to the police's IT needs.

This Government's commitment is to the public of New Zealand, but it also extends to the police. I am determined to encourage the distribution of police officers on a population basis which takes into consideration the crime fighting needs of a community. I am equally committed to equip officers with the necessary tools to fight crime and to solve crimes.

While under the previous government police numbers increased new recruits found themselves out on the frontline without radios, without back up vehicles, without experienced police officers there to offer guidance and support when difficult and/or dangerous situations arose.

That acknowledged, I here announce that the ratio of sworn police officers per-population throughout the 13 Police Districts in New Zealand will improve.

By June 30 2000. The Target Officer/Population Ratio will be: from one officer per 500 people in Auckland, to one officer per 690 people in North Shore Waitakere.

In Detail:
Northland - One officer per 557 people.
Auckland City - One officer per 500 people.
North Shore/Waitakere - One officer per 690 people.
Counties/Manukau - One officer per 545 people.
Waikato - One officer per 567 people.
BOP - One officer per 572 people.
Eastern - One officer per 543 people.
Central - One officer per 542 people.
Wellington - One officer per 539 people.
Tasman - One officer per 592 people.
Canterbury - One officer per 565 people.
Southern - One officer per 568 people.

These targets move further to level out the officer/population ratio irregularities inherited as at January 26 2000. by the previous government which ranged from one officer per 794 people in North Shore/Waitakere to one officer per 509 people in Gisborne.

Now, New Zealand's Police are perfectly positioned to get down to business and to fight crime. We have a sane modern and effective IT programme under-way, we have canned the costly waste of the INCIS project. We have cancelled the Police Review - and we have re-introduced Police Headquarters to accountability measures that will ensure policing targets are met.

This will no doubt provide for New Zealand's current policing needs and lay a solid foundation for future requirements in the years to come.

Government's Commitment -Legislative Programme:
· There are advances in DNA identification. This is why the law needs to keep up with science. We should debate: whether DNA samples can shed light on attacks that would otherwise remain unsolved, whether we give police the most advanced tools of detection, whether an acquitted person's DNA should be destroyed, and whether a convicted criminal's DNA should remain on file.

Today the challenge for us all is to make sure laws in New Zealand keep up with scientific breakthroughs, especially if those breakthroughs enable us to get criminals off the streets.

I want the law to change to allow DNA mouth-swabs to be taken. And I welcome debate into the ethics of taking DNA mouth-swabs from those arrested and convicted criminals. Such a debate is necessary and important in reaching a right and proper course ahead in our fight against crime.

It is right that victims of crime, victims of violent crimes not only have recourse to the law but also recourse to justice.

This can only be achieved should the police, who are charged with solving these crimes, be given the most modern tools of detection.