Police News July 09.indd - New Zealand Police Association

The Voice of PoliceVOLUME 42 • NUMBER 6 • JULY 2009New constables joinWanganui’s frontlineCareer pathstake a turninto policing■ FRONTLINE STAFF STILL THE NO.1 PRIORITY FOR OUR MEMBERS■ POLICE PUT THE BOOT INTO SAFETY FOOTWEAR■ ORGANISED CRIME POLICING FALLING BEHIND

PoliceNewsThe Voice of PoliceThe Voice of PoliceVOLUME 42 • NUMBER 6 • JULY 2009149STUDENTS FOLLOW IN POLICE FOOTSTEPSNZ Police Association Police News is the magazine ofthe New Zealand Police Association and incorporates theNew Zealand Police Journal fi rst published in 1937.July 2009, Vol. 42, No.6ISSN 1175-9445Deadline for next issue Wednesday, July 15, 2009.Published by the New Zealand Police AssociationP.O. Box 12344, Willbank House, 57 Willis Street, Wellington.Phone: (04) 496 6800, Facsmile: (04) 471 1309Email: editor@policeassn.org.nzWebsite: www.policeassn.org.nzPrinted by City Print Communications, Wellington.Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of theAssociation.COPYRIGHT: NZPA Police News must not be reproduced inpart or as a whole without the formal consent of the copyrightholder - the New Zealand Police Association.Contents152FINGERING THE CRIMS157WE’LL FOOT THE BILL• Front page: CAREER CHANGE: Dion Kumeroa (left)and Luke Cranston are Wanganui’s latest constables aftergraduating from Wing 256 of the Police College recently.The move into policing has come via different careerpaths and life experience for the pair – Mr Kumeroa viamental health nursing and Mr Cranston formerly workedas an engineer. While they both admit that policing is awhole new ball game, they were looking forward to thenew challenges that the new career path would bring.Mr Kumeroa (see story page 150) took out the NZ PoliceAssociation prize at the Wing graduation.- Photo courtesy of The Wanganui Chronicle.From the President 143Four police officers receive Queen’s Birthday honours 143Frontline staff: still priority one 144Resource shortages impacting on police 145/6Organised crime policing falling behind 147Association wants Sale of Liquor Bill strengthened 148Election notice: Nominations for Vice-President’s position sought 148Police recruiting in schools 149Team player Dion takes Police Assn prize at RNZPC graduation 150Quick action saves man from being killed by train 151A day in the life of the Fingerprint Section 152/3Police put the boot into safety footwear issue 154/5Handheld cellphone use while driving could be banned by September 156Tasers, new staff welcome; but tough year ahead 156Memorial Wall 156Mufti day at Central Comms provides 32” television to cancer charity 157Brain teaser quiz/Quotes of the month 157View from the bottom/Holiday home availability 158Sports News 159Keen on wine/Copper’s crossword 160The importance of having travel insurance 161Annual insurance reviews and other insurance issues 162Useful information and contacts 162Jury still out on Crime Reporting Line 163Letters to the Editor 163Why have the Police put theboot into safety footwear? – p154142July 2009

New Zealand Police AssociationFour policeofficers receiveQueen’s BirthdayHonoursFour police officers were awardedHonours in the Queen’s BirthdayHonours List announced last month fortheir services to New Zealand Police.They were:The New Zealand Order of MeritM.N.Z.M.To be Members of the said Order:Malcolm James BURGESS, DetectiveSuperintendent, New Zealand Police, ofChristchurch.Daniel Francis O'CONNELL, SeniorConstable, New Zealand Police, ofWellington.For services to the New Zealand Police.• The Member of the NZ Order of Meritmedal (M.N.Z.M).The Queen’s Service MedalQ.S.M.Ross Alan BARNABY, Senior Sergeant,New Zealand Police, of North Shore.Bryan Emlyn WARD, CommunityConstable, New Zealand Police, ofAuckland.“We will still gather evidence and arrest criminals.We will still do our best to deliver justice to thosewho seek redress from their assailants, theirthieves, and their bullies.”Being in Police means learning to rideemotional roller coasters.From the first sudden death we attend,being surrounded by grieving families,to standing at the funeral of a slaincolleague, we learn that our businesstouches and impacts on lives.Experience and professionalism teachesus to deal with these emotions, hopefullynot hardening us to the trauma of othersexperiencing things for the first time -things which have become common forus to deal with.Court cases are like that.I always found it extremely difficultto deal with the frustrations anddisappointment of victims andvulnerable witnesses when they wereon the wrong end of a judicial or jurydecision.Even police officers have their faithin the system tested when they seesomeone, they know is guilty, walk freefrom court.I remember being told by an experiencedsergeant as I railed against a verdict I feltwas patently wrong. “He’ll come againson,” was his response.You know what? He did. They alwaysdo. Because we almost invariably get itright, especially in the big ones wherethe level of investigation leaves verylittle evidence unearthed.I detected a very emotional responseamong police following the Bainacquittal; echoing the strong sense ofbewilderment and disillusionment Ihave experienced walking away fromcourt with distraught victims.A head shaking sense of 'why bother?'Well, it’s a case of 'get over it'.We will still gather evidence and arrestcriminals. We will still do our best todeliver justice to those who seek redressfrom their assailants, their thieves, andtheir bullies.We’ll do it knowing that those whochoose to victimise, to shun the law,may only get caught and convicted fora small proportion of their crimes, butultimately, they do come again.It’s little comfort as we recover fromthe indignation and disillusionment weall feel following David Bain’s acquittalagainst overwhelming evidence; but justreflect on the words of my old sergeant -they always come again.Such disappointments are just anotheremotion we have to get under control,so we stay on the roller coaster rails.Remember, no one ever learned to sailon a still lake.• The Queen’s Service Medal (Q.S.M).NOTICE OF AGMS:Police Association Conference in Wellington from 14-16 OctoberThis year’s NZ Police Association Conference will be held from Wednesday 14 October toFriday 16 October at the James Cook Hotel, Wellington.The Police and Families Credit Union and the Police Welfare Fund will hold their respectiveAGMs on Wednesday 14 October at the same venue. The PFCU AGM will take place between11-11.45 a.m. and the Welfare Fund meeting between 11.45 and 12.30 p.m.July 2009143

PoliceNewsThe Voice of PoliceFrontline staff: still priority oneConcerns about staffing still top themost important issues facing NewZealand Police, and increasing frontlinestaffing is still ‘priority one’, accordingto a survey completed by more than5,500 serving Police staff.The survey was conducted in Novemberlast year by international researchcompany Nielsen for the PoliceAssociation and canvassed a wide rangeof issues. Results have been published inPolice News over the past few months.Police were asked, as an open-endedquestion: “Looking ahead over the nextfive years, in order of priority, what do youthink are the three most important issuesfacing New Zealand Police?”Almost six out of every ten police (57%)nominated staffing as one of the topthree issues. This outstripped concernsabout resource shortages (32%) andcrime (27%).The biggest individual staffing concernswere over staff numbers (34%), andretention of experienced staff (23%).Not surprisingly, police in Counties-Manukau were most concerned, with73% nominating staffing as one ofthe top three issues. Police in CentralDistrict were not far behind in theirlevel of concern, at 69%.Dissatisfaction with frontline numbersA separate question revealed the virtuallyunanimous view (92%) in Police thatthere are not enough staff and resourcesassigned to frontline General DutiesBranch (GDB). Frontline resourcingwas by far the biggest concern revealedby this question, followed by resourcingassigned to organised crime, and theCIB. (See chart on page 147)Sixty-nine percent (69%) believedfrontline GDB was the most critical areain which to increase resources.Police were also asked how satisfiedthey were with the numbers of frontlinestaff in their own district.A huge 76% responded that they weredissatisfied or very dissatisfied. Again,dissatisfaction was highest in Counties-Manukau (dissatisfied/very dissatisfiedtotal 93%), though AMCOS (89%) andBay of Plenty District (85%) also expressedvirtually universal dissatisfaction atfrontline staff numbers.Police Association President GregO’Connor said the survey results showthe Government must continue to investin re-building the Police.“The commitment won in 2005 to1,000 more sworn, and 250 more nonswornstaff – known amongst Police asthe Government New Initiatives – wascritical to avert looming crises fromwhich it would have been incrediblydifficult to recover,” he said.“However, there is a huge danger thatpoliticians now think the job is done,that Police are now well-staffed. Weare not. There is still huge pressureout there, and the investment inrebuilding an effective Police must bemaintained.”New Zealand significantly under-policedThe announcement in May’s Budgetof a completion of the third tranche ofthe ‘GNIs’, plus a further 220 staff (fora total of 600 by the end of 2011), was“welcome”, but would barely keep upwith population growth, Mr O’Connorwarned.“New Zealand is still significantly underpolicedon a police-to-population ratiocompared to countries like Australiaand England. That’s severely hamperedour ability to police pro-actively andcombat serious, insidious crime likemethamphetamine and organised crime.We’re already reaping the consequencesof those past failures. The danger is,when the squeeze goes back on, we willfall even further behind, and in 10 years’time we will be fighting the same battleall over again to avert disaster.”Important Issues facing policeNearly six in ten police staff believe that staffing is one of the three most important issues facing the New Zealand PoliceLooking ahead over the next five years, in order of priority, what do you think are the three most important issues facingthe New Zealand Police?Staff3027Resource Shortages725Crime1512Public Image8130% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%Most ImportantSecond or third most importantStaffRetention of quality/senior/moreexperienced staff (23%). Staffingnumbers/levels (23%). Morefrontline staff (11%). Staff training/upskilling/career development (6%).More non-sworn/support staff (2%).More Specialist/investigative staff(1%)Resource ShortagesResources/having the appropriatetools/equipment for job (incl.Computers/cars/radios/uniforms)(27%). Get adequate funding (6%)Crime[Net] Drugs/gangs/organised crime13% Violence/increasing levelsor violent crime (11%). Drugs/methamphetamine (P)/drug relatedoffending (8%). Organised crime(incl. gangs) (6%). Escalating crimerate and prevention (6%). Youthoffending/youth issues (4%)Public ImageRestoring public confidence/trust/respect/improving public’s negativeperception of the police (21%)144July 2009

New Zealand Police AssociationMost critical area for resourcesGDB frontline is clearly perceived to be the most critical area to increase resources in, with the next most critical area perceived asbeing organised drugs and crimeIn which one of these areas is it most critical to increase resources in?Frontline General DutiesBranch (GDB)69Organised Crime andDrugs14Non sworn supportstaff6CIB6Road Policing2Intel1Enough resourcesassigned to all areas3Base: All respondents (n=5,526)0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%Resource shortages impacting on policeIn a result echoing the findings ofPolice’s Gallup survey, the PoliceAssociation’s Members’ Survey foundextremely high levels of concern overresource shortages.The 2007 Gallup survey, released byPolice in April 2008, found 25% of staffidentified ‘lack of resources’ as being“the one thing that stops me doing mybest at work.” Forty-one percent (41%)identified lack of staff as the biggestobstacle, a result which was also highlyconsistent with the Association’s surveyfindings (see separate story on page144).In response to the Association’s surveyquestion asking members to nominatethe biggest issues facing Police, thirtytwopercent (32%) cited shortages ofitems such as computers, cars, radios,and uniform items as one of the topthree issues facing Police.This made resource shortages the secondgravest concern for serving police,second only to staffing concerns.In a separate question, staff wereasked to rate their satisfaction with“the resources directly available to you toenable you to do your job.” A huge sixtyonepercent (61%) responded that theywere dissatisfied or very dissatisfied.Dissatisfaction was highest amongststaff in Counties-Manukau (74%) andCanterbury District (72%). CIB (73%)and GDB frontline staff (66%) were alsohighly dissatisfied with availability ofresources.Hampering effectivenessPolice Association President GregO’Connor said the survey result“highlights the huge frustration felt bymany police” over resource shortageshampering their effectiveness at work.“I think we should all be concernedwhen we have nearly two-thirds ofpolice saying they can’t do their job aswell as they would like, because theydon’t have the right tools for the job.”To better understand what resourcesstaff feel they are lacking, the surveyasked: “Other than staff, what additionalresource or resources do you most need todo your job more effectively?”While 54% nominated availability oraccess to various types of operationalequipment (such as radios, cellphones,and SRBA), the biggest single itemsnominated by far were more computers(32%), and more vehicles (21%).Shortages of vehiclesHowever, despite the concerns revealedby the survey, Police News understandsthat Police are currently planning tocut the vehicle fleet size by 10%, eventhough these plans would be at oddswith National’s election promise to “Put50 more police cars on our streets.”Cutting the vehicle fleet appears to bepart of wide-ranging moves within Policeto cut costs, and NZ Police AssociationPresident Greg O’Connor says thereis a real danger of cost-cutting movesexacerbating resourcing shortages.“Investment in equipment and resourceswould deliver a huge boost not just inPolice effectiveness, but also in morale,”Mr O’Connor said.“On the other hand, a Government ora Police administration, which sets outto squeeze resources harder will simplymake matters worse, in terms of policeeffectiveness, and do even more damageto the goodwill of dedicated policeofficers.”July 2009145

New Zealand Police AssociationOrganised crime policing falling behindAlmost two-thirds (63%) of Policestaff are concerned that not enoughresources are assigned to combatingorganised crime and drugs, accordingto the Members’ Survey conducted byinternational research company Nielsenfor the Police Association.This was second only to long-standingconcern about frontline resourcing (seestory on page 144).Police Association President GregO’Connor cautioned that the importanceof the survey result wasn’t that there wasa call for ‘more staff’, but rather that ithighlights a huge consensus of concernabout organised crime.“Unfortunately, it’s all too easy forpoliticians and managers to dismissresults like these as just being the sameold call for ‘more staff’. In a sense, therewill never be enough, because there isalways so much more we could do,” hesaid.“It’s vital we all set aside knee-jerkreactions to the survey numbers,and look behind them so as to reallyunderstand what’s going on,” MrO’Connor urged.“Concern about the inadequacy ofresources directed to combatingorganised crime and drugs mirrorsthe widespread belief amongst policethat this sort of crime poses the singlebiggest threat to law and order in NewZealand.” (See story on page 117 ofPolice News Volume 42, Number 5 –June 2009)Alarming message“There is a very alarming andconsistent message coming through.An overwhelming number of policeare extremely worried that gangs andorganised crime syndicates are gettingout of control, and we are not doingenough to try to keep up.“Organised crime is spreading andentrenching, to the point where anoverwhelming majority of police officersare hugely concerned both as police,and as New Zealanders with familiesand friends whose communities arenow under threat.“When it comes to crime trends,frontline police are invariably thefirst to sense them – just as they werewith methamphetamine, long beforeit became a national epidemic. Thosewarnings were ignored, and we can allsee what happened. The stark warningsnow about the growth of organisedcrime – largely off the back of P profits– must not be ignored in the same way,”Greg O’Connor said.Resources in police areasThere is general consensus that there are not enough resources assigned to GDB frontline staff.Do you think the New Zealand Police assigns too many resources (including staff), about the right amount of resources, or not enough resourcesto the following?Not sure(%)Net shortfall inresources(% Not enough– % Too many)Road Policing214627 7 +6%Intel204718 15-2%Non-sworn supportstaff45397 10-38%CIB56272 15-54%Organised Crime andDrugs63171 19-62%Frontline GeneralDuties Branch (GDB)925 3-92%Not enough About right Too manyBase: All respondents (n=5,526)July 2009147

Police recruiting in schoolsBy Deb Stringer, Communications AssistantBasing cops in schools under a scheme,which aims to build trust with youngstersand tackle youth crime, has produced anunexpected benefit for Police.The scheme called Cops in Schools hasbeen running for just over a year andPolice have found the programme tobe an excellent way to recruit potentialpolice officers, after 100 secondary schoolapplicants put their hand up for the job.The programme is currently run in 12schools in South Auckland, as well asschools in the far north and Hamilton.The vast majority of officers in theprogramme hail from a Youth Aidbackground.Other aspects of their job include dealingwith tagging issues, driver education andtruancy.Police say the scheme has been sosuccessful that more schools haverequested to join the programme.Showing a different sideConstable Sel Seluone, who splits histime between two schools in SouthAuckland, said the scheme was a goodway of showing students there was amore “human side” to policing.“It’s not just about the crime-relatedaspect of our job, we also want studentsto know about the proactive approachwe want to make in the community.“I think this aspect is what has attracteda lot of students to the job.“That, along with the fact that theyknow that if they join the Police theydon’t have to be stuck in one kind of jobduring their career, as there is a lot ofvariety in policing,” Constable Seluonesaid.New Zealand Police AssociationStraight from schoolDistrict Youth Aid co-coordinator forCounties-Manukau, Dexter Traill, saidof the 100 applicants from the SouthAuckland area: “We always hoped thescheme would help us enlist potentialrecruits, so are glad to see that it isworking because, basically, secondaryschool students are a future reflectionof our adult community.“One of our main goals has alwaysbeen for Police in Counties-Manukauto reflect its community and thanks tothe Cops in School programme this isbecoming a reality.“We are very happy with how it is allgoing, because we are now seeing somevery, very bright kids from the area whoare now realising that becoming a policeofficer is an attractive option.”• Constable Sel Seluone pictured here with some of the pupils from Tangaroa College in South Auckland. Mr Seluone believes the Cops inSchools programme is a good way of showing potential recruits a more “human side” of policing.- Photo courtesy of Pera Panga.July 2009149

PoliceNewsThe Voice of PoliceTeam player Dion wins NZPAprize at RNZPC graduationBy Deb Stringer, Communications AssistantSetting a good example has paid off forrecent police graduate, Dion Kumeroa,after he was awarded the New ZealandPolice Association prize for the greatestcontribution to the success of his team.Mr Kumeroa received the award lastmonth when he graduated from Porirua’sRoyal New Zealand Police College,along with 75 other new recruits.He said the award had come as a “bit ofa shock”.Helping others“I definitely wasn’t expecting it anddidn’t think I had been doing anythingspecial, as helping out others issomething which I’ve always done,” hesaid.However, Mr Kumeroa’s classmatesbelieved he was a prime candidate forthe award, due to his helpful nature andnatural ability to pull the team togetherduring tough times.“They all came up to congratulate meand thank me for helping them outthroughout the training, which wasreally nice.”Mr Kumeroa said receiving the awardwas like the “icing on the cake”.“I was completely stoked and it justadded to my joy of finally becoming apolice officer,” he added.Turned downHis aspirations of becoming a policeofficer began 14 years ago when he wasworking as a shearer.At the time, he had gone into theWanganui Police Station to inquireabout a job but was told he didn’t “cutthe mustard”.Mr Kumeroa was “gutted” at the timebut decided it was time for a careerchange, so began working in the healthsector, where he eventually became anurse.“After my son Dane was born in 1999with a congenital heart condition andspent his first five years in and out ofhospitals, I was inspired by the carethose nurses gave to my son.Realisation of a dreamHe said that even though he reallyenjoyed nursing, becoming a policeofficer “was never far from my mind.”Eventually, Mr Kumeroa could nolonger ignore his long-held dream andin 2007 began the process of applyingto become a police officer.Since graduating he has been workingin Wanganui, the very station whichturned him down 14 years ago.“It’s funny how things all work out inthe end. Turning me down back thenturned out to be the best thing for meas it helped me gain some valuable lifeexperience, which definitely helps inthe job, “ he said.• Dane Keyes-Kumeroa was as proud as Punch of his Dad, Dion Kumeroa, after he nabbedthe New Zealand Police Association prize on graduating from the Royal New Zealand PoliceCollege.150July 2009

New Zealand Police AssociationQuick thinking and action savesman from being killed by trainMasterton constables Sherril Adams andHayden Robinson saved a mental healthpatient’s life, recently, by quick thinkingand quick action – despite a train bearingdown on the suicidal man.The pair were trying to talk the man intogetting off railways tracks but their pleaswere falling on deaf ears. While ConstableRobinson continued to keep the manengaged and somewhat distracted, hispartner managed to get close enough towrestle the man to safety.Constable Adams said she “acted oninstinct” during the daring rescue andthe adrenaline rush at the time obviouslyaided her cause as the diminutive officermanaged to pull the heavily-built menout of the path of the train as it hurtledpast the pair at 50 kph.Desperate situationConstable Adams admitted in a recentinterview, which appeared in TheSouthland Times, that she realised asshe walked down the tracks, for severalhundred metres, just a pace behind thedespairing man, that her own life mightwell hang in the balance as a result ofwhat might transpire.“I was just so focused on him. I knew hewas determined. I kept trying to keephim talking but then I saw the train – Idon’t know whether it was 100 metresaway or 20 metres away, but it wasawfully close and I just knew I had tograb him and do all I could.”Police were alerted to the man’s plightby several phone calls from concernedfriends.HeroicActing Senior Sergeant Carolyn Watsonsaid it was a truly heroic rescue bythe two officers. “I believe that had itnot been for their bravery, we wouldbe dealing with an extremely tragicincident. Their actions certainly saved alife,” she told The Southland Times.The man was taken into the care ofmental health services.In a follow-up editorial, The SouthlandTimes said the rescue “legitimatelyhelps focus the mind on the growingcatalogue of cases of staggering braveryfor our police officers, emergencyservices, and from passers-by who sooften discover that, in extremity, theirinstincts are utterly admirable. We stilltend to underestimate how often thathappens.”• Masterton constables Sherril Adams and Hayden Robinson saved a mental health patient’slife recently with their quick thinking and action. Photo courtesy of The Southland Times.July 2009151

PoliceNewsThe Voice of PoliceBy Deb Stringer, Communications AssistantCapturing the image of an offender’sfingerprint hasn’t always been as efficient asthe New Zealand Police’s current method,Livescan.Livescan was adopted by New ZealandPolice in 2006 and is an electronic,computer-based device, which readsfingerprints and palm print patterns directlyfrom an offender. It also provides real-timeidentity of offenders.Prior to its introduction, New Zealand Policehad been using the traditional ink and papermethod as its main means of identifyingoffenders.National Fingerprint Office Manager EugeneWall said there had been a lot of advantagesbrought about by the introduction ofLivescan.“We can identify an arrested person withinfour minutes, whereas before the processcould take up to a week.“This means even if offenders give us a falseidentity it doesn’t stop us from finding outtheir true identity,” he said.Other advantagesAnother advantage of the system has comefrom the increased number of crime scenehits due to the improved quality of fingerprintcapture, meaning it has become easier toreduce the number of previously unresolvedprints left at crime scenes.Some of these crimes included seriousviolent crimes and minor burglaries,according to Mr Wall.The Fingerprint Section processes morethan 95,000 sets of prints a year. Of these14,000 are completed by ink while the restare collected via Livescan. The ink sets areusually collected at out of the way locationssuch as smaller rural police stations, wherethe nearest access to Livescan could behours away.All prints are sent to the AutomatedFingerprint Identification System (AFIS),which checks to see if the new set of printsmatch those stored in the Police database,which has 630,000 archived fingerprintsets.Welcome additionMr Wall said Livescan had been a welcomeaddition to police stations around thecountry.“Police are finding that the quality of printshas improved and recently when a station upnorth could not use Livescan for two weeksthere was much complaining about having togo back to ink,” he said.Although Livescan has been a majoradvance for the Fingerprint Section, Mr Wallsaid Police were exploring other methods,which would streamline the process evenfurther.“There is a possibility that in the futurewe will be able to search crime scenefingerprints at the scene of crime,” he said.“Another thing we are looking at introducingis Rapid ID Scanners, which are able to takeprisoners’ fingerprints in 15 to 20 secondsand return positive identifications back inaround a minute.“These will only be used in specificsituations, for things like mass arrests.”Police trialed these portable systemsover the New Year holiday period at thenotable trouble spots of Mt Maunganui andWhangamata.“We found them to be very efficient”,Mr Wall added.• There are three main types of fingerprint patterns: Loops, Whorls and Plain Arches.152July 2009

New Zealand Police AssociationThe Crime OfficeAnother part of the Fingerprint Section is theCrime Office.The Crime Office is responsible forexamining crime scenes and exhibits forfingerprints as well as identifying latentcrime scene prints.A high-intensity forensic light source (thePolilight) is used to observe potential printson difficult surfaces.Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch arehome to the three crime offices in NewZealand.Officer-in-charge of the Wellington Crime PrintSection, Peter Holman, said the branch is sentup to 7,000 files a year. From these, the 11person team managed to achieve upwards of1,600 positive identifications each year.Other aspects of their job include identifyingdeceased persons, including disastervictims, and testifying in court.This section also utilises AFIS. “Coldsearches” (the term for looking at ‘cold’historical cases) on AFIS typically accountfor over half of the identifications - andLivescan is used for ‘comparison’ prints.The fingerprint timeline3 A.D. - Chinese officials used fingerprints toseal official documents such as land sales,contracts, loans and acknowledgements ofdebts.1798 - JC Mayer of Germany discovers theuniqueness of the fingerprint.1823 - Professor Johannes EvangelistPukinje publishes an in-depth study onfingerprinting, which categorises thedifferent types of fingerprints.1858 - Sir William Herschel used inkedpalm and thumb impressions on officialdocuments as a form of signature. He alsobegan fingerprinting prisoners in jail.1874 - Dr Henry Faulds, a Scottishmissionary, discovered that fingerprintpatterns didn’t change. Because of thishe believed they could be used to identifycriminals.1892 - English scientist Sir Francis Galtondeveloped a system, which became thefoundation for modern fingerprint scienceand technology.1892 - Juan Vucetich, an Argentineanpolice officer, devised his own system offingerprint classification. This was the firstsystem to be put into practice by Police.1896 - Sir Edward Henry also devised asimilar system, which enabled fingerprintrecords to be organised and searched withrelative ease. By 1901 he was appointedAssistant Commissioner of Police at NewScotland Yard where he introduced hissystem.1903 – Sir Edward Henry’s fingerprintsystem is adopted by New Zealand Police.• The technique used to capture clear images with Livescan.• Hundreds of thousands of fingerprints are stored in a sea of drawers that make up theAutomated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS).Leaving your mark• Everyone’s fingerprints are unique andeach person’s fingerprint differs fromfinger to finger.• A fingerprint’s uniqueness comesfrom the way they are orientated andpositioned as well as their relationship toother characteristics.• Fingerprints are formed during the 10thand 17th week of pregnancy as themiddle layer of skin grows faster thanthe surface of the middle layer.• Fingerprint patterns are categorised intothree groups Loops, Whorls and PlainArches.• Loops are the most common pattern with66% of the population having these.• Whorls are the second most commontype and are found in 30% of thepopulation.• Plain Arches are the least common typewith only 4% of the population havingthis pattern.July 2009153

PoliceNewsThe Voice of PolicePolice put the boot intosafety footwear issueBy Deb Stringer, Communications AssistantTop Police officials have done a backflipand reversed the Police decision in May2007 to provide frontline staff with safetyfootwear.The Association has been lobbying forsafety footwear for frontline staff since2004, but were recently informed by theCommissioner of Police, Howard Broad,that the Police Executive Committee (PEC)has pulled the plug on the long-standingproject.Four reasons were given to the Associationas to why Police had decided to abandonthe project, these included:• The current fiscal environment;• The hazards which officers face werenot significant enough;• Other priorities on the agenda; and• Insufficient justification.Police say employees will receive safetyfootwear on a case-by-case basis.The Association considered that the delaysin this project were unacceptable, but thisdecision is unfathomable.Legislation – decision unlawful?Under the Health and Safety in EmploymentAct it states that if an employee is faced witha hazard in their working environment,employers must take steps to eithereliminate, isolate or minimise it.The Association is of the opinion thateliminating or isolating the hazards inthis environment is not possible, as policeofficers must attend accident scenes, crimescenes and other emergencies wherethey have no control over the physicalenvironment or their work activities.The Association believes Police may be incontravention of the Health and Safety inEmployment Act 1992, section 10, 2(b),which states that employers must provide,make accessible to and ensure the useby employees of suitable clothing andequipment to protect them from harm,that may be caused by or arise out of ahazard.The Act also states that employers cannotpay an allowance in lieu of providingrequired safety equipment. They areobliged to provide equipment, whichmeets the relevant safety standard.Police must also adhere to the NZ PoliceHealth and Safety Manual, which statesthat if any hazard has a risk factor of eightor above measures to control or managethe situation must be made straight away.154July 2009Hazardous conditionsEvidence that suggests frontline responsestaff often face hazards in their job can befound in a survey conducted by Police in2005.The Police’s own survey results showed thatthe majority of response staff participantssaid that during a normal working day, fiveout of the eight hours worked were spenton their feet. This indicates how long staffare exposed to potential hazards.The survey also showed that during theworking day the potential hazards facedby frontline staff include:• Surface types – concrete asphalt, grass,grave, loose earth and metal;• Surface characteristics – uneven,slippery, rough, smooth, overgrown/obscured;• Surface deposits – water, mud, sharpobjects, petrol/disel, debris, glass,blood, oil, human waste, chemicals,animal waste, ice and snow; and• Work activities – running, twisting andturning, climbing, jumping, lifting andcarrying loads.Each of these factors are a hazard in theirown right, but often a combination ispresent, which increases the significanceof the hazards and the risk of harm. Forexample, running after a member ofthe public on concrete in wet, slipperyconditions with debris and glass on thesurface. When the officer catches up withthe member of the public he or she isaggressive and difficult to contain, whichmeans the officer is twisting and turningon the slippery, wet surface in their effortsto handcuff the person.Response staff that participated in the surveyscored an ‘eight’ under the risk assessmentprocess (combining “consequences” of ahazard and “likelihood” of an occurrence)outlined in the NZ Police and SafetyManual, which placed them in the “highrisk” category when it came to hazardousconditions.The Association considers that the Policeinjury data does not accurately reflectthe true nature and extent or significanceof these hazards. Most frontline staffhave taken responsibility and boughtfootwear, which recognises their workingenvironment.CostThe Association calculated the initial costof providing safety footwear for frontlinestaff at around $1.2 million. This amountis a virtual drop in the ocean (.08%) ofthe Police’s $1.387 billion budget for the2009-10 fiscal year.Police have also had a number of years toplan for this cost.Employers who provide safety footwearSpecialist squadsPolice currently provide safety footwear tocertain specialist squads such as the ArmedOffenders Squad, Special Tactics Group,team policing, dog handlers, CommercialVehicle Inspection Unit, Search and Rescueand Scene of Crime Officers.The Association’s argument is that GeneralDuties Branch, Criminal InvestigationBureau and Road Policing staff often facesignificant hazards in their daily workingenvironment too. These groups are oftenthe first responders to an incident.Australian Police ForcesThe Australian Federal Police, QueenslandPolice, Northern Territory Police, NewSouth Wales Police, Tasmanian Police,Victoria Police, Western Australia andAustralian Capital Territory Police are allissued with safety footwear.South Australia Police are the only state,which is not provided with safety footwear.Their uniform code is currently underreview.Emergency ServicesSt John Ambulance, the New Zealand FireService, the New Zealand Army, the NewZealand Air Force, the New Zealand Navyand the New Zealand Customs Service areall provided with safety footwear.Other employers who providesafety footwearOther jobs where safety footwear is providedto employees include; tyre fitters, aborists,demolition, river and stream operations,forest operations, helicopter logging, craneoperators, timber processors, constructionworkers, agriculture, wielding, forkliftdrivers, metal casting, wharfies and factoryworkers.Usual practiceProviding safety footwear is normal inworkplaces, which contain hazards ona par with those faced by frontline staff.It appears that it is New Zealand Policewho are out of step with health andsafety practice and their failure to providefrontline staff with safety footwear letsdown their staff, at the very least.

New Zealand Police AssociationCIB officer believes there is astrong need for safety footwearBy Deb Stringer, Communications AssistantA CIB officer, who was injured by a man trap while executing adrug warrant, knows exactly how dangerous it can be for a frontlineofficer to be left without protective safety footwear.Not surprisingly, he is a strong advocate for all frontline officershaving safety footwear provided.The officer, who did not wish to be named, said during the incidenteight nails had spiked into his right shoe. Three of these went directlyinto his foot.Nasty surprise“During the search warrant I had ducked over the back fence of theproperty in an attempt to avoid the security cameras, however, theproperty had been man-trapped, so when I jumped over the fence Ilanded on two fence palings which had about 50 odd nails stickingout of them.“Unfortunately for me, several of these nails shot up into my foot.The pain was excruciating, but not only that I couldn’t move fromthe spot as the nails were keeping me there.”He said if the owner had come out with a firearm it could have been“all over” because he would not have been able to get away.The incident meant the officer was in hospital for 10 days andsuffered nerve damage to his right foot.“I think safety footwear is a must for people in the job,” he said.Road Policing officer thankful for safety bootsSergeant Adrian Kerian knows the value of a good pair of boots afterhe was knocked off his motorbike while on patrol.During the fall, the motorbike Mr Kerian was riding fell on top of hisfoot and ankle, however he managed to escape unscathed becauseof his safety boots.“Because of the good quality of the boot they basically saved myankle and shin,” he said.In another incident about six months ago, Mr Kieran’s foot was runover when he was patrolling a checkpoint.“A car got too close and accidentally ran over my foot.“Once again, I was very grateful to have my boots on as I would havehad crushed toes otherwise,” he said.“After being involved in these incidents I would definitely recommendthat safety boots should be supplied to all frontline staff.”He also believes having a standard type of boot would ensure that allboots met safety standards.“There are so many staff who have different kinds of boots and itdoes make me wonder about the safety of them.“If we had a standard set of boots, which were supplied by the Police,this would eliminate the issue,” Mr Kerian said.Safety footwear timeline - major milestonesJuly 2003 - The provision of safetyfootwear to frontline staff was discussed atthe Advisory Standing Committee on Policeuniform. The committee agreed to examinethis issue but no work was done.October 2004 – The Police Associationsent a letter to Police supporting a reportfrom Constable Doug Peach, one of theAssociation’s health and safety representatives.The report identified significant hazards inthe Police working environment and, undersection 19B(4) of the Health and Safety inEmployment Act 1992, proposed that theprovision of safety footwear be extended toall frontline operational staff and those whomay relieve in that area.January 2005 – Police established a workingparty in response to Constable Peach’sreport. The working party was directed toinvestigate the need to issue safety footwear,any positions that should be issued withsafety footwear, suitable types of footwearand detailed costings of any provision.The Association had representation on thisgroup.March 2005 – The working party decidedto conduct a Police survey of staff to morefully identify and assess the work hazardsinvolved.May 2005 – Police survey sent to theDistricts for distribution to a sample ofstaff.February 2006 – Police survey report withaccompanying paper forwarded to the Boardof Commissioners for their consideration.The survey found significant hazards tofrontline staff.February 2006 – The Board ofCommissioners’ considers the Police surveyreport and accompanying paper.March 2006 – The Police Association sendsa letter to Police requesting the results of theBoard of Commissioners’ considerations.The letter reminds Police of their health andsafety obligations.April 2006 – Reply from Police stating thatthe Board of Commissioners had:• Noted the survey conclusions, thatthe Health and Safety Act required theimplementation of controls to manage thehazard and appropriate safety footwearmust meet AS/NZS 2210;• Directed the appointment of membersto a working group to investigate thesuitable types of footwear for staff anddetail the cost of purchase and issue; and• Referred the approval of safety footwear toidentified frontline staff to the payroundnegotiations for that year.May 2006 - Constable Doug Peach, actingin his role as one of the Police Association’shealth and safety representatives, sendsa letter to Police stating that he was notaware of any formal written statementsetting out the Board of Commissioners’reasons for not approving the issue of safetyfootwear to identified staff. He again madea recommendation under section 19B(4) ofthe Health and Safety in Employment Actthat identified staff be provided with safetyfootwear. If this proposal was not adopted,a written statement outlining the reasonswas requested.May 2007 – The Police ExecutiveCommittee approved the issue of safetyfootwear to frontline staff. They directedthat further work was needed on:• Which staff required safety footwear;• What did safety footwear consist of; and• What type of safety footwear was suitablefor the Police environment.August 2007 – Police Working Groupmeeting on the further work that needed tobe completed.May 2008 – Police approved a trial of safetyfootwear - the tender for safety footwearmodels being completed in August 2008and a footwear trial being from 1 September2008 to 1 February 2009.May 2008 – The Police Association sent aletter to Police stating that we were consciousthat it had taken some time to get to thispoint. The Association believed the trialevaluation should be completed within twomonths and then safety footwear should berolled out without undue delay.August 2008 – Police call for tendersregarding safety footwear for staff.February 2009 – Assessment of the tendersreceived by Police, with preferred tendersbeing identified.April 2009 – The Police Working Groupdiscussed which staff require safetyfootwear.June 2009 – Letter from the Commissionerstating Police had decided that safetyfootwear would not be provided to groupsof frontline staff. Employees would receiveit on a case-by-case basis.July 2009155

PoliceNewsThe Voice of PoliceHand-held cellphone use while drivingcould be banned by September this yearA ban on using cellphones while drivingcould be in force by September if TransportMinister Steven Joyce has his way.Mr Joyce has flagged the ban as “highpriority” and is currently seekingrecommendations from officials aswell as Cabinet approval before a finaldecision on the rule change can be made,according to The New Zealand Herald.Report dueMr Joyce is waiting on a Ministry ofTransport report on public consultationabout the use of cellphones while driving.He said it is understood to show a “broadlevel of consensus” on the issue.Public consultation was sought onthe matter after the previous LabourGovernment proposed to fine drivers$50 and impose 25 demerit points onthose who used hand-held cellphoneswhile driving. The accumulation of 100demerit points within two years resultsin a three-month suspension of licence.Penalties for offenders who failed to adhereto the new rule, if it came into force, hadyet to be decided, Mr Joyce said.Tasers, new staff welcome; but a “tough year” aheadThe new National Government delivered its first Budget on28 May against a backdrop of global recession, falling revenueand mounting debt.Treasurer Bill English described his Budget as one that “will lifteconomic growth, help New Zealanders through the recessionand strengthen the Government's books.”In the immediate future, the Budget indicated means tighteningexpenditure across the government sector – including Police.The Government has provided funding in the Budget tocomplete the Taser rollout, with around $10 million committedover a four-year period to do so.FundingFunding of $162.5 million over fours years was also committedto complete the ‘GNIs’ (Government New Initiatives)programme started in 2006, plus a further 224 staff, for a totalSupported moveAccording to road safety researchers,drivers who use hand-held cellphoneswhile driving are nine times more likelyto crash. They also likened the activityto driving drunk.Ninety-six crashes in 2007 were blamedon using cellphones while driving,although the Automobile Association(AA) suspects actual figures were likelyto be much higher because driverswere unlikely to admit to having useda cellphone and thereby causing anaccident through distraction.A survey last year conducted by theAutomobile Association (AA) found that76% of its members supported a ban onthe use of cellphones while driving.A ban here would bring New Zealandinto line with at least 45 countries,including Australia and the UK, wherelegislation to ban the use of mobilephones while driving is already inforce.Vodafone and Telecom are alsosupporting the ban after a young drinkdriverwas convicted of killing an elderlycouple in Canterbury while texting. Afatal crash on the Kapiti Coast, whichclaimed the lives of two sisters, wasidentified as being caused as a result ofthe driver texting at the time.Hands-free units exemptIt is expected under the proposedlaw change, that using hands-freeconnections while driving will beexempt. Although research conductedby Waikato University suggests that theuse of hands-free sets still causes a degreeof distraction, these are marginally saferthan using hand-held devices.AA spokesman Mike Noon told TheNew Zealand Herald he agreed therewas little difference between the two,however, saying the organisation wastaking a “practical view” citing that theban would at “least deter drivers fromlooking down to make calls”.“We’ve been using cellphones in cars fora long time, so we think it’s reasonableto have a hands-free kit in your car,” hesaid.of “600 extra staff” by the end of 2011. Of those, 300 will gointo Counties-Manukau District by the end of 2010.Responding to the Budget announcements, Police AssociationVice-President Stuart Mills said while Tasers and extra staffwere welcome, cost pressures in Police are building.“Extra frontline staff will be very gratefully received, especiallyin Counties-Manukau, where it has been widely acknowledgedthat numbers are tight. Similarly, with the increasing violencefaced by officers on a daily basis, Tasers can’t come soonenough,” Mr Mills said.“However, the overall Budget allocation for Police has notincreased from last year. That means Police are not beingfunded to match inflation-related cost pressures, or allow forfair pay movements. That means, despite the new staff, thiswill be a tough year,” Mr Mills said.We remember…Who passed away…SCEATS Lillian Evelyn 5-May-09 Widow of member HastingsNUNAN Barbara Irene 13-May-09 Widow of retired member ParaparaumuNETANA Buddy Haami 19-May-09 Retired member DargavilleDUNCAN Bruce Merrick 23-May-09 Retired member Owaka, DunedinMUNRO Keith Alexander 24-May-09 Retired member ChristchurchTAYLOR Stanley Thompson 27-May-09 Retired member Te ArohaCOOPER Noel George 29-May-09 Retired member HastingsPOLL Allan 12-Jun-09 Retired member NelsonDIXON Ngaire Florence 22-Jun-09 Member Te Kuiti156July 2009

New Zealand Police AssociationMufti day at Central Comms provides 32”television to Ronald McDonald House• (From left to right): Brent Taylor (Ronald McDonald Wellington House OperationsManager), Kathryn Williams (Executive Officer), Karen Vile (Dispatcher, Section Two) andInspector Wayne Ewers (Manager, Central Communications Centre).On Tuesday 31st March 2009,Inspector Wayne Ewers, Karen Vile,Kathryn Williams and Paula Tanuvasa(from Photography Section), visited theRonald McDonald House in Newtown,Wellington and presented the team witha 32” LG flat screen television on behalfof the Central Communications Centre.The television has pride of place in thechildren’s entertainment room. Karen’sson, Duane, sourced the televisionand then installed it. Duane’s technicalabilities were put to good use when helearned that the charity had been gifteda Nintendo Wii, which they had beenunable to use previously – so he hookedthat up for them too.The purchase was made thanks to thegenerous support of staff in raising $900from a mufti day fundraiser for RonaldMcDonald House, which develops andsupports programmes that help childrenlive happier, healthier lives.The cornerstone project of the charityin New Zealand are the three RonaldMcDonald Houses, in Auckland,Wellington and Christchurch. Eachyear these houses care for over 3,500families of children undergoing hospitaltreatment at Starship Children's Hospitalin Auckland, Wellington Hospital orChristchurch Public Hospital.• The certificate of appreciation presentedto the Central Communications Centrestaff from Ronald McDonald Housemanagement.“Conversation should be pleasant withoutscurrility, witty without affectation, freewithout indecency, learned withoutconceitedness, novel without falsehood.”- William Shakespeare (Playwright).“There is no beautifier of complexion,or form, or behaviour, like the wish toscatter joy and not pain around us. 'Tisgood to give a stranger a meal, or a night'slodging. 'Tis better to be hospitable tohis good meaning and thought, and givecourage to a companion. We must be ascourteous to a man as we are to a picture,which we are willing to give the advantageof a good light.”- Ralph Waldo Emerson (Writer).“They always say time changes things,but you actually have to change themyourself.”- Andy Warhol (Artist).Try - our 5 minute quizOkay, morning or afternoon tea break hasarrived. You have your cuppa in hand and youand your colleagues could do with a quickbrain workout. So appoint your quizmaster andhave a go at these questions. The answers areunder the quiz (upside down, no peeking!).1. Who wrote the book “A tale of twocities?”2. In Greek mythology who is the lord ofthe sea?3. What is the southern most point of theNorth Island?4. Who is credited with being the inventorof the World Wide Web?5. Boxing’s first triple world championand champion racehorse Phar Laphad a NZ town as their commonconnection. What was the town?6. What was the Christian name of thefamed Russian monk Rasputin?7. What was the best selling single(record) of the 1960s in the USA?8. In April a famed American musicproducer was convicted of murderingactress Lana Clarkson. What is hisname?9. What do the letters WOVM stand for?10. Norwegian artist Edvard Munch isfamous for a series of expressionistpaintings known as The Frieze of Life.What was the name of the best-knownpainting in that series?Scoring: 0-2 – Hmmn, room for significantimprovement (perhaps next month). 3-5 Notbad, better luck next time. 6-7 – Good effort.8 – Very good. 9 – Excellent. 10 – Wipe yournose, take a bow and go to the top of the classEinstein.Answers: 1. Charles Dickens. 2.Poseidon. 3. Cape Palliser. 4. TimBerners-Lee. 5. Timaru (Fitzsimmonslearned to box there and Phar Lap wasbred there.) 6. Grigori. 7. “I want tohold your hand” by The Beatles. 8. PhilSpector. 9. Whole of vehicle marking. 10.The Scream.July 2009157

PoliceNewsThe Voice of PoliceThis column is written by a frontlinepolice officer. It does not represent theviews or policies of the Police Association.Bain of our livesDon’t know about the rest of you but I am sooo over this. There wasso much speculation and debate about something that happened somany years ago. Justice has to be seen to be done and there wascertainly a prolonged media scrum over the past three months.Suppose we’ll just have to wait for the movie to come out now!Budget timeNo surprises here but we did all right out of it and it looks like we willbe getting the Tasers we so very much need along with another layer inthe ‘Thin Blue Line’ that was desperately needed up in South Auckland.Well done to the bosses - a bouquet to you lot at the top table!Pity there appeared to be no extra $$$ around for this year’s payroundand we are heading off to arbitration as a result. I’ve gotta say ourposition was a very reasonable and responsible one in today’s financialclimate especially with all those other comparable groups locked intolonger and more fruitful terms.The Holy GhostThat was a great effort by the Hutt boys and girls in another matterthat seemed to dominate the headlines for such a long time. Welldone team, a great effort in resolving another very difficult matter. Alsocongrats to me Garden City Feds who sent another nasty little blighteraway for a despicable crime against another young and vulnerablevictim.Every week we do the media’s job for them with the professionalismand commitment going in around the country. Hold the head highteam, as we’d get an A++ on the scorecard for our efforts.Leave versus resultsNow I know, in today’s world we have to manage our leave as it’sseen as some sort of cost against the bean counters’ ledger and theyseem to run the place these days. All I hear is prioritise your work loadand work smarter in this highly dynamic environment. I even hear ourhierarchy was telling me non-commissioned officer (NCO) mates in theBay that taking more leave to reduce the costs was the way to go.Well you can call me old but you can’t call me stupid, but the costwith such action is the response and service to our community. Blandstatements like ‘take more leave’ and ‘reduce the non-urgent services’are really a slippery slope towards isolating our number one fans. Thisis a time when the community wants more interaction with us thanever before so if we need to work smarter let’s first have a real goodlook at where all our positions are! In the backroom or the front roomis the first question? Where should they be is the second and lastly arethey a ‘nice-to-have’ or an essential?You all know the answers to these questions and the meaning of life(love that Brian) so don’t be afraid to speak your mind when asked youropinion. It is a world of consultation after all!Harsh start against the French but my beloved ABs bounced backbigger, smarter and stronger. Keep the Faith!See Ya!July August SeptemberWAIHEKE ISLAND ........................... 20-21,26,29-30 .............................................7-8,12,14,17-20,24-26,30-31.................................1-3,7-10,14-17PAIHIA............................................ 18-20,22-23,29-30 .......................................2,5,9-14,16-20,24-27,30-31...................................1-4,13,24,26STANMORE BAY ............................. 19-23,26-31 ..................................................2-6,9-28,30-31 .......................................................1-25,27-28AUCKLAND .................................... 9,28 ...............................................................18............................................................................1-3,8,16,22-24WHANGAMATA ............................... 7,19-23,27-29 ...............................................3-13,16-31..............................................................1-3,6-25MT MAUNGANUI ............................ 9,13,19-23,27-29 ..........................................3-6,9-13,16-20,23-27,30-31 ..................................1-3,9-10,14-17,21-25OHOPE ........................................... 12,16,20-23,26-30 ........................................2,6-31 .....................................................................1-3,7-13,15-30ROTORUA ...................................... 20-23,27-28,30 .............................................2-5,9,11-13,17,24-26,31 ........................................1-3,6-10,13,16-17,20-25TAUPO ........................................... 22-23,27,29-30 .............................................5,17,26,29...............................................................3,6,8,13-15,20-23TURANGI ........................................ 19-24 ............................................................1-7 ..........................................................................Fully bookedNAPIER .......................................... 27-30 ............................................................2-4,10-13,16-20,25-27...........................................2,6-10,14-17,22,28-30PARAPARAUMU .............................. 8-9,19-23,26-30 ...........................................6,10-11,13,16-17,22-26 .........................................2,6-8,13-17,20-22,24,27,30GREYTOWN .................................... 19-24,26-30 ..................................................2-6,9-14,16-20,23-27,30-31 ..................................1-3,6-10,13-14,17,20-24,30WELLINGTON ................................. 23,28 .............................................................2-3,5,7,9-13,18,20,24,26,31...................................1,6-7,10-12,14,17,20-22NELSON ......................................... 19-20,19-20,23 .............................................2-9,15-20,22-27,30-31...........................................1-3,6-11,13-14,16-17,19-23HANMER SPRINGS ......................... 19,22,31 ........................................................Fully booked ............................................................3,6,13-14CHRISTCHURCH ............................. 25,27-28 .......................................................2-5,10-11,17-18,20,23-27,30-31 ...........................1-4,7-10,14,20-22AKAROA ......................................... 8,22-23 .........................................................4-5,11-12,16-19,25-27...........................................10,23-24TEKAPO ......................................... Fully booked ..................................................Fully booked ............................................................7-10,14-18WANAKA ........................................ Fully booked ..................................................12-14 ......................................................................Fully bookedCROMWELL ................................... 6 ....................................................................17-19,30-31............................................................1-9,14-24,27QUEENSTOWN ............................... 25-31 ............................................................Fully booked ............................................................Fully bookedTE ANAU ........................................ 7,15,19-31 ....................................................2-31 ........................................................................1-21,23-25DUNEDIN ....................................... 19-24,26-29 ..................................................2-6,10-14,16-18,26 ................................................3,6-11,14-18,22-24,30158July 2009

POLICE COUNCIL OF SPORTTo contact the Police Council of Sport, call Alison Murray at the RNZPC. Ph: (04) 238-3139Police Council of Sport PoliceTriathlon Champs next FebruaryOrganisers are gearing up for next year’s NZ Police Triathlon champs,which will be held at Omaha Beach on Wednesday the 17th of February2010 at 11.30 a.m.Omaha Beach is a short drive from Warkworth, which is 45 minutesnorth of Auckland City (about one hour’s drive from AucklandInternational Airport).The course will be set amongst the multi-million dollar holiday homesof the rich and famous and along the stunning beachfront.The triathlon will consist of a 750-metre swim, 20km ride and 5kmrun. This can be done as an individual or as part of a team.National Police RugbyTournament in OctoberThe annual National Police Rugby Tournament will be held in Taurangabetween Thursday the 8th and Saturday the 10th of October.Last year’s tournament in Rotorua was a success with Counties-Manukau the tournament winners.All Policing Districts/Areas are eligible to participate in the tournamentand if there was any disappointment from last year’s tournament it wasthe lack of support from some Districts/Areas.Spread the word and start organising your teams and make this year’stournament even more successful.For further information contact: Denton Grimes – 027 2370 114 orvia Lotus Notes. Phil Wilkinson – 027 2226 129 or via Lotus Notes.Hockey players wanted forPolice National TournamentAny hockey players interested in competing at the National HockeyTournament in Wellington between the 28th September and the 3rdOctober are asked to contact the following people listed at the bottomof this notice.Players interested need to be aware that this is the New ZealandNational Tournament and as such the hockey played is of a highstandard.Women players should contact Toni Robson via Lotus Notesand men should contact Ian Pengelly either via Lotus Notes orExt 92985 or 027 257 2754.Visit www.policeassn.org.nz for updated contact details for the Police Council of Sport management committee,District Sports Officers and the latest schedule of events.There will also be a duathlon option consisting of a 2km run, 20kmride and 5km run.The event will be open to any Police member, ex-Police member ortheir families.For further information contact Greg Foster at Orewa Police viaLotus Notes (Gregory.Foster@police.govt.nz). Entry forms includingaccommodation information will be available shortly, but if you areinterested in the event, now would be a good time to book that leaveand look at taking advantage of the ‘early bird’ specials.NEW RETAILERPolice AssociationMember Discounts ProgrammeThe following retailer has joined our Member DiscountsProgramme.NZ Open Polytechnic – provide NZQAeducation, learning and professional developmentdistance courses. Their style of open learning is anexcellent option if you're seeking flexible study from arecognised institution. You can fit learning around otherdemands in your work or personal life, by being able tostudy where and when you choose, supported by bestpractice learning resources and services.The Open Polytechnic now offer our members asubstantial discount of 25% on student tuition fees forall EFT courses (95% of courses offered). Enrolments forsecond semester courses are now open – take a look!To find out about this and other discounts through theMember Discounts Programme - go online to the‘Members Only’ section of our websitewww.policeassn.org.nz. Sign-on then click on “MemberDiscounts” from the menu on the left-hand side of thescreen to go through to view all the discounts available.July 2009159

PoliceNewsThe Voice of Policeby Ricky CollinsUnderstanding wine labelsWith the number of wines now availablefor sale in New Zealand growing at a rapidrate, the customer can be forgiven for beingoverwhelmed by the huge choice available. Sohow do we ensure we select a wine that suitsour palate? It pays to have a rough idea ofwhat information the producer must provide to help make the rightchoice.New Zealand and Australian wine producers have pretty much fullfreedom to make wines in a style that they wish in the area theywish. This is not the case for European wine producers, wherethere are strict rules that determine what grape varieties can begrown where, and how the wine must be made. A body commonlyknown as an Appellation Controlee strictly enforces the rules andthey ensure that the wine buyer can choose a wine with confidencein the knowledge that it will be of a certain quality and made in aspecific style.While New Zealand doesn’t have the equivalent of an AppellationControlee there are rules about what our wine labels must stateabout the wine. Here, by law, wine labels must state the alcohollevel, the volume of wine, the number of standard drinks and thename and address of the winemaker or supplier. In addition, theproducer must declare certain additives and preservatives so thatpeople with allergies are forewarned.When it comes to determining what wine variety, what vintage, andwhat area the wine represents, producers are bound by “the 85%rule”. This means that that if a wine is declared as a single variety,single vintage or from a single area then at least 85% of the fruitused to produce the wine must come from the variety, vintage andarea declared.For certain varieties, the alcohol level can also give you a hint as tothe likely style of the wine. With aromatic varieties such as Riesling,the wine can vary from sweet to bone dry, and for these wines thegeneral rule is the lower the alcohol level, the sweeter the winewill be.You can also get a reasonable steer from information on the backlabel and from medals won and displayed on the bottle, but beware,no producer is going to tell you their wine is average and not allmedal winning wines will appeal to your palate. The good thing is,there is plenty of choice out there so happy hunting.Wine of the month2007 Esk Valley Merlot, CabernetSauvignon, Malbec RRP $24This is a lovely blend of threeBordeaux varieties from Hawke’sBay. It’s full bodied with aromas andflavours of black fruit and chocolateand a hint of dried herb. It’s drinkingbeautifully now but will reward threeto five years cellaring.Clues: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7Across:1. Amino perhaps (4)3. An example of good intellect perhaps (8)9. Emma took lid for this problem (7)10. Repairs (5)11. Letters of good reference (12)13. Compensate for (6)15. Golfer’s assistant (6)17. Lines are said to be drawn up for these (12)20. Small (5)21. To overcome by force (7)22. Wondering (8)23. Out house (4)Down:1. A hearing given to a speaker for example (8)2. British are one type of (5)4. Mythical creature (6)5. Different options to take (12)6. Interwoven (7)7. Sprint (4)8. Both ways (12)12. Disapprove; say as in parts of a movie (8)14. Half of engaged couple (7)16. A light (6)18. Expression of happiness (5)19. Smokey fog (4)89 101113 14 151612June answers:Across:1. Opium4. Dissing8. Fleet9. Earplug10. Hit11. Nail12. Needs14. React15. Snare20. Abuse21. Abet22. Ass24. Chemist25. Clean26. Dosages27. BuyerDown:1. Offend2. Itemise3. Myth5. Sergeant6. Idles7. Gagged9. Etna13. Accusing16. Robbery17. Forced18. Beat19. Stoner20. Areas23. Scab17 181920 2122 23160July 2009

New Zealand Police AssociationIF YOU CAN’T AFFORDPOLICE TRAVELPACINSURANCECAN YOU AFFORD TO TRAVEL?Have you ever had luggage “misplaced” by an airline and been leftwith no clothes to wear on your trip? Have you ever had to abandona trip you had paid for before you even had a chance to go? Evergot sick on vacation?It doesn’t matter where you are going orfor how long, before you travel overseas onholiday it is very important to make sure thatyou have travel insurance. Adequate medicaland personal liability insurance cover is anecessity, not a luxury. If you do not havetravel insurance, you are expected to payany medical costs yourself. Some hospitalsmay even be reluctant to provide treatment ifpayment is not guaranteed.Only going to Australia?Even in Australia, there will still be somecost for medical treatment and if you needto come home - this will be at your expense.In some countries, medical assistance islimited and repatriation to New Zealandfor urgent treatment is the only option.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Tradereports that the average cost of a medicalevacuation home to New Zealand from oneof the Pacific Islands is $80,000 – not asum many of us would have in our savingsaccount.In April this year, 162,400 New Zealandersleft on short-term overseas trips.Astonishingly, it was estimated that 60% ofpeople traveling to Asia didn’t take out travelinsurance*. (*www.safetravel.govt.nz/topics/travel-insurance).Recently, there have been several highprofile cases of people stranded overseas.Having good travel insurance means youwon’t get caught in a crisis.When is a good time to purchase travelinsurance?In most situations, it pays to purchase yourtravel insurance immediately after bookingyour trip. With Police Travelpac Insuranceif you have to cancel your journey becauseof a death, serious injury or serious illnessof a relative or any other person on whomyour travel depends, or because of any otherunforeseeable cause beyond your control,Police Travelpac Insurance will pay for anynon-refundable deposits.All travel insurance is not the sameWhen buying your travel insurance, don’tassume that every policy is the same. Yourpersonal requirements may be different fromothers, so make sure the policy you buyprovides the cover that you require.Make sure you:• Read the small print;• Check the level of cover; and• Are covered for any activities that youare planning on undertaking.The cheapest is not always the best cover.What does it cost?Police Travelpac Insurance offers quality,cost competitive travel insurance cover forPolice Welfare Fund members travellingoverseas. Police Travelpac Insurancepremiums are based on the number ofpeople traveling, whether they are HealthPlan members (or not), and where and howlong you are going for. For example, travelinsurance for a family of four (all Health Planmembers) taking a trip to Australia for afortnight would cost $125.00.You need to ask yourself, if you can’t affordtravel insurance, can you afford to travel?What are the benefits of PoliceTravelpac Insurance?• Overseas medical and related expenses;• Purchase of essential items shouldyour luggage be mislaid for over 12consecutive hours;• Loss of deposits, travel delay, missedconnections, costs in event of hijacking,and legal costs;• Any additional accommodation andexpenses to return to New Zealand inthe event of death, serious injury orillness of a relative or someone in NewZealand that your travel relies on;• Loss or damage to luggage and personaleffects, money and documents;• Accidental death and permanentdisability;• Personal liability; and• Reimbursement of rental car excess.Important reminderswhen travelling• Remember to carry your travelinsurance documents with youon holiday and keep the 24-houremergency assistance number onyou at all times (along with yourpolicy number);• Keep a copy of your documents,including passport, visa card, traveldocuments and travel insurance athome with someone you can contactif you lose any of them;• Travel to “High Risk” or “ExtremeRisk” countries could affect the termsand conditions of your insurancepolicy. We recommend that you keepan eye on the safetravel.govt.nzwebsite;• Don’t forget to check any preexistingmedical conditions you havewith the travel insurance providerbefore taking out the cover;• Generally, travel insurance policiesdo not cover liability for renting amotor vehicle in another country.You should always check your travelinsurance policy document to makesure that you are covered or considertaking liability cover with the rentalcompany (most companies willprovide some form of cover for anadditional fee); and• Advise your insurer if you are goingto be taking or purchasing highvalueditems such as cameras andjewellery on your holiday.For more tips when travelling visit:http://www.safetravel.govt.nz/beforeugo/index.shtmlJuly 2009161

PoliceNewsThe Voice of PoliceAnnual insurance reviewsEach year, the relevant portfolio underwriters review rates for Police Fireand General Insurance (home, contents, motor vehicle and pleasurecraft)and Police Life Insurance Extra (formerly named Police SupplementaryLife Insurance).Police Fire & General InsuranceGreat news to beat the winter chillsJust when everyone seems to be putting premiums up – Police Fire &General Insurance won’t be. There will not be any increase this year inmembers’ premiums other than the standard adjustments for ‘no claimdiscounts’ and special underwriting terms. New policies will see a slightchange, to allow for the total annual premium being spread over a fullyear of fortnightly payments. Standard excesses will also remain as someof the lowest in the industry.Have you heard about our new roadside support service?Members with “Full Cover” motor vehicle insurance* have also beenenjoying the peace of mind of having a professional roadside assistanceonly a call away - at no additional cost. This premium service is providedby the NZ Automobile Association and includes emergency transport andaccommodation benefits, not generally provided by standard roadsideservices. The free cover is attached to the fully-insured vehicle, notthe driver, so it doesn’t matter who is driving your car - *if they have aproblem they can call PWL Roadside Assist Plus on 0800 500 122.Circumstances changed?Take some time to check your insurance coverPerhaps you have ‘moved in together’, married, renovated, splashed outon a new plasma screen or updated your car stereo? When you get yourInsurance Schedule, we ask you to take some time to review it. Youshould ensure the details are current and that each item is insured for arealistic amount. For example, people tend to accumulate more assetsover time, and we often find the level of contents cover held by membersis insufficient when they suffer a major loss.If you haven’t checked the value of your contents recently, useour handy contents insurance check on www.policeassn.org.nz(See box opposite for details).Police Life Insurance Extra (formerly Supplementary LifeInsurance Plan)As members get older, Police Life Insurance Extra premiums are adjustedat the annual renewal of their policy in July each year. Members with thiscover should have already received advice of their premium adjustment.What you need to do:If you pay through the Police payroll systemMembers who pay their premiums through the Police payroll system donot have to do anything.The relevant premium adjustments for Police Life Insurance Extra andany applicable changes for Fire & General Insurance will be automaticallydeducted from your pay from 8 July.If you pay through your Police and Families Credit UnionaccountMembers who pay their Police Life Insurance Extra and Fire & GeneralInsurance premiums through the Police and Families Credit Union willneed to ensure they have sufficient funds going into their Credit Unionaccount to meet any premium changes by 8 July. This means automaticpayments into your Credit Union account may need to be increased.Need some help?Contact us - we can give you a hand to review your insurance needsand complete most changes you may need over the phone.Call our Insurances Team, 8am-5pm Monday to Friday, on PoliceNetwork: 44446, freephone: 0800 500 122,or Email us on: insurances@policeassn.org.nz* Motor vehicles insured for “Full Cover” are eligible for PWF Roadside AssistancePlus; all third party policies and trailers are excluded.Take the 10-minute contentsinsurance check on our websiteAssets are accumulated over time and we often find the level of contents coverheld by many members is insufficient when they suffer a major loss.Use our handy checklist on www.policeassn.org.nz to help you work outhow much cover you actually need. This lists common items with realisticvalues and has been put together for you; so if you don’t have much time tospend working each value out, you can use these totals as a guide.If you need further information or assistance for this, contact ourMember Services Team 8.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. Monday to Friday, onPolice Network: 44446, freephone: 0800 500 122.Important advice for parentsInsuring your child’s vehicleParents - if you are insuring your child’s vehicle, it is important thatyou let your insurance company know the child is the main driver.The policy terms may be significantly different for a young person,so not disclosing this fact, either at commencement or at renewalof the policy, will likely affect any claim. Legally, the insurer coulddeclare the policy void and no payment would be made on anyclaim.Useful Information & ContactsNew Zealand Police Association: For immediate industrial & legal advice(on matters that cannot be deferred such as Police shootings, fatal pursuits ordeaths in custody) ring 0800 TEN NINE (0800 836 6463)– 24 hour/seven days servicePolice Network 44446Freephone 0800 500 122Police Health Plan/Police Fire and General InsuranceQuotes & information 0800 500 122 or (04) 472 9645or Fax (04) 496 6819Police Fire and General Insurance claims 0800 110 088All enquiries (04) 496 6800Websitewww.policeassn.org.nzPolice Home Loans 0800 800 808Police Credit Union 0800 429 000Credit Unionwww.policecu.org.nzGSF information 0800 654 731PSS information 0800 777 243Vice PresidentsStuart Mills (027) 268 9416Chris Cahill (027) 268 9411Field OfficersAuckland District: Stewart Mills (027) 268 9407Waitemata and Northland Districts: Steve Hawkins (027) 268 9406Waikato, BOP and Eastern Districts: Graeme McKay (027) 268 9408Central and Wellington Districts: JJ Taylor (027) 268 9409Tasman and Canterbury Districts: Dave McKirdy (027) 268 9410Southern District Dave Steel (027) 268 9427Regional DirectorsRegion One Jug Price Whangaparaoa (027) 268 9419Region Two Dave Pizzini Counties-Manukau (027) 493 0524Region Three Mel Ridley Tauranga (027) 268 9414Region Four Luke Shadbolt Hastings (027) 478 9001Region Five Ron Lek Wellington (027) 268 9417Region Six Craig Prior Sydenham (027) 268 9412Region Seven Tracey Maclennan Invercargill (027) 268 9418162July 2009

New Zealand Police AssociationWrite it here! Letters to the Editor are welcome.Signed letters are preferred, but in all cases the writer’s name and address must be supplied. Names will be published unless there is a goodreason for anonymity. The editor reserves the right to edit, abridge or decline letters without explanation. Email to: editor@policeassn.org.nz orwrite it to the Editor at PO Box 12344, Wellington. Letters under 400 words are preferred.Support greatly appreciatedin time of lossOn the 3rd May 2009 we tragically lost our23-year-old daughter, Whittney Robertson asthe result of a motor vehicle crash at Atiamuri,near Rotorua.We would like for the Rotorua Police Staff –sworn and non-sworn to know how muchwe have appreciated and valued the supportthey have given us, and continue to give usas a family – as we begin the difficult task ofadjusting to our lives without our very muchloved and adored daughter and sister.Whittney’s life may have been short in years butin that time she taught us a lot about living. Shewas always seen with a beautiful smile and neverlet the little things bother her (like being on timefor anything other than a good social event). Shevalued her family and friends and filled her lifewith good times, and humour – which leaves uswith lots of good memories.It was humbling to know that despite the worstpossible circumstances, the people involved atthe scene of Whittney’s accident and taskedwith giving us the news no-one ever wants tohear, were there for us and thinking of us andacting with professionalism and sensitivity. Weknow that it could not have been an easy taskfor many of you either – and we can’t thank youenough for all that you did.Thank you also to the Taumaranui police officerwho stopped and assisted at the scene, and laterattended her funeral service.For the flowers, the cards, the messages,personal visits, baking, text messages, thehuge Police presence at Awahau where weheld her tangi - and during her funeral - it wasjust awesome and we felt first hand the truemeaning of belonging to the “Police family”. Itwas incredible to receive flowers and letters andphone-calls from stations and Police personnelaround the country – and those overseas – andfrom colleagues who have now left the Police.To the partners, husbands and wives of youall, would you thank them for us too, as theirsupport has been wonderful. To those of youwho have children who have been, and who arefriends with ours, their support of our childrenhas been amazing. It will go a long way withhelping them adjust to the loss of their sister andto build their lives beyond their grief.To those who have said to let you know if thereis anything you can do – there is – continueto be there for us, because we are sure in thecoming days and weeks we will need you – tochat with, laugh with and spend time with, andwe will be taking up those kind offers.Thank you too, for the sharing of your journeysthrough grief with us – and talking about howyou made it out the other side and for listeningto us. To those who shared the things you knewabout Whitterz…(.yes well) it has providedmany light moments - especially hearing howduring the “mucking in” she wondered if theconcrete where the clothesline was being placedwas going to need more gelatin so it could set.She would have gotten a kick out of havingtraffic stopped on the way to the cemetery (onoccasion) we hear…the one stopped by Policewas her… but most of all thank you all for beingthere for us.None of us ever think we are immune from thetragedies of others when we work in the fieldthat we do – we just hope beyond hope thatit doesn’t happen to us. In our case, it did andnothing can alter that but we will be alwaysgrateful for the support from you all, and I canhonestly say I don’t know how we could havecome this far without the support of the widerPolice family.Over the coming weeks we would like toacknowledge you individually – but in themeantime please accept this as our gratefulthanks. Be sure to give your children andpartners an extra hug and kiss. Be grateful forthe people in your lives that make you smile andmost of all take care for life really is too short.Arohanui.John, Sonia, Shane, Tegan and Kennedy Wilson.(John Wilson is Detective Sgt at the Rotorua PoliceStation)Zero tolerance worksI totally support Inspector Flowers’ comments(Letters, July Police News) and the methodologybehind the programme (Operation Life) heinitiated.Since this was started some six years ago,in excess of 50 lives have been saved in theTasman Police District. That is a minimum of50 fatal crashes that don’t have to be attendedand investigated by Police and other emergencyservices.Had all other Police Districts adopted thisprogramme, then maybe the 2010 Road SafetyStrategy would have been achieved. The cost ofthese savings in human misery alone is beyondcalculation and has also enabled the Policefinances saved to be used elsewhere.However, I saw recently that the Minister ofPolice has been quoted in the evening paper asnot changing her mind. Is this cause for concernwhen the evidence is quite clear? Or has shebeen ill advised?Look at the road toll for each Police Districtaround New Zealand. If you combine the threePolice Districts in the South Island and you willsee that the combined total is almost exceededby one of two Police Districts in the NorthIsland alone.In the past 39 years I have issued thousands ofoffence notices with not one to a law-abidingmotorist. I have attended thousands of fatal andother crashes and I can confidently say that ateach of those crashes 99% of them were causedby people breaking the law.Keep it up Inspector Flowers. You have supportfor your stance. Zero tolerance works. We onlygive offence notices to those who break the law.Eric Davy(Senior Sergeant, Nelson)Jury still out onCrime Reporting LineBy Deb Stringer, Communications AssistantA decision on whether to roll out the CrimeReporting Line (CRL), formerly known asthe Single Non-Emergency Number (SNEN),nationally is yet to be made despite PoliceCommunication Centres predicting futureincreases in use of the 111 services.The CRL’s main aim is to ease the pressureoff the 111 emergency lines by taking callsabout non-urgent matters that don’t require adispatched response.Comms Centres receive 1.7 million callsa year and the National Manager of PoliceCommunication Centres, Andy McGregor, toldPolice News around 63% of these were nonemergencycalls.Three CRLs operatingTwo CRLs in Auckland and the Bay of Plentyhave been operating since November 2006.The CRL in Counties-Manukau was introducedin January of this year.Mr McGregor said the CRL was “subject toongoing evaluation” before any decisions couldbe made about expanding it to other districts.He would not be drawn on whether it would bea good idea to adopt the system nationally.“Part of the evaluation process is to determinewhether the current model would be right forother districts.“We also need to look at factors such as itsimpact on alleviating frontline workload,” MrMcGregor said.Successful measuresHe said the project was “proving successful” inthe three districts where it was operating.“A wide array of benefits are being seen, andstatistics reveal that up to 90 calls per day arebeing transferred out of the 111 queue to CRL.“So yes, the CRL is a good way of reducingpressure off the 111 queue,” he added.SNEN was the project initiated after the 2005Independent Review of Police CommunicationsCentres. A single non-emergency number wasone of the review’s main recommendations.According to the report there was a “clear need”for a non-urgent national contact number afternon-urgent calls were “compromising 111response timeliness”.Media reported in 2007 that if existing CRLsproved successful, a national service usinga dedicated number could be expected by2008.July 2009163

member discountsNEW ZEALAND POLICE ASSOCIATION> WELCOME > NEED HELP? > CONTACT USDiscount programme for accommodation,car hire and cruises Great rates for personal car hire Discounts on Building SuppliesWellington: Save on city parkingSAVE on Duty Free ShoppingEAS supplements at Wholesale pricingDiscounts on all beverages from themenu boardDiscounts on food and beverageDiscount on frames and lensesSave on selected Bridgestone andFirestone branded tyres and serviceDiscounts on clothing, boots andother suppliesDiscounts on eco-friendly cleaningproductsSave on Toll and Land-to-Mobile calls Discounts on Hire Equipment Discounts on Safety EquipmentDiscounts on movie ticketsDiscounts on clothing, boots andother suppliesDiscounts on selected Paint andDecorating SuppliesSpecial Call Plan and offers onMobile PhonesDiscount on high performance outdoorclothingSave on Plasma and LCD screens,Home Theatre and AudioDiscounts on clothing, boots andother supplies Discount on dental treatment Discount on products for childrenDiscounts at Rip Curl stores Save on Portable Navigation Units Discounts on NZ and Aus Hire Rates Save on student tuition feesAssociation Member Discounts - growing by the monthMembers - take advantage of the rapidly growing range of special discounts the PoliceAssociation has been able to negotiate for you.Only available to members, these discounts cannot be accessed by producing Police I.D. or by wearing aPolice uniform.To find out more about the discounts through the Member Discount Programme, simply go online to the‘Members Only’ section of our website: www.policeassn.org.nz. Sign-on, then click on ‘Member Discounts’in the menu on the left-hand side to view all the discounts available.We encourage you to continue to check the website regularly, as the range of discounts are expanding fast.If you need some help accessing the ‘Members Only’ site, call us on 0800 500 122, Monday to Friday from 8am to 5:30pm.