Increase In Police Officers And N.C.O.s

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30482, 2 July 1964, Page 8

Increase In Police Officers And N.C.O.s

The policy of the New Zealand Police of increasing the proportion of officers in the force, and also non-commis-sioned officers, In relation to the number of other ranks is clearly shown by comparing the annual reports to Parliament in recent years. In 1954, the number of officers to men was one to 35, last year it was one to 33-, and this year it is one to £9. The number of officers plus n.c.o.'s to men was one to 4.5 in 1954. Last year it was one to 4.25, and this year it is one to 3.7. In 1954, in a total force of 1652. there were 294 officers and n.c.o.'s. Last year the figure was 485 in a force of 2575, and this year the number is 541 in a force of 2611.

Last year the force increased its total effective strength by 36. The number of officers was increased by 10, the number of n.c.o.’s by 46—a total increase in officers and n.c.o.’s of 56 related to a total gain in strength of 36. More Superintendents During the year ended March 31 last, the number of superintendents (salaries ranging from £2005 to £2115) increased from 12 to 18, or 50 per cent. The number of chief inspectors (£lBl5 to £1905) also increased sharply—from 20 to 27, or 35 per cent. The policy of increasing the number of officers and n.c.o.’s within the force is underlined by the appointment of 10 temporary seniorsergeants and 13 temporary sergeants, as at March 31. These 23 members are holding the ranks temporarily because they have not qualified for permanent promotion by passing all the qualifying examinations. The Commissioner of Police (Mr C. L. Spencer) last year told “The Press” that he was concerned at the shortage of candidates qualifiying for promotion by examination but that he was not going to lower the standard of the examinations.

However, in September, the police regulations were amended to enable a pass in one law subject only to be accepted as a partial, pass. Previously, a candidate had to pass in a minimum of two subjects to gain a partial pass.

The promotion-qualifying examinations within the force attract a large number of entries, but the failure rate is high. A higher educational standard for recruits could be the answer to this problem, but the report says that “the net result of the year’s recruitment is that we were not able to expunge any of the staff deficiency which existed at the beginning of the year, and we additionally failed by 16 to keep up with the added numbers required to meet the year’s population increase.”

Mr Spencer reports that the force throughout the year was consistently short by nearly 100 members of the authorised strength of estab-

lishment (one policeman to 950 of population). The report says that a special recruiting drive (involving the appointment of a commissioned officer to be In charge in both islands) has been introduced in an effort to bring the force to establishment. Welfare Officers

“Wastage” and insufficient recruitment have seriously concerned Mr Spencer. That the “wastage,” occurring through other causes than retirement . because of age limit, is a worry to the administration is shown by the appointment of five members of the staff as regional staff welfare officers. “The services of these officers have also been made available to the wives and families of members and to officers in charge of districts when they see the need of a member being assisted on a personal basis,” the report says.

“In the short time the welfare officers have been operating the need for them has been amply demonstrated. Members are freely coming forward to discuss matters which in the past they have been diffident to place before their controlling officers.” Resignations during the year totalled 168, compared with discharges and dismissals (26), retirements (255), and deaths (7). Thus resignations were the cause of 74 per cent of the “wastage" during the year. The reasons for the resignations are not stated.

The report notes the reduction during the next two years in the period of recruittraining from 13 weeks to nine weeks as a policy move in keeping up and increasing the strength of the force. Training within the force has been introduced recently in the uniform branch (it has existed in the C. 1.8. for many years) in an effort to make up for lack of experience.