Public Opinion Of Police Sought

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31501, 16 October 1967, Page 1

Public Opinion Of Police Sought

Do some New Zealand policemen take bribes, occasionally use unfair methods to get information, twist evidence in court, or sometimes use too much force in making an arrest?

Do New Zealanders have great, or little, respect for the police, or mixed feelings about them? Are newspapers fair, or unfair, in reporting police work? A cross-section of the public tn Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and two country towns will in the next two months be invited to answer these and other questions in a survey on police-public relations. The survey is part of a project undertaken by the department of government at the University of Queensland to examine police training, organisations and methods in Australia and

New Zealand. It is hoped that the investigation, financed by the Nuffield Foundation, will cover a survey of the public’s I opinion of the police in all] Australian states and in New I Zealand, and where possible police attitudes towards the public.

Similar studies in Britain and in the United States will] provide a basis for comparison. Already, a cross-section of the New Zealand Police and the South Australian Police ' Force has been interviewed The survey will examine the ■ mass media to find how they have influenced public atti- • tudes towards the police. i A questionnaire to selected ■ policemen in New Zealand i was distributed, with the assistance of New Zealand Police Headquarters, earlier this • year. The policemen involved were not compelled to answer I the questionnaire, and about • 70 per cent of those invited “ returned the form. I A public relations and adl.vertising firm in Christchurch,

Stanford Associates, is being employed by the University of Queensland to conduct the survey of public opinion of police and police work in New Zealand. A director of the firm, Mr G. A. W. Sanford, said that about 1000 persons would be questioned. This sample poll i would be most carefully sel- ! ected so that the persons ; would represent a crosssection. The names and addresses, occupations and so on of those questioned would be confidential, Mr Sanford said. He will write to the Secretary of Justice (Dr J. L. Robson) for permission to include a few prisoners in the cross-section. Mr Sanford said that all the interviewing. would be done personally. A large list of possible persons to be interviewed was being drawn up. this would ensure that only those who had no objection to taking part in the survey were included, and that there ■ was no unnecessary duplicaI tion of the “types” of persons i being interviewed.

“The questions are sharp ones and get to the heart of police-public relations,” Mr Sanford said.

The first asks a person if he has always found the police polite _and helpful, sometimes impolite or unhelpful, or has had no dealings with the police. Persons are asked why they need police help, and if they are satisfied with the way the police responded. Dissatisfied persons are asked to give their principal reason for this —police should have done more, not concerned enough, too slow in taking action, heard no more about the matter, and so on.

The person interviewed is asked if the public does enough to help the police when they see a policeman in difficulties, dealing with violent drunks or gangs, for example. He is asked how he thinks the public could help the police in other ways. The survey asks if any sections of the public are thought to be more against

the police, or more resentful, than they were 10 years ago. Sections suggested are

motorists, teen-agers, workers. Newspaper readers will be asked if they consider whether the newspapers are generally fair, or unfair, to the police, or just descriptive. Those questioned will be asked to put in order what they think are the most important qualities a policeman should have; politeness, good physique, sympathy, understanding, intelligence, good education, good character and a strong sense of duty are qualities suggested., The views of those questioned on abortion and prostitution will also be sought. They will be asked if they approve legal abortion, under given conditions, and asked if they think prostitution should be permitted under government supervision. Finally, they will be asked if drug addicts should be treated as people who are ill rather than as criminals. 4