Top cops too old aged 45?
Police officers told to plan their ‘‘next steps’’. Amy Maas and Blair Ensor report.
More than a dozen high-ranking police officers have left the force or been seconded to other agencies amid claims of dissatisfaction among the top brass.
And other officers were also being told to plan for the ’’next steps’’ – at age 45.
Since Commissioner Mike Bush was appointed in April 2014, 13 superintendents have resigned. Just one resigned in 2013, and six left the year before that.
Bush said the departing superintendents had an average age of 55.5 years, and had each completed an average of 35 years’ service.
He added that they had left after ‘‘long, productive and successful careers’’.
‘‘Some of these superintendents retired, while others were sought after by employers.
But one of the former superintendents said Bush’s response was nothing but ‘‘corporate spin’’ and top police officers had been ‘‘deliberately managed out’’.
‘‘They were channelled down the route to consider some other options, which gives the appearance of having left of their own when there wasn’t an alternative.’’
The former officer said colleagues believed in the integrity of their work and did not want to leave.
‘‘It’s what motivates you to get out of bed at 3am to deal with something that nobody else wants to deal with.’’
Bush said there were many officers who work into their 60s and 70s.
‘‘Interestingly, just this week I was privileged to attend the attestation of a new wing of recruits, which included a 51-year-old recruit, in keeping with our goal of reflecting the diverse communities we serve.’’
In May, Tasman district commander, superintendent Karyn Malthus told staff in an email the district had the highest number of staff aged over 45.
Malthus said that police had a ‘‘number of services to assist’’ police considering their ‘‘next step’’.
‘‘As you all know, our district has the highest number of staff aged over 45 years old. I’m in that bracket, and while I might still feel like a spring chicken, it has been a reminder to me that retirement comes to us all and that this isn’t a job for life,’’ she wrote.
‘‘At some stage each of us will need to make that assessment, review our careers, and decide what is next.’’
Meanwhile, several assistant or deputy commissioners have been seconded to roles outside police in the last two years, including Viv Rickard, Alan Boreham, Dave Cliff and Grant Nicholls.
It is understood that some of the officers felt Bush did not listen to their ideas or advice and there was a lack of discussion.
Bush denied that, saying his senior leadership team had ‘‘open and honest discussions’’ and he was ‘‘committed’’ to listening to staff feedback.
Some of the officers seconded have either recently returned to police, or will do so soon.
It is understood there was disquiet among staff about the meteoric rise through the ranks of some police officers. In a 2015 workplace survey, only 31.3 per cent of police officers felt that police were appointed to positions based on merit.
In 2014, 34.5 per cent of officers felt the same way, compared with 32.9 per cent in the year before. The performance score for the category, ‘‘I believe actions will be taken based on the results of this survey’’ also fell.
Bush said the police recognised both categories were areas for ‘‘ongoing improvement’’ and had set up a team to address the issues.