Dismay at lack of communication over delayed training

WELLINGTON: Police recruits have expressed their disappointment at a lack of communication over delayed training ‘‘wings’’, while calls for Government action grow louder.

Hundreds of recruits have been left in limbo after The New Zealand Herald reported at the weekend police were forced to put the brakes on training.

Candidates of an upcoming training wing were initially scheduled to attend the Royal New Zealand Police College in February, but were told they would be deferred until later in the year after recruitment requirements were reconsidered.

Police said last week a wing was now scheduled for May, but a police recruit said that information has not been communicated.

‘‘I was only made aware of a potential May training date after reading an article . . . I was a bit disappointed that this was not communicated to me via recruitment,’’ they said.

‘‘It has actually created a certain amount of anxiety, too, as there is now uncertainty if I will even make it on to a training wing in May, due to the huge backlog of recruits and the limited placings.

‘‘I am also aware that some recruits who have been in the process for a while may need to redo various stages of the process, as these have lapsed. This will set them even further back.’’

A police spokesman said in response ‘‘applications shortlisted in the affected wing were contacted on 16 December in relation to the delay, by email and by phone in the following days’’.

The New Zealand Herald confirmed the email contained no information on when training would restart and some recruits were yet to receive the followup call.

Police halted recruitment last June because of an increase in applications during the Covid19 lockdown, but assured those already in the pipeline their training would continue.

People and operations executive director Kaye Ryan said attrition rates as low as 2% meant there was now ‘‘less of a need for police recruits’’.

This was despite police falling more than 400 short of the coalition government’s goal in 2017 of adding 1800 new police officers above attrition over three years.

Ms Ryan said the growth target was always funded over a fiveyear period.

The Police Association believed police had to stop training because they had got ahead of their fiveyear budget, and urged the money be brought forward so training could restart immediately.

Police Minister Poto Williams was asked why the Government was not advancing money from the fiveyear budget to train more officers now.

A Government spokesman said in a statement any decisions would not yet be made public.

Earlier, Act New Zealand firearms law reform spokeswoman Nicole McKee described Ms Williams’ silence over the weekend as a ‘‘copout’’.

‘‘You have to wonder what on earth is going on?

‘‘It’s got really nothing to do with the attrition rates — it’s about getting more frontline police out there to keep our communities safe and support the frontline police that are out there at the moment coming face to face with this violent crime,’’ Ms McKee said.

‘‘It’s imperative that they bring the money forward and they fund their promises and if they can’t do that they need to explain to the public why.

‘‘They need to be answerable to the things that are occurring and the fact that they’re not keeping their promises . . . In my thoughts mean that they actually need to stand up and explain why to all of New Zealand.’’ — The New Zealand Herald