10 yrs on: How cops have changed
Louise Nicholas case sparked a commission of inquiry and a policing overhaul — and the work isn’t finished yet
They’ve done everything, plus more, that they were asked to do. Louise Nicholas
Police top brass are vowing to continue the campaign for more ethical and compassionate policing, after spending 10 years overhauling their systems.
Today marks the end of a decadelong programme of transformation, after the Commission of Inquiry into Police Conduct recommended 47 changes to the New Zealand Police.
The changes came after one of the biggest scandals to rock the police.
Louise Nicholas went public in 2004 with claims she was raped by police officers in the 1980s, and the investigation was mishandled.
The police committed to reform, and have released the entire list of changes put in place. It includes a code of conduct and putting more resources into specialist units such as adult sexual assault investigations.
The process to make a complaint about police was made easier, while systems were put in place to make sure such complaints were investigated and by those without a conflict of interest. Initiatives were also begun to increase ethnic and gender diversity.
In 2010 Nicholas said she feared police culture wouldn’t change. But now she said attitude change was the biggest change she’d seen in the past decade, “especially with those who are dealing with survivors of sexual violence”.
“They’re far more empathetic. You just hear them wanting to do the best they can for that person.
“The biggest thing? There’s no judgment. If a survivor says ‘I was drunk’ or whatever, it doesn’t matter.”
Police leadership has made it a stronger priority to investigate allegations of adult sexual assault (ASA), including employing specialist investigators, and making training available throughout the force.
There were no dedicated ASA investigators in 2007, now there’s 105.
A code of conduct was introduced in 2008, and updated in 2015.
A new disciplinary process was launched in 2012, and was also updated in 2015-16. Regular community meetings are held in the various police districts. A national-level Maori Focus Forum gives community feedback.
Nicholas said police couldn’t afford to “take their foot off the accelerator”.
“It’s not just about assaults and sexual assaults, all of that.
“It’s the whole concept of policing, push forward to be the best you can.
“Policy and procedure is important, but it’s about listening to your staff to know what works and what doesn’t,” she said.
The police report notes a need to improve communication with victims of sexual assault, as well as using feedback from victims.
It includes a commitment for staff ethics programmes to be reviewed once a year, while surveys will continue to check the level of public knowledge of how to make a complaint.
The Auditor-General’s review of the changes is expected later this year, and Nicholas believed it would be a positive report.
“They’ve done everything, plus more, that they were asked to do.”
Police Commissioner Mike Bush said the problems found by the commission of inquiry had a severe impact on public trust and confidence, as well as rocking police morale.
He agreed that the work to make changes was far from over.
“The conclusion of the mandated COI monitoring period does not represent a finishing line.
“We must continue to be vigilant and make ongoing advances in all the focal areas outlined in this document.
“They are the right things to do in a progressive, relevant organisation, and the right things to do for the people who entrust us to serve them.”
Bush said the overhaul was a “challenging” process because the depth of change required was never going to be easy.
“The decade-long timeframe gave us room to try things to see if they would make a difference. Often they did, sometimes they didn’t.”
Operational demands sometimes slowed progress on reforms.
A push for diversity meant women made up 30 per cent of police graduates in the past year.
The police website is available in 13 languages, a multi-faith prayer room has been installed at the police college, and some areas of Auckland are now patrolled alongside Chinese volunteers.
Along with the 47 recommendations to the police, the 2007 Commission of Inquiry into Police Conduct made a further 12 recommendations for what would become the Independent Police Conduct Authority, and one for the Government.