Gazette - New Zealand's Northland police

COVER - REMOTE AND NORTHERN POLICING

Coping with harsh terrain, remote roads and social deprivation

by Sarah Kennett New Zealand Police

Reaching isolated rural communities at the end of long, windy gravel roads is a reality for police in the Northland District of New Zealand.

Northland, one of 12 police districts in New Zealand, is also one of the most rural regions in the country. Almost half of the district’s population lives in rural areas.

Rural challenges

Northland has about 380 police personnel working in 21 stations, including the district headquarters. Fourteen stations are manned by one to three staff. In New Zealand, rural police officers often work alone, which has its risks. Backup can be some time away.

Police work in rural areas is varied, and includes everything from taking part in a search and rescue operation at sea, to being the first to arrive at a serious incident of violence, to assisting someone whose car has broken down.

Policing a small station can mean that local residents expect their police officers to be available 24/7. This has an impact on each officer’s family, as officers’ houses are often located next door or close to the station. Phone calls and knocks on the door can come at all times of the night and day.

Rural officers know their communities inside out, and having strong community links enables good intelligence gathering and willing assistance from the public when required.

Many people know each other and notice when something is not quite right in their neighbourhoods. Assistance from the public often leads to the apprehension of offenders.

At 56 per cent Northland’s crime resolution rate is one of the highest in New Zealand.

Due to the large coastline and occasional flooding, support from community and volunteer groups is essential to address capacity and capability issues.

The remote geography and difficult terrain is even more challenging due to poor communication systems. Cell phone coverage is erratic, and many Northland homes do not have broadband Internet connections.

Having half the population in rural areas also creates challenges when an emergency call comes in. With the long distances and unpaved (gravel) roads, arriving at a scene can take half an hour or more.

The myriad of long gravel roads also makes it easier for criminals to carry out their business undetected — and makes apprehension by police difficult.

Rural residents are encouraged to form neighbourhood support groups, so they can look out for each other and in some instances prevent crimes from occurring.

Road safety

Northland has one of the highest road death tolls in the country due to poor driver behaviour, unforgiving terrain, high rainfall and lack of paved roads. The district has 6,573 kilometres of road, but only 2,969 kilometres are paved.

It is an ongoing effort for police to reduce deaths and serious injury on the district’s roads. Northland Police focus on changing driver behaviour by increasing the perception of risk and asking members of the public to report dangerous driving.

With about a third of fatal crashes in 2008 involving alcohol, police have also increased their focus on intoxicated drivers. Northland Police formed a Rural Road Policing Team in 2008 to focus on drunk drivers who avoid detection by driving off the main roads. Two Traffic Alcohol Groups (TAGs), each with six officers, also carry out road checks, stop-ping drivers for random breath tests. The Rural Road Policing Team is based in Whangärei, but covers the whole district.

Police also consult with the local government and the New Zealand Transport Agency to improve road infrastructure.

Drugs and alcohol

Alcohol and illicit drugs continue to be key drivers of crime in Northland. Almost half the recorded crime has alcohol as a contributing factor.

Police are involved in a unique project that aims to reduce alcohol-related harm in the Far North area of Northland. The Far North Alcohol Team — comprised of police, the Far North District Council and the Northland District Health Board — ensures that licensed premises comply with the Sale of Liquor Act. They share information on ways of reducing the harm caused by excessive drinking. The three partner organizations are located in the same office, so they can share information and resources to better counter the many social problems caused by excessive alcohol consumption in the communities.

Concerning drugs, Northland’s relatively mild climate provides ideal growing conditions for cannabis. Forty per cent of the cannabis crops seized nationally originate in Northland, and the drug has a significant and widespread impact on the district’s communities in terms of crime and poor health.

The Organized Crime Squad, based in Whangärei, conducts an annual drug operation targeting cannabis growers. During the operation, which runs from December to March, the squad executes a number of search warrants and uses an airplane to spot cannabis plantations across the district. The squad seizes samples from identified plantations and destroys cannabis crops with a spray. During last year’s operation, 45,000 plants were recovered and 218 people were arrested on drug-related charges.

Other special units

The Search and Rescue Team works alongside the volunteer land search and rescue organization. Over the years, these officers and volunteers have rescued people from cliffs, caves, the bush and the sea. They are also involved in searches for missing people, such as hunters and hikers.

The Armed Offenders Squad, also based in Whangärei, responds to serious incidents where offenders have firearms or other serious weapons and pose a threat to themselves or others around them. If an urgent response is required and the incident is a significant distance away, police will deploy the Northland Emergency Services Trust helicopter to expedite travel.

Seasonal crime

Northland’s abundant coastline, sub-tropical climate and many popular beaches attract a number of domestic vacationers and international tourists in summer.

The district’s population swells by more than 200,000 from December to March. This seasonal influx poses a challenge for police. Throughout the summer, extra officers are deployed to popular destinations in an effort to reduce crime such as disorder, violence and property damage.

Indigenous people

Northland is home to one of New Zealand’s largest populations of Maori, the indigenous people of the country.

Maori comprise 32 per cent of Northland’s population but are over-represented in crime and victimization statistics. For this reason, New Zealand Police continue to build relationships with Maori by working with iwi — tribal groups — and other agencies to reduce the number of Maori who are offending. The iwi-led Crime Prevention Plan is one such initiative. Driven and owned by Maori with support form police and social agencies, the initiative focuses on reducing offending and victimization within Maori communities by supporting iwi to develop proactive crime prevention strategies for these communities.

Community empowerment

Northland Police District Commander Supt Mike Rusbatch says that while Northland is one of the most socially deprived districts in the country — with problems relating to poor health, low education, poor housing and high unemployment — it has a strong sense of community identity.

“Northland Police have formed some strong partnerships with other agencies to tackle the problems caused by high social deprivation,” says Rusbatch. “The public are also the ‘eyes and ears’ for police and have often been helpful in assisting us to resolve or prevent crime.”

In December 2008, Northland Police led a campaign called Northland Community Pride Week. The campaign involved participation from all emergency service groups and from various government and non-government agencies working in crime prevention, education and social services.

The aim of the campaign was to encourage community ownership of community safety, a goal that is in line with the New Zealand Police vision of “Safer Communities Together.”

Following the launch, a series of articles written by local journalists appeared in the local media. The articles covered issues like family violence, burglary, alcohol and road safety, and each contained advice on how people could keep themselves safe and where they could go if they became a victim of crime.

While policing in Northland has many challenges — like diverse communities, a large rural population and difficult terrain — working with the community helps police deal with these challenges and makes the district a safer place to live and work.