Hon Mark Mitchell
Minister of Police

The Police Commissioner’s clear directive that standards must be upheld for training and recruitment at the Police College is necessary and meets the Government’s expectations, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell.

“The Police Commissioner has full operational independence and that is entirely appropriate. However, as with all government departments, the Commissioner takes the lead on delivering the priorities and expectations of the Government of the day and leading the direction of the organisation, including the standards that it sets.

“The review highlights an over-use of discretion being applied to admit people that do not meet a variety of standards to the Police College. There is no doubt in my mind that the priorities set by the previous government around recruiting contributed to this.

“When in Opposition I expressed my concern around the change in standards. When coming into Government, I supported an immediate change back to a 20-week recruit course from 16 weeks, and both Casey Costello and I made our expectations clear that meeting the coalition agreement of 500 more police officers, would not come at the expense of standards.

“We welcome and support the swift and decisive action by the Commissioner in setting this clear directive. We have a world-class Police force that New Zealanders can be proud of, and we are committed to maintaining that quality and public confidence.

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