16 October 2012

Media release

80% want independent investigations of the police

A Horizon Research survey over the weekend finds 80.7% of New Zealanders want all complaints about the police to be investigated independently.

The survey also finds:

• 76.3% think the Independent Police Conduct authority should have the power to initiate a prosecution against police officers if it thinks it is necessary. (It can now make recommendations to police only)
• 62% of those who have made a complaint against the police in the past five years are dissatisfied with the outcome (47.7% of those “very dissatisfied”)
• 49.5% think complaints against police take too long to investigate (9.6% disagree with that view point)
• Only 19.9% think police victims are compensated fairly (32.5% say they are not, 30.5% are neutral and 17.2% don’t know)
• 71.9% think a police officer should not be allowed to investigate officers the officer knows and has social relationships with. 10.6% think this should be allowed. An incident like this reportedly occurred during the now three-year-old investigation into the Wellington case of a young man whose neck was allegedly broken by police baton.

The survey interviewed 756 adults between midday Saturday and 8am Monday (October 13-15, 2012).
Results are weighted by age, gender, ethnicity, region, employment status, personal income and party vote 2011 to provide a representative sample of the 18+ population at the 2006 census. At a 95% confidence level the maximum margin of error is +/- 3.6%.

The survey finds overall net trust in the police has dropped 11.6% to 59.9% during the past five years. Some 24.3% said that, compared with five years ago, they trusted police less, 59.9% the same and 12.7% more.

The drop in trust appears to centre on police performance in managing complaints against its officers and high profile cases, including rape allegations against now-former officers, police actions which many consider heavy handed, including the Urewera and Dotcom mansion raids, and a perceived increase in rudeness and unnecessarily aggressive behaviour.

Police performance in carrying out some of their main duties scores highly:

• protecting life: 87.1% well, 10.2% poorly
• protecting the peace: 84% well, 11.6% poorly
• road safety: 86% well, 12.3% poorly
• protecting property: 67.1% think they perform well, 28.7% poorly.

These results compare with 2011-2012 citizen satisfaction research conducted independently for the Police showing 82% overall satisfaction with service delivery.

In relation in types of crimes, public satisfaction ratings are high for managing

• murder (66.9% satisfied, 9.6% not)
• assault (57.7% satisfied , 16.3% not)
• drunkenness (45.2% satisfied, 23.9% not)

However, when it comes to child abuse, theft, burglary and car theft satisfaction rates fall:

• child abuse (36.7% satisfied, 32.6% dissatisfied)
• theft (33.3% satisfied, 29.8% not)
• burglary (32.9% satisfied, 32.2% not)
• car theft (33.3% satisfied, 31.3% not)
• investigating complaints against police (31.9% satisfied, 32% neutral, 27.6% dissatisfied).

Comments made by respondents indicated concern over alleged police disinterest in burglary and theft complaints, with an officer from one area, said to be the subject of several complaints to the Police Commissioner, dubbed “too late Terry”. One person described police refusing to respond to a burglary committed while she was at home, another to a police fingerprint officer failing to take prints from a window the victims suggested had been used to gain entry to their home, spilling coffee on the prints he did take – them leaving them behind, after also dropping the homeowner’s guitar without apology.

Some 13.1% of respondents said they or someone in their household had made a complaint against the police in the past.

Of those 62.2% were dissatisfied with the outcome of the investigation into their complaint, 23.1% were satisfied while 14.8% were neutral.

Under the current system, in which police investigate complaints made to them or referred to them by the Independent Police Conduct Authority, 33.5% agreed when asked if they had full trust in the police force’s ability to investigate any complaint made against it. However, 35.1% said they did not trust the force, while 27.3% were neutral and 4.1% said they were not sure.

There is support for having all complaints independently investigated among voters for all political parties currently in Parliament.

While 80.8% support this overall, it is supported by 81.4% of people who voted for the National Party at the 2011 election, 85% of Labour voters, 81.1% of Green and 81.7% of New Zealand First.

Respondent numbers for minor parties are small and should be regarded as indicative only. However, the principle of independent investigation has the support of 86.6% of Act and 100% of United Future, Maori and Mana party voter respondents.

Support among 2011 general election voters for the Independent Police Conduct Authority having powers to initiate a prosecution against police peaks at 91.3% among Green voters and has 81.2% of National voters’ support along with 76.3% of Labour’s and 76.4% of New Zealand First’s.

Some 75.6% of New Zealanders think that, generally, 1 to 6 months is an acceptable time to allow for an investigation against the police: 44.1% think investigations should take 1 to 3 months, 31.5% 3 to 6 months:

We understand some investigations are more complex than others, but generally what is an acceptable time to allow for an investigation of a complaint against the police?

The Horizon Research HorizonPoll panel is recruited principally by e-mail to match the New Zealand adult population. This survey was sent to a pre-weighted sample matching the population and the respondent group was further weighted to ensure a robust sample and result.

A Dominion Post report on this survey is here.

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