Media Release
For Immediate Release
Thursday 8 September 2016
Rise in child abuse investigations reflect pressure – Police Association
“Child abuse investigation has been a very heavily audited and scrutinised area of policing since the IPCA inquiry in
2007,” Police Association President Greg O’Connor said today.
Mr O’Connor was referring to media articles today which pointed out the considerable workload increase and the increase
in the number of victims in this area.
“Despite the emphasis on, and resourcing of, this area, there is now clearly still a considerable backlog of files and
pressure on staff. Experience has shown that other areas of policing which do not receive the same attention were unable
to meet demand and problems have arisen,” Mr O’Connor said.
“The Association fears that the new emphasis on burglaries, while to be commended, will simply result in resources being
taken from other areas such as organised crime and drug investigations, and New Zealand will pay the price in years to
come.
“There simply must be more than a commitment for more staff in the future – there needs to be funding so the process of
filling these gaps can begin now.
“Any comfort that may be gained from promises of more staff will quickly dissipate as more and more problems emerge,” Mr
O’Connor said.