The release of a major report into bias in policing shows deep systemic change is needed. That requires political will, but we all have a part to play.
I’ve been lucky in some ways. My interactions with police have either been as a victim of a crime or as a community advocate. I haven’t been detained, arrested or charged. The most I’ve had to deal with from that side of the law are minor traffic offences. I’ve readily accepted these are my own fault and have accepted the decisions of the officer I’ve dealt with.
As a victim of minor crimes, over the years, I can claim mixed success. Mostly officers have been courteous, and ready to help. There has been only one occasion when I felt there was a lack of understanding of the issue.
As an advocate, it’s been much more difficult. Being part of a community that was traumatised by a major terrorist event led to a tough road scrutinising what the police could and should have done. More scrutiny is coming through the coronial inquiry, which will report in due course. Though there have been some difficult meetings, the police have been willing to engage, and work steadily through the recommendations of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Terrorist Attacks on Christchurch Masjidain.
For other people, interactions with the police and the justice system have been so much more fraught. Some of that interaction has been influenced by preconceived biases about the threat a person might pose. Biases that sit at the intersection of (perceived) economic status, colour, sexuality, disability and gender.
Policing is a difficult and dangerous job. To do their job well, police need the trust of the community, all communities. They need to be fair and equitable; they need to understand not just the individuals before them, but the historic and wider context that leads a person to that place, at that time.
Policing sits in a societal context. How well we look after and invest into various parts of society determines the outcomes for many individuals. Individuals can make poor choices, but sometimes there are only ever a range of poor choices in front of them. When a person has no money for food, theft will be an inevitable outcome.
Poverty can be connected to laziness, but most often it is the result of a hostile education system, poor political decisions that lead to a declining economy and high unemployment, and low wage growth. Sometimes it’s the result of physical or mental illness. Add in generational trauma caused by the theft of land, language, resources and culture, and the picture becomes more complex.
It’s difficult to unpack all of that in a split-second decision to use force. Or a longer-term decision to detain or press charges. Policing is only one part of the justice system, with courts and corrections rounding out the picture. The justice system sits within a wider society comprising health, education, employment, culture, democratic processes and more, all of which impact individual choices.
It is commendable that NZ Police is willing to be introspective, with the end goal being an improvement in service delivery. The independent research panel appointed two years ago has released its first tranche of data. This research has been done with police, and not on them.
The results have been as expected: “All other things being equal, Māori are 11% more likely to be prosecuted than NZ European/Pākehā”. One could say that we expected this figure to be higher, and it is likely to have come down over time. However, there should be no difference in treatment at all.
A variety of recommendations have been made by the researchers, which will require an investment in more and better-resourced staff. Some are deep systemic changes that will take careful planning with community and time to implement. For example, recommending that police withdraw “from routinely responding to mental health crises and work with agencies and communities on a transition to a cross-agency mental health response model” requires a collaborative shift in thinking, policy and process.
This is long-term and meaningful change, which never fits into a three-year election cycle and shifting government priorities. These changes require more than just support from police leadership: they require political will. A desire to do the hard mahi of ensuring a fair and equitable policing infrastructure, that will sit in a fair and equitable society. That 30 police operational staff have been part of this research work indicates a level of internal commitment.
Political will is shaped by society, and what we as citizens value. If these recommendations are implemented by police – and I sincerely hope they are – they will not be enough on their own. The courts will need to look at their own bias around diversion, bail, sentencing and parole. Corrections also have much to consider.
We all want a safer society. The question is: are we prepared to do the complex work of getting there?