Appointment Of Police Employees1. Persons wishing to join the police force, as a police officer should have reached the age of 25 before applying. Comment
The multi-ethnic make-up of Aotearoa/New Zealand should be considered when recruiting officers. Police should seek to actively recruit underrepresented ethnic groups. However, Police may not discriminate positively or negatively while recruiting under the provisions below.
2. All new applicants shall a) be Aotearoa/New Zealand citizens or Aotearoa/New Zealand residents who have resided in the country for the past 5 years and are conscious of the many customs, traditions and taonga of the country.
b) have graduated from a New Zealand University, or have graduated from a foreign university recognized by the New Zealand government or
c) have demonstrated work experience and/or life skills appropriate for the role. (e.g. traffic officer used to be a parking warden) or be a foreign national from Australia, and or who is from a country with which the New Zealand Government considers to be close partner who is currently serving as a police officer in his/her country or was a former police officer with no fewer than 5 years service in his/her country's national or state police force. Where the applicant is a former police officer, they should not have been out of the service for more than 5 years, and should not have left due to disciplinary action.
d) be a foreign national from a G8 nation or Australia, who is currently serving as a police officer in his/her country or was a former police officer with no fewer than 5 years service in his/her country's national or state police force. Where the applicant is a former police officer, they should not have been out of the service for more than 5 years, and should not have left due to disciplinary action.
Foreign national applicants, shall have English as their first language and or speak and write English as a native English speaker. A 6.5 score for IELTS (International English Language Test Service), the English standard set by the New Zealand government, should be attained. Special preference will be given to those who can speak Te Reo Maori and/or New Zealand Sign Language.
3. The person appointed to the position to show a strong interest in it (e.g. the firearms officer has a strong interest in firearms) 4. Prior to their employment being confirmed, all potential Police Employees must undertake and satisfactorily pass a) a drug test and
b) a psychiatric evaluation
(b1) For the purposes of 4(b) herein, the identification of a diagnosable mental illness shall not unnecessarily preclude any potential Police Employee from being refused employment as a Police employee. Employment may [alternative: may not] be reasonably refused under the following conditions
(i) whereby a diagnosable mental illness is of such a level of severity so as to impede an individuals ability to regularly and safely carry out the duties of a Police employee; or
(ii) whereby prescribed medication for the treatment of a mental illness may impede on an individual's ability to regularly and safely carry out the duties of a Police employee.
(b2) Not withstanding a pass under 4(b) herein, any potential Police employee who is identified as having a mental illness, that is not deemed to be of an acute severity; OR, who may be appropriately supported through the provisions of "Reasonable Accommodation" shall not be refused employment
(i) "Reasonable Accommodation" is defined as: (please insert text to define "Reasonable Accommodation" is).
c) a physical fitness evaluation
d) In order for the police force to attract a smarter level of police who can resolve conflicts with words, reasoning, communication and the exercise of discretion, the evaluation of candidates and their acceptance will be based on a ratings system where recruits are evaluated substantively for their ability to contribute to the NZ police force.
e) Character requirement - Police recruits must be free of criminal or traffic convictions (minor traffic offenses excepted - although may be grounds for refusal)
Where an incident has occurred in apparent breach of the provisions of this Act and the details of an offender duly recorded on a police file, provided no further record of apparent offences have been laid against the offender, those records shall be expunged on the expiration of 7 consecutive years and all of the rights and obligations extending to an offender under the provisions of the Criminal Records (Clean Slate) Act 2004 shall apply in respect to prohibition against publication or release of the applicant's or appellant's name
Incident shall, for the purposes of this section, include incidents of alleged domestic violence.
5. Future police officers, shall receive 1 years training at the Royal New Zealand Police College in Papakowhai, Porirua, New Zealand. The time spent at police college can be reduced to 6 months for returning New Zealand police officers. If they have not being out of the service for more than 5 years, or were members of the Australian Federal or State police and have not being out of the service for more than 2 years. And should not have left due to disciplinary action.
a) Training shall consist of 6 months theory, physical, mental and other training that is deemed appropriate by the Royal New Zealand police college.
b) New recruits shall spend the remaining 6 months in the field, after successfully completing 6 months of college training at the RNZPC.
c) Field training should be made up into 2 parts.
c1) All new police recruits shall spend 2 months at a rural or community police station. This is to help new recruits to understand small community based policing and what it is like to be involved in a small community.
c2) All new police recruits shall spend 4 months at an urban police station. This will allow new recruits to familiarize themselves with urban city policing.
d) All police recruits will be mentored individually for a period of three years. Retired police officers with excellent service and skill history will be utilized on a part time basis to ensure mature development of young officers. This will ensure their wisdom, knowledge and experience will not be lost but passed on for the benefit of all.
Alternative views Comment
I think all our police officers should undergo on-going personality tests to prevent the possibility of the darlings who give police a bad name. And also some training to discern who to be wary of and who to be pleasant to. There should also be adherence to The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html).
My opinion is that all police officers should be drug tested randomly through their careers as how is the public to trust their police department to uphold acts like Misuse of Drugs Act if the police are breaking the law by using drugs.
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