Chester Borrows MP
National Party Police Spokesman

9 June 2007

One fifth of cops from UK have left

Nearly one fifth of officers recruited from the United Kingdom who have served in the New Zealand Police have left, says National’s Police spokesman, Chester Borrows.

Answers to parliamentary questions show that of the 222 UK recruits who have served in New Zealand, 42 have left.

“The Government first brought UK cops over here in 2003, and 74 graduated from a conversion course, but by April last year only 51 were still serving – an attrition rate of one third in just three years.

“From last year, the Government started bringing in more, a further 148 in total, to help meet the target of 1,000 new frontline police. Thirty-nine more are currently in training. In that time, 19 more have left, all after serving less than a year.

“National last year expressed concern at the high attrition rate from the 2003 group, and called on Police Minister Annette King to look at what is happening.

"Clearly, little has been done to arrest the rate of attrition.

“You have to wonder if the conditions of work are made clear to them before we put the time and resources into training them.”

UK recruits are not required to serve a minimum period with the NZ police, and are granted residency straight away under the skilled migrant category.

"Perhaps Annette King needs to consider some sort of bonding scheme so they can count on those numbers for at least a couple of years.”

Mr Borrows is also releasing information that shows more UK recruits were either going straight into traffic duties or transferring to road policing from the front line.

“In 2003, six of the 74 UK cops were initially assigned to road policing. But since then, a further 31 have gone straight into traffic, with 19 others transferring from elsewhere in the police.

“That is a lot to be transferring, and once again suggests that work conditions were not made clear or understood in the first place.”

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