Hon Anne Tolley

Minister of Police

20 May 2014 Media Statement
Legislation introduced to enable some Police vetting cost recovery

Police Minister Anne Tolley says legislation has been introduced which will enable Police to strengthen its vetting service.

The Policing Act 2008 will be amended through the Policing (Cost Recovery) Amendment Bill to include provisions for the Police to recover the costs of certain services.

Cabinet has agreed that this will only apply to Police vetting, and once the Bill is passed regulations will be implemented to set small charges for the service.

“Demand for Police vetting has almost doubled in the past decade, and staff have had to fit this around their core policing duties,” says Mrs Tolley.

“These changes will allow Police to recover around $2.2 million each year, which it will use to deliver a dedicated, more efficient and sustainable vetting service, bringing New Zealand Police into line with other jurisdictions, such as Australia, the UK and Canada.”

A fee of around $5 to $7 has been proposed for each vetting request.

In New South Wales, fees for criminal history checks are A$52, in Queensland A$49 and in South Australia A$56.

Guidelines will be developed to allow Police to exempt certain organisations from vetting charges, such as volunteers working with children or family support services, and volunteers working with community organisations with limited financial means.

These guidelines will be publicly available and reviewed after 18 months.

Police released a public consultation paper on cost recovery in late 2012, and the public will be able to make further submissions to the select committee which considers the Bill.

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