28 November 2015
Bias amongst police must be urgently addressed

The Minister for Police must make sure everything possible is done to ensure the end of racial bias in our police force, following an admission by the commissioner that Police have been biased against Maori, says Labour’s Police Spokesperson Kelvin Davis.

“Kiwis need to know that their police force will play it straight and act without bias.

“The admission from Commissioner Mike Bush that the police have not always done that and have had issues with bias against Māori will only confirm what many people knew already.

“The Minister and the Police must urgently address this to give the public confidence that these issues will not happen again.

“Acknowledging there is a problem is one thing, fixing it is another.

“A fair and unbiased police force is a vital part of our justice system. The Government needs to act urgently to eliminate any remaining bias,” says Kelvin Davis.

ends