Collins Judith: Police Complaints Authority (Commission of Inquiry into Police Conduct) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Collins Judith: Police Complaints Authority (Commission of Inquiry into Police Conduct) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:617;Page:12866] 
JUDITH COLLINS (National—Clevedon) 
: 
 I rise to speak in support of this bill. It is always such a nice change when we can rise in support of a Government bill. I will deal with Part 1 in relation to the commission of inquiry. 
To follow on from Mr Worth who has just spoken corruption in the New Zealand police force is fortunately not a common occurrence. However in the last few years the police have come under increasing scrutiny—certainly as I recall from the time when the shooting in Waitara caused the Prime Minister to make all sorts of allegations about the police. From that day forth we have had a lowering of public confidence in the police. That is a dreadful shame. 
One of the problems is that the Police Complaints Authority has not been seen as having all the powers it needs. We in the National Party are very keen to see the process of looking at police complaints and at the actions of the police become far more robust and be seen as such. 
One comment I have had from police officers is that over the last few years there has been a drop in some standards in the police. It is certainly something they have noticed. That is so important to this bill because it affects police morale. A lowering in police morale can unfortunately sometimes lead to a lowering in standards generally and a lowering in the ability of the police to always deal with issues in a sensitive and careful way. Certainly having spoken to many police about this I have learnt that they find that whereas some years ago a reprimand to a young person would be treated with respect and taken very seriously in today’s world that sort of reprimand and initial action is often ignored. They find themselves hidebound by all sorts of politically correct regulations and rules that really do not stop one piece of crime. 
The police in my electorate Clevedon—which includes Papakura at one end and goes up to the Howick police station at the top end—seem to me to be doing as great a job as they possibly can. They have many many challenges and for them to know that the Police Complaints Authority can be trusted as an independent and robust body is extremely important. Being a police officer in today’s world is not an easy job. Fortunately in New Zealand it is a lot easier than in certain other countries. One reason is that the police become members of the police force for I find the very right reasons—that is to uphold the law of New Zealand to show respect for the people of New Zealand and to be good citizens of New Zealand themselves. 
National is very pleased to support this change so that a more robust process can be in place should there be complaints against the police—as no doubt from time to time there will be. We accept however that there is the odd rogue element in the police force as in any organisation. I am pleased to say that over the years I have noticed the police are often the first to deal with any such rogue elements and to bring them into the open. The police care about their reputation and so should we in Parliament. One of our jobs is to uphold the authority and morale of the police and certainly to make sure they are as much as possible free from corruption. We should do whatever we can to make sure their work is valued in the community.