The review was prompted after several people complained about the way their local officers dealt with them.
Concern some rural police officer appointments are not an ideal fit with their communities has led to 41 recommendations after a review by the Independent Police Conduct Authority.
It found that Police as an organisation lack an adequate national strategy for the allocation of resources and delivery of services to these small and remote communities.
“The role of officers is not always clearly defined and they do not always receive sufficient induction, supervision, training and support,” authority chair Judge Colin Doherty said.
“Conflicts of interest sometimes arise that officers are not sufficiently trained and equipped to handle.”
The review looked at policing at communities with one or two person stations and was prompted after several people complained about the way their local officers dealt with them.
Federated Farmers board member Colin Hurst welcomed the report and noted that for some rural police, living in a small community can resemble living in a fishbowl with everyone watching.
The review interviewed the local officers and residents in 12 communities and looked at what works well, where improvements to police services are needed and whether officers need further training and support.
Doherty says policing in small communities can be difficult and challenging, with officers required to deal with a wide range of issues, expected to be available at all times, where they often work alone in demanding circumstances without any immediate backup.
“In order to be effective, they must become part of the community and develop both strong professional and personal relationships, but this can cause conflicts of interest that must be carefully managed,” he said.
Recommendations include better definition of an officer’s role, clearer guidance on how to manage conflicts of interest, regular welfare support for officers and their families, building more permanent relieving capacity and developing more systematic induction processes.
It also recommends limiting small community roles to five years, with the possibility of an extension, enhanced training and a support network, better supervision, more community feedback and more guidance on how officers should engage with their communities.
Hurst says defining the role of a rural policeman is important and noted anecdotal evidence that where they have an interest in specific rural crimes such as poaching and stock theft, they generally fitted better into the community.
Hurst says not having permanent relief is tough on rural offices, so introducing a permanent relief system would be beneficial.
He was less supportive of limiting roles to five years, saying there are benefits from continuity but noted professionalism can be enhanced if there is less familiarity with the community.
Police say they agree with the findings, which are being referred to the Rural Policing Enhancement Project (RPEP).
Hurst says a recent joint Federated Farmers police rural crime survey of 1200 people found 52% have been victims of crime, 10% higher than the last survey held in 2016.
Of those victims, 71.4% were targeted two or more times and 17.5% on five or more occasions.
Bay of Plenty, Hawke’s Bay, Gisborne-Wairoa and North Otago had above average crime for the past two years.
The most common criminal act was stolen or killed livestock reported by more than 50% of respondents, poaching was reported by 47%, stolen property by 44%, with 27% reporting stolen motorbikes or vehicles.
A fifth of victims of crimes had property damaged or vandalised and 17% suspected drugs were being grown or manufactured on their property.
