Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
The police minister and the Police Association are united in their view that front-line officers are too often doing the job of health services.
The increase in demands on police was front and centre at the association's annual conference in Wellington on Wednesday.
Police Association president Chris Cahill said more and more officers were responding to family harm and mental health callouts, and it was pulling them away from their core duties.
Cahill said police responded to a family harm incident every three minutes and received 200 mental health-related calls every day.
Police Association president Chris Cahill. Photo: Supplied/ Local Democracy Reporting
"Police is taking on the work that should be resourced and led through Te Whatu Ora, justice and Oranga Tamariki. These departments also have the expertise in areas where often the presence of a blue uniform is more of a hindrance than a help," Cahill said.
Cahill said police were struggling to deliver core services and faced growing public dissatisfaction as they were swamped by growing demands.
Police Minister Ginny Andersen agreed. She said it was unacceptable that police officers were expected to attend mental health callouts.
Police Minister Ginny Andersen. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
She told the association police were stepping up to fill the gaps in the health workforce.
Andersen said investment needed to remain in place to bolster front-line mental health staff and help lift the burden from police.
"The emergency communication centres have experienced, roughly, a doubling of mental health calls over the past decade. We know that most mental health calls received do not involve a criminal component. You are turning up to help people in distress simply because no one else will," Andersen said.
Andersen said the pandemic had led to a shortage of 2.2 million health workers globally.
National Party police spokesperson Mark Mitchell said officers needed to be freed up to take a back to basics approach.
National's police spokesperson Mark Mitchell. Photo: RNZ / Sam Rillstone
"[Police] are the ones that pick up the tabs for all those social issues. They're our only 24-hour social agency.
"It's unfair to always point the finger at the police and say 'you've got to go out there and sort this and deal with it'. It actually takes a big joined up approach to do that. Community, iwi, local government and central government that is how we're going to fix those problems."
Mitchell said too few of the much touted 1800 new police staff were finding their way into front-line roles.
He said police needed to be a present in greater numbers on the streets of the country's towns and cities.
Cahill also said it was crucial to focus on the mental wellbeing of police and be open about the toll the job was taking on staff.
He said he supported a motion before the conference seeking regular, mandated psychological testing for key police staff.