June 03, 2022
Community rōpū best placed to help Police
Deputy Police Commissioner Wally Haumaha says building close relations with community organisations is critical if police are to get on top of issues like family harm, youth crime and ram raids.
Mr Haumaha has been in Tāmaki Makaurau this week holding conferences for the various Police liaison teams and also signing a partnership with Manukau Urban Māori Authority and Ngā Whare Waatea.
He says organisations like MUMA have time and time again proven their ability to connect with whānau in crisis in a culturally sensitive way.
“It takes away that whakamā about their current circumstances. They disclose a lot of things about their background and what’s happening in their life and from the results I have seen, it’s the only way we can address these issues around truancy, around youth issues, around family harm, violence to women, violence to our children, even addressing things like ram raids, is by mobilising our community organisations who can contact those families,” Mr Haumaha says.