June 13, 2023
Māori bear brunt of police tactical options
Use of force by New Zealand Police remains low, Māori accounted for a disproportionately high number of cases in 2021.
The 2021 Environment and Response Report, which now includes the annual tactical options report, the gun safe report and the environmental risk scan, says there is an increasingly challenging environment and increased tendency for violence towards Police officers.
Tactical options include everything from empty-hand tactics, to using a firearm, to pepper spray.
Assistant Commissioner Mike Johnson says just 0.23 percent of events attended by police in 2021 resulted in the use of tactical options.
He says staff are trained to use the least amount of force necessary to bring conflict to its safe resolution.
In 2021, Māori accounted for over half of all tactical option events and over half of all offences of assaulting police.
Mr Johnson says Police is committed to improving outcomes for Māori, including through working with iwi Maori to develop the Te Huringa o Te Tai strategy to reduce victimisation, offending, road fatalities and injuries among Māori.
The report showed an increase in the use of vehicles as weapons against police and more staff who were injured needed hospital level treatment in 2021, compared with the previous three years.