Facts

In New Zealand the police:
Ensure people obey the law.
Help keep you and our communities safe.
Help teach you to keep safe.

One of the reasons we have police is to make sure people obey the laws, and catch people who are breaking the laws.Remember the Police don't make the laws, that is done at parliament.

Police Officers have had special training at the Royal New Zealand Police College in Wellington before they became police officers. This training lasts about six months.

The Police also investigate crime – they find clues and put the facts together so they can find out who broke the law.As an example: Detectives may look for fingerprints and clues.

When the police have caught someone they think has broken the law they go along to a court and tell the judge all about it, and the judge has to decide whether that person should be punished.

In New Zealand the Police also look after the laws on the road as well. So they make sure that people don't speed in their cars,wear their cycle helmets and investigate car accidents as well as doing crimefighting duties.

When people get lost in the countryside, or the bush, or mountains or sea.The police and Search and rescue volunteers help look for them and rescue them!

Another job the police do is look after people’s lost property. So if you’ve lost something you can go along to the police station and describe it and they’ll see if they’ve got it in their lost and found room.

Having police out and about in the community, makes anyone thinking about breaking the law think again. And it makes everyone feel safer knowing the police are out and about and looking after us.

Police officers also visit schools to talk to kids about road safety,keeping themselves safe,the law..... just to mention a few.

Being a police officer is really all about is making sure that everyone obeys the law, and helping everyone to be safe.That's why the police motto is 'Safer Communities together'.  

Did you know

Police forces are government organizations charged with the responsibility of maintaining law and order. The word police comes from the French language.

A constable means somebody who has a particular job, normally a police officer but the word constable was used as long ago as the middle ages. In those times it meant the person who looked after the horses of the knight or lord he served.  In Latin the word constable was 'comes stabulari '(count of the stables).

The Police Act 1886 created New Zealand's first national police force. Sergeant John Nash was New Zealand's first non-commissioned police officer. 

In 1958 a new Police Act was passed which meant the word 'force' was removed. The name used now  is The New Zealand Police.

To train to be a police officer, once you have passed the entrance tests you have to go to the Royal New Zealand Police College at Porirua. You stay at the college for about six months and learn how to talk to people,how to investigate crime,take fingerprints,police driver training,self defence,swimming,firearms and study traffic and criminal law as well.When you are at police college you have the rank of a police recruit.

The ranks in the police are (From Top to Bottom)

Commissioner
Deputy Commissioner
Assistant Commissioner
Superintendent
Inspector
Senior Sergeant
Sergeant
Senior Constable (after 14 years service)
Constable
Recruit