The use of force by New Zealand Police remains low overall, even as officers face an increasing level of violence, a new report shows.
Police today released the Annual Tactical Options Report (TOR), which provides an overview of what frontline Police are facing and the tactics they are using.
It found that in 2023 there was a 9 percent increase in TOR events, with 7719 incidents overall.
However, use of force continues to be extremely rare at 0.3 percent of all jobs Police attend.
Worldwide, other jurisdictions have also noted an increasing trend toward violence and the use of Tactical Options.
While New Zealand remains relatively safe, we are not immune to the forces driving such changes, which is reflected in these latest numbers.
Gang members accounted for 9 percent of TOR events despite making up only 0.2 percent of the national population, and Police are 45 times more likely to need to use force in these interactions.
Gang members were more likely to be armed with a firearm (25 percent) than non-gang offenders (8 percent).
"Police are committed to disrupting criminal gangs to ensure communities feel safe from intimidation and criminal activity," Assistant Commissioner Mike Johnson says.
"We recently announced additional resources to establish Gang Disruption Units and boost Community Beat Teams around the country as part of this work."
In 2023 there was a slight drop in the number of incidents involving firearms by offenders where Police were also required to use firearms as a tactical option.
"We know that firearms carry a higher risk of serious injury and death and so we make every effort to minimise their use.
"Through preventative work around the country, Police are investigating and seizing firearms to take them out of the wrong people's hands," Assistant Commissioner Johnson says.
In most situations, presenting a tactical option enables Police to resolve the situation safely.
In 98% of events involving Police use of a firearm, a firearm has presented only and not fired.
Police discharged a firearm at seven separate events during 2023.
"The 2023 TASER figures also show that TASER use has remained stable since 2018, with TASERs deployed at one in four events where they are presented," Assistant Commissioner Johnson says.
"While we do not want to use force, Police at times are required to use force due to the circumstances we face, in order to protect the public and ourselves. Communication will always be used as the primary method of de-escalation.
"The Frontline Skills Enhancement training (FSED) and the Tactical Response Model (TRM) continue to make a difference to our frontline staff when using de-escalation tactics."
FSED involves four days a year of enhanced scenario-based training, focused on appropriate de-escalation, decision-making under cognitive load and proportional tactical responses. It was implemented in all districts throughout 2022.
TRM is designed to ensure the frontline is trained, equipped, and supported to keep themselves and communities safer.
Of all TOR events, 8 percent occur in the custody environment.
Custody is a challenging environment for staff to work in, and at times they encounter resistant and assaultive behaviour.
TOR events in custody present a higher risk of injury to staff, with one staff member being injured for every 10 events compared to every 12 events in non-custody settings.
"Custody staff interact with a range of people, some of whom pose a real risk to themselves or others," Assistant Commissioner Johnson says.
"Approximately 120,000 people are in Police custody each year, and we must ensure tactical options are available to keep our staff safe and ensure our detainees receive appropriate care."
To balance this, Police are engaged in work to improve the 'People in Police Custody' policy and have implemented a custody-specific Quality, Assurance and Improvement Framework (QAIF) to ensure our policy and practice is fit-for-purpose.
Māori continue to be overrepresented in use of force events, especially in relation to population numbers, with Māori accounting for half of all TOR events.
Māori men aged 18 - 45 make up only 3 percent of the general population but account for 30 percent of TOR events that result in a charge being filed for violence offence/s.
NZ Police continues working with Māori communities-through strategies such as Te Huringa o Te Tai- to improve criminal justice outcomes for Māori.
