'Even the crims are friendly' - British recruits
04 July 2006



Wairoa criminals might be nicer than their British counterparts, but they now have four more reasons to be wary of being nabbed. The police presence in the Wairoa district has been boosted by a quarter. Many other parts of New Zealand are also benefiting from the addition of recruits from Britain.

Constables Matt Love, Tristan Hope, Donna Little, and Andy Allerton were among 96 British recruits who graduated last week from a three-month conversion training course at the police college in Porirua. Their posting to Wairoa was the subject of jokes at a law and order select committee hearing in Parliament, with National MP Chester Borrows saying the British officers 'must've been given a bloody good brochure' to want to go to Wairoa.

But Mrs Little, formerly of Birmingham, said seeing stars clearly in the sky was just one of the differences she had noticed since emigrating. 'People are a lot more friendly. They take the time to say, `Hello, are you the new police officer?' "Even the crims are friendlier. Crime and drugs are just rife in the UK and it's not as bad here.'

The laid-back attitudes of New Zealanders ? including lawbreakers ? had also surprised her. 'We did a drugs search warrant and the people weren't home and they had this great big hydroponics setup. They later came back to the house and said, `We heard you (police) were here and we thought we would come back. That would never happen in the UK. People are more laid back about things, even being arrested.'

Mr Love, who worked with the Metropolitan Police in London, said his initial impression of Wairoa was of 'no rat-race lifestyle' 'There's some good laws (that) we don't have in the UK, like dealing with boy racers.'

Mr Hope, who served in northern Wales, said he had researched Wairoa on the Internet and found similarities to his own lifestyle. 'Kiwis have a real appreciation of life and nature, and obviously there are outdoor pursuits. I'm a bit of a country person anyhow. It's been raining a lot but I'm no stranger to rain.'

The national manager of recruitment and appointments, Inspector Dawn Bell, said there were collectively 1000 years of service among the new batch of recruits.

Two new officers would be based in Gisborne, but most of the new recruits would work in Auckland. Sixty more recruits from the UK are expected to start conversion training by February. A third of the first batch of British recruits, in 2003, have left the police.

- The Dominion Post