Case Study: New Zealand

The New Zealand Police early intervention system was introduced in response to a conduct crisis and as a direct consequence of recommendations made by a major commission of inquiry. The main component of the evaluation compared complaints against officers 12 months before and 12 months after experiencing the EI program. A 72.5% reduction in complaints was most likely attributable to the influence of the program. There was also some very limited evidence of a positive effect on officer welfare. In that regard, the study also evinced something of a conflict in goals between improving officer welfare and improving officer conduct. As with previous intervention case study evaluations, the New Zealand example, by Briody and Prenzler (2020), was hampered by limitations in accessible data, including a conflation of internal and external complaints and lack of long-term pre- and post-intervention public complaints. The case study is instructive nonetheless, particularly in terms of managing different program goals and also addressing the issue of voluntary versus mandatory participation. The case study is also distinctive for the program’s use of 22 indicators.