Victims at the heart of everything we do?

I’m not sure we hit that mark judging by a story on Stuff the other day about a guy who told Police where his 8K stolen bike was only to be informed that because he had claimed insurance, he wasn’t a victim!

I appreciate we are all busy, but we risk losing the support of the public with this sort of response.

It’s not the first instance I have heard of where named offenders have been recorded in police files.

It’s bad enough when victims have to wait 30 minutes on 105, but to know an offender has been allowed to remain unaccountable does nothing for our rep.

Talking of being busy, there has been a lot of chat around the traps about all the new positions for those with shiny stuff on their shoulders.

I’m not the jealous type – I figured out early on that those dizzy heights weren’t for me – but while these roles might be busy and important, are they actually a priority when, as mentioned, we can’t get close to looking after all the victims of crime? And don’t start me on the road toll.

I just wonder if more projects with unclear outcomes are the answer, or if more mahi on our core business is what is needed.

I understand our Police recruiting is holding up well, which is good to hear given how hard some employers are finding it to attract staff. In that category are Comms and 105, which are facing competition from private companies that are willing to offer big money to keep or attract staff.

I know our Police employees are incredibly loyal, but we need to make sure we do all we can to retain the staff we have, so maybe the decision to take the coffee machine away from 105 staff wasn’t the best move.

It’s the little things that can make the difference.

This column is written by a frontline police member. It does not represent the views or policies of the Police Association.