MÄORI PERCEPTIONS OF THE POLICE By Pania Te Whaiti & Dr Michael Roguski He Pärekereke/ Victoria Link Ltd. September 1998 CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS................................................................................................................ 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY................................................................................................................. 2 MÄORI ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE POLICE................................ ................................ ........................... 2 VARIABLES ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ....... 3 Variables influencing police behaviour toward Mäori ................................................................. 3 Variables influencing Mäori behaviour toward police ................................................................. 4 THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PERCEPTIONS AND SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS OF MÄORI.................. 4 RECOMMENDATIONS ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................... 6 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................ 10 WHAT THE CLIENT WANTED: THE RESEARCH QUESTION ................................ ................................ 10 Objectives ................................................................................................................................. 10 METHODOLOGY........................................................................................................................... 12 FACILITATION................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ 12 SELECTION ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..... 12 Mäori Voice: Whanaungatanga................................................................................................. 13 QUESTIONS................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..... 13 THEMES................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .......... 13 TIKANGA MÄORI VS NON-MÄORI RESEARCH METHODOLOGY................................ ........................... 14 Te Mana o Ngä Pakeke ............................................................................................................. 15 CONTEXTUALISING GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS ................................ ................................ ...................... 16 Tämaki-Nui-a-Rua..................................................................................................................... 16 Ötepoti...................................................................................................................................... 16 Tämaki-Makau-Rau, Te Whanga-nui-a-Tara. ............................................................................ 16 DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE ................................ ................................ ................................ .................. 17 Employment Status and Community Services Card.................................................................... 17 Educational Levels.................................................................................................................... 17 Type of Police Contact .............................................................................................................. 18 INTERPRETING THE DEMOGRAPHICS................................ ................................ ................................ 18 Male vs. Female Participants .................................................................................................... 18 Victims of Crime........................................................................................................................ 19 LITERATURE REVIEW................................................................................................................. 20 PAST ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .............. 20 Mäori in the Police Force ......................................................................................................... 23 Police Sub-Culture.................................................................................................................... 24 RESULTS ......................................................................................................................................... 26 OVERVIEW................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 26 EXPERIENCES AS A SUSPECT .................................................................................................... 29 TARGETING OF MÄORI. ................................ ................................ ................................ ................... 29 Differential Treatment Based on Skin Colour ............................................................................ 33 USE OF POLICE DISCRETIONARY POWER................................ ................................ ........................... 36 Strip-Searching ......................................................................................................................... 37 Sexual Harassment and Sexual Coercion................................................................................... 38 EXPERIENCES AS A VICTIM OF CRIME .................................................................................. 41 RACIAL VIOLENCE: ÖTEPOTI ................................ ................................ ................................ ........... 42 DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................... 44 SEX WORKERS AS VICTIMS OF CRIME................................ ................................ ............................... 48 MÄORI YOUTH.............................................................................................................................. 50 COMPLAINTS AGAINST THE POLICE...................................................................................... 54 WHAT WORKS BEST .................................................................................................................... 56 YOUNG COPS: OLDER COPS................................ ................................ ................................ ............. 56 MÄORI COPS................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ... 57 Relationships with iwi and Mäori community groups................................................................. 58 Rural and urban communities.................................................................................................... 60 WHERE TO FROM HERE................................ ................................ ................................ .................... 60 Educating for Change ............................................................................................................... 61 RELATIONSHIPS WITH IWI ................................ ................................ ................................ ................ 63 CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................. 65 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................. 67 Ötepoti................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........... 70 Tämaki-Nui-a-Rua ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................... 70 APPENDIX ONE.............................................................................................................................. 71 METHODOLOGICAL DILEMMAS ................................ ................................ ................................ ........ 71 SELECTION ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..... 71 Prison Inmates .......................................................................................................................... 71 Tämaki-nui-a-Rua ..................................................................................................................... 71 Pakeke ...................................................................................................................................... 71 Domestic Violence..................................................................................................................... 72 Mental Health Consumers ......................................................................................................... 72 Sex Workers .............................................................................................................................. 72 Rangatahi.................................................................................................................................