Policing in New Zealand:

Abstract

PurposeThis paper seeks to critique the Winfree and Taylor report on rural, small town, and metropolitan police in New Zealand.Design/methodology/approachCompares and contrasts the conclusions to some earlier findings of Jaeger in her research on increasing the diversity of the New Zealand police. The question asked is: “Can universal research methodology on classical policing and community policing be applied carte blanche to organizational studies in New Zealand without ‘local’ input?”.FindingsJaeger's research, through in‐depth interviews of twenty ethnic police officers, suggested possible alternative conclusions that were not apparent when Winfree and Taylor, reporting from a distance, applied detailed statistical analysis to a 1996 dataset. The paper suggests that a combination of the two approaches might lead to a more complete and truthful representation of the reality.Originality/valueCritiques an earlier report on the police in New Zealand published in Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management.