Policy Name: CPNZ Patrolling Policy 2015
Prepared By
Document Owner(s)CPNZ Trust Board
PolicyVersion Control
Version / Date / Author / Change Description1 / Oct 2012 / M. Cheer.
D. Ross / Document created
2 / Feb 2015 / M.V. Smith / Reference to other agencies and community groups added
Rationale for not patrolling alone added
Further explanation of situations when a patroller might leave a vehicle
[Replace this text with the name of the Change Owner.] / [Replace this text with a list of changes for this Owner on this Date and Version.]
- [Change 1]
- [Change 2]
- [Change n]
General principles
Community patrollers are motivated and capable volunteers making a real difference in their communities. They support Police to achieve the principles of its 'Prevention First' strategy and work towards ‘Safer Communities Together’.
They are also engaged in other activities that build community resilience and promote community safety, including working with local authorities, civil defence and emergency management, and other agencies and community organisations.
Patrollers perform an 'eyes and ears' role, recording and reporting matters of interest or concern to Policeand other agencies.
Community patrollers have no statutory powers. However they can be called upon to assist a police officer to make an arrest.
Patrollers must ensure they follow Health and Safety procedures and must at all times be mindful of their safety and wellbeing and avoid putting themselves at risk.
In particular:
- Community patrollers are not permitted to patrol alone. Doing so leaves them very vulnerable to criminal or civil actions and vulnerable to issues that might affect their health and safety. Furthermore, as a lone patroller’s reports to Police are unsubstantiated by a patrolling partner,their evidentiary value to Police is significantly decreased.
- Community patrollers should avoid situations where they could be physically harmed by a member of the public.
Situations in which a patroller may needto leave their patrol vehicle are situations where common sense suggests they should do something, for example, to:
Assess and administer initial first aid to persons found injured
Check their local schools (see Patrolling of Schools by Community Patrols of New Zealand)
Remove obstacles placed on roads or walkways that may endanger other road or walkway users.
There are numerous similar circumstances that may require patrollers to leave their patrol vehicle. However, leaving the relative safety of a patrol vehicle inappropriately may not only be dangerous and unjustifiable, it may be illegal and leave the patroller open to a criminal charge or civil claim.
Patrollers should only engagedirectly with members in the public if they are reasonably satisfied that theycan do so without placing themselves at risk of physical harm. If any situation does not meet that threshold (or develops in a way that breaches that threshold) then the patrollers should keep their distance (or retreat) and call Police.
Police Directed patrolling and deployment
Directed Patrolling
The Police ‘Tactical Coordination’ process will result in community patrols being provided with direct patrolling requests. Those requests may relate to crime patterns, specific areas and times.
Police Deployment
The District Command Centres will deploy community patrols to appropriate events occurring on their shift.
These will generally be Priority 4 (P4) events where police attendance is not required.
However community patrols may be deployed to assist operational police staff at any priority event where they can provide an appropriate level of assistance, for example, with cordons or traffic management.
Any such deployment would have considered the ability of the patrol and health and safety. Nevertheless patrollers must also assess their health and safety risk for themselves and, if a patroller has any concerns as to their health and safety, the patroller should advise Police that they do not wish to undertake, or continue to undertake, the allotted task.