IR-01-22-28622
25 October 2022
J Bruning
[FYI request #20590 email]
Dear Mr Bruning
Request for information
Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 (OIA) request of 16 September 2022, in
which you asked:
Please supply total numbers of police staff by year from 2018 to 2022, and the
projected numbers for 2023 assigned to:
- Armed offenders squads
- Special tactics group
- Interpol
- General duties
The table below shows the number of active Full Time Equivalent (FTE) Constabulary
employed by New Zealand Police between 2017 and 2022.
Table 1: Active FTE Constabulary employed by Police (2017-2022)
Date
Constabulary FTE
31/12/2017
8,920.8
31/12/2018
9,323.7
31/12/2019
9,880.8
31/12/2020
10,215.8
31/12/2021
10,175.4
31/08/2022
10,379.3
30/06/2023 (Projection)
10,848.00
New Zealand Police currently have 439 staff as permanent members of the Armed
Offenders Squad, 54 staff permanently assigned to the Special Tactics Group, and 12
staff permanently assigned to working with Interpol. ‘General Duties’ is no longer a
constabulary classification in active use, largely replaced by ‘Public Safety Team’ groups
(currently 2600 staff). Projected growth numbers for these groups in 2023 are not
currently available. As such, this part of your request is refused under section 18(e) of the
OIA, as the requested information does not exist.
Budgets 2017 and 2018 funded Police to increase Constabulary numbers by 1,800 by
June 2023. Budgets 2021 and 2022 have funded extra growth over and above the 1,800
for the Frontline Safety Improvement Program, and a number of other programs. For this
reason expected growth totals more than 1,800. Police is on target to achieve al funded
growth.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this
decision. Information about how to make a complaint is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802 602.
Yours sincerely
Cathryn Curran-Tietjens
Executive Director - People Operations
New Zealand Police
