Latest / Early Edition with Ryan Bridge / Steve Watt: Police Association President on a senior police officer's Labour candidacy

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Steve Watt: Police Association President on a senior police officer's Labour candidacy · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: The Police Commissioner says a senior officer shouldn't stay in
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: the job after putting his name forward for Labor. Superintendent
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: Rakesh Naidu is the Police Partnerships Manager for Ethnic eb
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: and Community Relations. Yesterday he was announced at number thirteen
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: on Labour's party list, a spot that's likely to see
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: him enter Parliament. The move has sparked concern, with both
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: the Police Commissioner and Police Minister making it clear that
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: they're not happy. Joining me now is Steve Watt, Police
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: Associate President. Thank you very much for your time this morning. Steve,
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: good morning.
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: More than a Francesca.
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: Are you concerned by this?
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: No, not really. Police officers tend to make good politicians.
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: They bring realism, practical way of thinking and lived experience
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: to the house and these are all important characteristics that
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: add value and benefit to everyday New Zealanders. Yeah.
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: No, he's definitely a good get in. He but is
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: it important for police to stay politically neutral? Can he
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: do his job and do that?
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: Ah? New Zealand police operate independently from government and fluence
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: and are required to remain apolitical. Because of this, it
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: is important that neutrality and impartiality is maintained.
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: Do we need better policy to ensure that an issue
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: like this doesn't happen again, or do we need clarification
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: on the processes that you need to go through if
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: you want to suddenly become a politician.
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: But it's not every day that an officer wakes up
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: and goes into politics. And I understand there are policies
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: in place within police and through the Electrical Electoral Commission
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: around this issue. But what this is brought about is
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: that they may need to be highlighted and be a
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: bit clearer for those aspiring to be politicians.
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: Yeah, that makes sense, does it? If I was wondering
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: if Rakesh was further down the list, would this be
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: that much of an issue. I mean, he's got a
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: very good spot at number thirteen. He is most likely
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: going to be a politician at the end of the
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: year certainty around it. Does that make a difference or
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: should it just be across the board?
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: Look, it has to be across the board. Ultimately, the
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: police do need to operate independently, as I've said, So
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: it doesn't kind of matter where you sit within that list.
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: It's you know, you've got aspirations to become a politician
• 2:18
  Speaker 2: into that political environment. So it's really important that neutrality
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: is maintained irrespective of where you sit on that list.
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: Okay, Steve, thank you so much for your time this morning.
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: That was Steve what They're the Police Association president.
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: For more from earlier edition with Ryan Bridge, listen live
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: to News Talk sat BE from five am weekdays, or
• 2:39
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