Māori offenders are much more likely to face charges than get a warning than non-Māori, but the Police Commissioner says the force is "absolutely not" racist.
An Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) report released Wednesday found officers were less likely to use their discretion and give Māori a warning, rather than press charges, when compared with non- Māori.
In Waikato, for example, 55 percent of non-Māori offenders qualifying for warnings were given one, compared to just 24 percent for Māori; and 34 percent compared to 19 percent in Counties Manukau.
Police Commissioner Mike Bush told Paul Henry on Thursday said the force has made improvements over the last five years.
"Every police officer in New Zealand by the Policing Act, has the discretion and can apply it - they're all human beings and they use their best judgement. There's also going to be some inconsistency."
Despite the narrowing gap between Māori and non-Māori, he doesn't believe the force used to be more racist than it is now.
"That's not the police service that New Zealanders have. It was more around understanding what unconscious bias does, and that's a far cry from racism. It exists everywhere, every organisation, it exists in every person."
A big part of the discrepancy that still exists is that Māori offenders are more likely to have previous convictions, making it harder for police to make the call not to press charges.
"We're concerned about how many Māori there are in the justice system, like anyone else," says Cmmr Bush.
The inconsistency between regions he put down to the "different dynamics" and the types of crimes committed.
"If you look at the southern district, you might say in certain towns and cities there, things occur that [warnings] can be used for more readily than others."
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