Police Commissioner Andrew Coster says police "need to look really carefully… to make sure that our decisions about who we speak to, who we charge, when we use force are fair".
That's in response to concerns over the recent Armed Response Teams (ARTs) trial, during which 50 percent of those arrested were Māori.
During an interview with The Hui, Coster agreed that unconscious bias still exists within police.
"All humans have unconscious bias and we're no exception to that."
But when asked if he agrees with the Minister of Police's statement that there is no systemic racism in the police, he said he believed the minister was referring to "intentionality" and he believes most officers are "turning up to work to do their best".
Earlier this week Coster announced the ARTs will not be continued beyond their initial trial, which drew strong criticism for appearing to target Māori and Pasifika communities.
A survey of 1155 Māori and Pasifika people by ActionStation found 85 percent did not support the trial going ahead, 87 percent felt less safe knowing there were armed police in their community and 91 percent would not call the police for help if they knew they had guns on them.
The Hui
