There's concern a declining number of rural cops is leaving officers burnt out.
A police officer has told Newshub that they're struggling to keep up as new figures show rural crime is increasing.
During the day it's a quiet rural Wairarapa road. But at night time it's dangerously busy with people illegally shooting deer and farm animals from their utes.
"It's the busiest, most poached road in possibly New Zealand," Wairarapa farmer Ben Lutyens told Newshub.
Criminals take the locked farm gates off their hinges to hunt the private properties, killing cattle, deer and pigs.
"We see the spotlights around the hills and hear gunshots going off... What we do find is butchered and half-butchered cattle on the side of the road," Lutyens said.
And when the Lutyens ask the poachers to leave, abuse and threats are hurled at them.
"To break your legs and burn your house down. It hasn't happened yet and you get used to it," Lutyens told Newshub.
They're not alone. Figures from Federated Farmers show rural crime has risen by 11 percent in the past five years. And rural theft claims at FMG Insurance are up 19 percent from 2010.
One rural police officer, who wants to remain anonymous, told Newshub the number of rural cops has declined. We've changed his voice to protect his identity.
"Rural areas are really, really lacking in numbers. They all tend to be in the metropolitan areas. While the numbers of police are increasing, in rural areas it's actually dropping," he said.
Since 2010, there's been a national increase of nearly 1500 police officers from 8875 to 10,314. But numbers have fallen in some regions. In Hawke's Bay, it's dropped from 243 to 230. In the Wairarapa police numbers have fallen from 76 to 72. And the number of police in small stations across the country is down by six.
The numbers are declining while our regional populations grow. However, Assistant Police Commissioner Sandra Venables doesn't think there are fewer rural cops than there used to be.
"I don't think so, but ah no, I don't have those numbers for you. Our rural staff are exceptional," she told Newshub.
Permanently staffed stations have decreased too from 311 in 2010 to 272 last year - down 39 - and 65 stations have closed.
"The staffing numbers have stayed the same, it may just be that we've moved staff around. But the service is exactly the same," Asst Police Cmmr Venables said.
The rural cop disagrees: "We really struggle rurally. I personally don't think rural communities get the service they deserve."
Newshub can reveal there's been more than 1100 complaints and 1700 allegations about small police stations since 2010.
It was these complaints that led to a policing review from the watchdog revealing 12 key issues including:
- concerned about workload and burnout, and the lack of adequate support
- resourcing of smaller stations
- conflicts of interest
- the safety of police officers especially when there's no phone service
"Those are the sorts of challenges that need to be faced by police and need to get better if they can," IPCA chair Judge Colin Doherty said.
He also found that NZ Police has not placed enough importance on its rural policing teams.
"I don't think there is, or has been to date at least. And that was borne out in much of the information we got."
This rural cop said morale is low and police bosses fail at mental health prevention.
"It's quite easy to burnout. I don't think it's until someone falls over and says 'I've got an issue' that it's addressed," he told Newshub.
The IPCA chair is backing the call for an increase in rural cops.
"I personally think we could have more," Judge Doherty told Newshub.
And many farmers aren't even reporting crimes when they happen. A recent Federated Farmers survey found that 31 percent of respondents didn't tell police when an incident occurred.
"They've just got so little faith that if they call police someone will be there for them," the police officer told Newshub.
"I would like to see more rural cops, just generally around," Lutyens added.
To prevent poachers from shooting their stock.
