A new survey has found trust in the police is declining.
More than 5000 Kiwis were polled in the year to November 2022 as part of the New Zealand Crime and Victims Survey run by the Ministry of Justice.
It found 69 percent of respondents had trust and confidence in the police, down 5 percent compared to the previous survey.
Trust has declined more among certain demographic groups: Those aged 60-64 and 40-49, men, straight people and Pākehā, while it's remained stable in most other communities, including Māori.
The decline in trust was highest among those who were not victims of crime, meaning public perception has driven the decline rather than people who've actually experienced crime.
Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said the decline in public trust and confidence is the result of three main trends.
Firstly, the survey was conducted during the height of political tensions over the Government's COVID-19 rules. Coster said the tail end of New Zealand's COVID-19 response was "controversial" with some communities.
Another trend Coster cited was "changes in some highly visible crime trends" in New Zealand, such as ram raids and inter-gang violence.
And thirdly, he blamed a "drop in public confidence in governmental institutions in general and policing in particular, both overseas and here in New Zealand".
"Preventing crime and harm in our communities and responding to emergencies will always be our priority," Coster said.
"These surveys tell us that we also need to make sure we continue to demonstrate to the public the results of our efforts and our successes in identifying and addressing emerging crime trends such as gang violence and ram raids."
The survey also found the public wants to see more of the police, on foot patrols both day and night. But the police say that's because more and more they're dealing with situations that are "less visible" to the public, such as family harm and mental health.
"These serious and high harm events which the public trust and expect us to respond to mean we are now spending more time in private homes than in the past, and less in public and on our roads."
