Andrew Coster wasn't as operational focused as a lot of officers would have liked, the police association says. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
The departing Police Commissioner Andrew Coster has not been everyone's favourite, but the Police Association says he has not had the easiest of jobs.
Andrew Coster is leaving the top job six months early to take up a new role heading a Social Investment Agency.
"I think overall it's probably a good call from all sides," Police Association president Chris Cahill told Checkpoint.
"Look, he hasn't been everyone's favourite commissioner, he has a different way than some frontline officers would like but he's very professional, he's very organised and he did come in at a very difficult time, I mean he started with the first lockdown and Covid, comes out, change of government, change of focus, money savings required, so he's had a very difficult few years."
Coster was not as operational-focused as a lot of officers would like but many did not understand that it was a multi faceted role, Cahill said.
"What was he was strong in was trying to get other government departments to lift their game and step into some of the social space that police had been pushed in to."
Cahill said Coster's biggest achievement would be the introduction of the Tactical Response Model which has led to significant improvements in training, deployment of officers and the safety of frontline officers.
He said someone coming into the role needed a good level of experience across many areas of policing, operational focus, an understanding the challenges in districts and understanding that you need to work with a variety of departments.
"It's not a job that a lot of people would want and it's certainly a very stressful job... some ways you can't win no matter what you do.'
There were very good people in current leadership roles who could step up, he said.
Operational independence needs to be clearly defined
Asked if there was enough operational independence in the role, Cahill said the line "has become increasingly blurred".
"And it's not just this commissioner, I think it's been happening for multiple years across multiple governments.
"I think it's a line that really needs to be defined clearly."
Politicians were meddling in operational decisions more than they had in the past, he said.
"I think it needs to be clear the government sets the framework, they set what their goals are but operationally how that's deployed needs to be independent as the commissioner."
How police would utilise the new gang legislation needed to be an operational decision not just led by want the government might want, he said.
