13216 (2024). Hon Ginny Andersen to the Minister of Police

13216 (2024). Hon Ginny Andersen to the Minister of Police: How many requests, if any, have Police received to provide reference checks to New Zealand constabulary staff who have applied to relocate to Australia since December 2023 to date?

Hon Mark Mitchell: I am advised that between 1 December 2023 to 23 May 2024 there have been approximately 103 vetting requests received from Australian Police Agencies. Please note that this information is an imprecise proxy to the question of how many New Zealand police officers have left to become Australian police officers. Vetting requests have only been counted if directly requested from one of the Australian Police agencies. Employees and ex-employees can, and have, requested their vetting report directly from the integrity and conduct team, which can then be passed on to the Australian Police agency by the individual. This is not currently counted in the vetting numbers provided. If an individual requests their vetting history directly, this can be for a number of reasons and not necessarily an indication of their intention to join an Australian Police agency. It is not possible to know exactly how many current or former employees have moved to Australia, only the number who have resigned that have also requested a vetting request via an Australian Police agency.