Promoting the police

A thematic analysis of the New Zealand Police recruitment campaigns and the construction of officers’ identities

Prior to 2021, the New Zealand (NZ) Police had consistently struggled to meet the required target of recruiting new police officers. As a strategy to promote the NZ Police and to subsequently increase the number of officers within the force, a series of recruitment campaigns were broadcasted. Despite appearing to frame the career of a NZ Police officer positively, research has suggested that there is a lack of diversity within the police force with women and ethnic minorities consistently underrepresented, and inequitable working conditions, therefore leading the job to be perceived as unattractive to most. However, after the release of the ‘Breaking News’ recruitment campaign together with television advertisements and targeted websites outlining information on the recruitment process, the NZ Police successfully met their target with applications exceeding 600 per month.

Read more here.

Nairn A, Roebuck R. (2022). Promoting the police: A thematic analysis of the New Zealand Police recruitment campaigns and the construction of officers’ identities. Journal of Criminology. doi:10.1177/26338076221085310
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